Car Review: 2004.5 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

By Autoline Detroit

OK, when you see it coming right at you, you won’t notice any difference at all. It looks like any other Jeep Wrangler. But when you see it from the side view, you’ll probably get a better idea of what’s new.

This is the 2004 ½ Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, and it differs from other Wranglers in that it’s 15 inches longer, with all of that extra room going into more cargo space and more rear seat leg room.

Specifically, the Unlimited has 10 inches more wheelbase compared to the other Wranglers. The extra length also increased the Wranglers towing capacity to 3,500 pounds, and also smoothes out the ride.

If you’re at all familiar with the Wrangler you can instantly see that the Unlimited has a lot more rear leg room. They also added what they call a tip-and-slide front seat to make it easier to get into the back. And with the rear seats folded down there is twice as much luggage space.

Driving any Wrangler is all about open air driving and the Unlimited also comes with this clever sunroof built into the soft top, which has larger, deep-tinted side windows. And there’s a hard top available.

Power comes from the venerable 4-liter in-line 6 with 190 horsespower and 235 foot-pounds of torque. It’s mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

The Unlimited is priced just under $25,000 compared to 17-grand for the base model and twenty-five seven for the top of the line Wrangler Rubicon.

Customers seem to like the Wrangler Unlimited because since it came out earlier this year Wrangler sales have shot up 34%, which I find impressive since all it took to boost sales that dramatically was to make this thing just a little bit longer.

And that’s Autoline Detroit’s Sneak Peek of the 2004 ½ Jeep Wrangler