Review: 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X Two-Door

– Ann Arbor, MI

Living in southeast Michigan – the Stellantis North American Headquarters is about an hour from my front door – I see plenty of Jeep Wranglers on local roads. About 20 years ago, while Wranglers were still common, they weren’t quite so thick on the ground, and all of them had only two doors.

Jeep doesn’t actually disclose sales data on the Wrangler mix, but a Stellantis rep did confirm that the “majority” of models sold have four doors, not two. A surprise to exactly no one.

A four-door Wrangler makes more sense for just about every buyer, of course, as you’re able to use it like a normal SUV (admittedly an SUV with a cramped back seat). For me, four doors are almost mandatory with two kids still in car seats to haul around.

And yet, I love the two-door Jeep. Not only does it look super rugged – enhanced with my Rubicon-trimmed tester wearing 35-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 tires – the shorter wheelbase makes it handle differently and gives it an advantage with both turning radius and parking. Despite being thoroughly modern, a two-door Wrangler feels like a throwback in the best possible way.

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I am an avowed sports car fan, yet even I think that the two-door Wrangler is at least in the running for the best second car you can have in your garage. In addition to being cool and fun to drive – enthusiastic if not dynamically impressive on paved roads – a Wrangler gets you three cars for the price of one.

Of course, this quintessential Jeep is a cold-blooded killer off-road. The 4x4, low-range-equipped Wrangler has Dana axles – 44 in front and M220 rear – with front/rear lockers, a heavy suspension with multiple off-road focused drive modes, and optional 35-inch tires. There’s also a lot of armor underneath for the sills, transmission, transfer case, gas tank, and the like. And for guys like me who only hit the trail a few times a year, the integrated off-road camera system (which can give you wide-angle views pointing forward and backward) is awfully helpful when you don’t have a spotter.

Every Wrangler is also a convertible. At a minimum, popping off the two “Freedom Panels” over the front row gives an al fresco feeling for driver and passenger. And for those more dedicated to open-air driving, the entire roof and doors can be removed as well. You can even fold down the windshield, though I don’t recommend it for any kind of street driving.

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Finally, a modern Wrangler is a more acceptable daily driver than ever before, even in two-door form. Ride quality isn’t great but there’s better suspension compliance than in generations past, and a lot less road noise, too. I was even able to find room to install two car seats in back for my five- and three-year-old boys, though getting them in and out of the rig was tricky.

Then there’s the Jeep’s sterling parts availability and customization potential. As a platform for doing just about any kind of driving not involving a track, the Wrangler is really only matched by Ford’s revived Bronco – which explains why both trucks are such strong sellers.

You’ll note that my praise above is aimed at the Jeep as a second car, not as one’s daily driver. As a single-vehicle solution, Wrangler owners must be willing to put up with poor noise insulation at highway speeds (even though noise damping has been improved over the years), awful fuel economy ratings of 23 highway and 20 city from the turbocharged 2.0-liter four, and a cramped cabin.

In fact, I see most of those issues as a kind of praise for the single-minded focus on off-roading that Jeep has maintained. With its shorter wheelbase, tight turning radius, relative narrowness, and ORV kit, a two-door Wrangler is focused on the mission, even if most owners don’t treat it that way.

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As a stand-in for a family SUV, the Wrangler is a stopgap solution at best. I already mentioned that there was room in the rear for two car seats, but access to that space is difficult. Ingress through the driver’s side is all but impossible, meaning both of my boys had to scramble into place from the passenger side door – and the sill of the Wrangler was too high for the 3-year-old to access without a boost from dad. As much as I love the look of this short-wheelbase Jeep, one week of buckling and unbuckling car seats from the front of the vehicle would be enough for me to trade it in on a four-door.

Oh and if you think of a Wrangler as a kind of budget cool car, get ready to recalibrate. The most spartan Wrangler Sport with the base engine, a 3.6-liter V6 Pentastar, can be had for about $32,000, but my loaded Rubicon X retails for almost double that, at $64,905 as-tested. Choose your trims and options packages carefully.

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Ford makes a two-door Bronco that is aimed directly at the buyers who, until a few years ago, only had the Wrangler as a go-anywhere, part-time-topless adventure mobile. At base the Bronco is a bit more expensive than Wrangler, but it also offers a bit more interior room. If you’re considering either vehicle you owe it to yourself to test drive both.

Everyone loves an old Jeep even though there are millions of old Jeeps on the road. Many forums (and many mechanics) have intense debates about the reliability of the Wrangler, but it’s also one of the most robustly supported vehicles in the aftermarket. Overall, I think the relative rarity of a two-door Wrangler makes it feel more special than ever, making it a vehicle a lot of owners will hang on to from new.

2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X

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