2007 Jeep Wangler

MALCOMM GUNN, Wheelbase Communications - - The next-generation Jeep Wrangler might be a touch more civilized than before, but it's no less athletic and no less suited to being your outdoor play thing. And to literally drive home that point at the recent Detroit Auto Show, a prototype was driven on stage in spectacular fashion ... through a plate-glass window.

Fun, indeed. Parent DaimlerChrysler has a lot riding on the future of its quintessential rock hopper that will be ready for release this fall. The Wrangler is the poster child of the Jeep brand and loyalists would never accept wholesale changes that would turn their baby into anything less than the rugged workhorse it has become. Although it might not look it, most of the vehicle is brand new.

More proof is just under the surface as the new Wrangler rests on a frame that is 100 percent stiffer than that of the previous model. Then there's the track (the distance between the left and right wheels) that's 3.5 inches wider. The off-road crowd is treated to improved ground clearance, perhaps partly due to larger wheel sizes ranging from 16 inches on base models to optional 18-inch rims.

Jeep is also making available a top with easy-to-remove panels above the driver and front passenger plus a removable single rear-seat panel. Also on the order form is a soft top that can be folded, convertible style, behind the front passengers.

Gone is the base 147-horsepower four-cylinder engine as well as the 4.0-liter inline six-cylinder that can trace its ancestry back to the days when Jeep was owned by American Motors.

In their place is a 3.8-liter V6 that makes 205 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft. of torque. That's a gain of 15 horses and five lb.-ft. of torque over the departing 4.0 six-cylinder. Looking for more space?

The big news, quite literally, is the Wrangler Unlimited. Unlike last year's two-door stretched Unlimited model, the 2007 version features four doors for easier access and, according to the manufacturer, more cargo space than a Toyota FJ Cruiser or Hummer H3, the Jeep Unlimited's chief competitors.

All Wranglers are available in base X, Sahara and Rubicon trim. The first two models feature part-time four-wheel-drive with optional limited-slip rear differential, while the Rubicon uses the Off-Road Rock-Trac unit with its extra-low-range gearing, front/rear locking differentials for greater agility and 32-inch off-road rubber. In addition, the Unlimited can be ordered as a rear driver (no 4x4).

Regardless of size, all Wranglers arrive with stability control (to help keep this Jeep travelling in the direction you point it) that can be turned off or left partially functioning, depending on terrain. Since the new Wrangler aims to be more friendly on the street and just as capable off road, the situation is win/win.

Jeep's lead position among 4x4 fanatics is reinforced while providing a more civilized experience for buyers looking to spend just as much (or more) time on the road as off it.