Jeep Wrangler Rubicon SUV launched in India at Rs 68.94 lakh, rivals Land Rover Defender

Jeep has launched the Wrangler Rubicon, which it refers to as the most capable and one of the most technologically packed Jeep SUVs in India. The SUV has been priced at Rs 68.94 lakh, ex-showroom, India. The company has commenced bookings for the five-door Wrangler Rubicon across its dealerships in the country, wherein the deliveries will begin from March 15, 2020. The Wrangler Rubicon is being brought to the country through the CBU route. The SUV will primarily lock horns with the recently launched Land Rover Defender that is priced at Rs  69.99 lakh, ex-showroom

Differentiating itself from the Wrangler JL, the Rubicon comes with black fenders, decals on the hood, lack of side steps for better off-road clearance, smaller 17-inch wheels, and the larger 33-inch BF Goodrich KM2 tyres. Further, the Rubicon sits about 10mm higher, with laden ground clearance rated at 217mm, or 2mm more than the Sahara. The SUV gets heavier-duty Dana 44 front axle, electronically-locking differentials front and rear, and electronically disconnecting front sway bars. This gives each of the front wheels up to 25 per cent more articulation! The Rubicon also runs much lower gearing when its transfer case is locked in 4L, a 4:1 ratio, versus the Sahara's 2.72:1, as well as an improved crawl ratio of 77.2:1 over the Sahara's 44.2:1. All this apart from the marginally improved approach, departure and break-over angles, courtesy the increased clearance, and uprated shock absorbers.

The cabin is equipped with a fourth-generation 8.4-inch UConnect touchscreen infotainment with a drag-and-drop menu, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and a built-in, pinch-to-zoom navigation feature. Phone, media, climate and navigation can be controlled by voice at the press of a button on the leather-wrapped steering wheel whereas standard features like cruise control can also be controlled from the steering wheel.

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is powered by a 2-litre direct injection turbo petrol engine, which produces 270PS of power and 400Nm of torque. This heart is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox that offers a crawl ratio of 77.2:1. In terms of safety, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon comes equipped with driver and front passenger airbags, supplementary seat-mounted passenger side airbags, park assist system, rear back up camera, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Trailer Sway Control (TSC), Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Hill Descent Control (HDC), Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM) and Tyre Pressure Monitoring. Here's our detailed review of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon SUV in India.