Let’s face it: if you own a Wrangler, you are required to take it off-road – as that’s what the thing is made to do. The new version, while improving its on-road manners, power and in-cabin comfort, also ratchets up the Wrangler’s tough off-road reputation. Call it the best of all worlds, and smile, or lament over the fact that now more people will want a Wrangler. Either way, it’s a better vehicle, and that means that the Wrangler will – as usual – be at the head of the trail when it comes to vehicles meant first for driving off the beaten path, while simultaneously improving its on-road performance.

For Jeep, which has already built its name largely on Wrangler ruggedness, this upgrade is part of its continued move toward becoming a mainstream nameplate. That’s something a great number of enthusiasts are ambivalent about, when you consider cars like the Jeep Compass that aren’t intended for anything more than inching over speed bumps at the local market. But money talks and reputations walk – and, even if some complain that Jeep is getting a bit soft, there’s still the Wrangler – and, for 2007, it’s better than ever.