Mark, Author at Maynards Garage

Car Reviews

Kia Forte S Review

by Mark | Nov 1, 2018 | 0 comments

The 2019 Kia Forte has a more efficient four-cylinder engine, a new continuously variable transmission, and a considerable bite of Stinger styling

A front view of the 2019 Kia Forte on a winding two-lane roadd

Pricing for the redesigned 2019 Kia Forte starts at $18,585. (Photos courtesy of Kia America)

Starting the morning with a fuel readout of 411 miles till empty is a happy start to any commuter’s day. That message greeted me in my first drive of the redesigned 2019 Kia Forte sedan, which has a highway fuel-economy rating of 40 mpg.

But Kia is adamant that its Stinger-influenced Forte is more than “just a commuter car.” It is, but with a more efficient four-cylinder engine, a new continuously variable transmission engineered by Kia-Hyundai and a 14-gallon tank with a possible driving range of more than 500 miles. So forgive those with hypermiling commuters who seek Forte’s mpgs, range, looong new-vehicle warranty and at a tempting price.

The trouble with sedans, large or small — and no matter how well done — is that four-door cars are being bypassed for SUVs, small ones or large. No matter that a small SUV costs more than a comparably sized sedan. According to the latest tally by Kelley Blue Book, the average price of a new compact car is about $20,500 and the average price of a compact SUV crossover — is $28,409.

Much design effort went into creating a heads-up driver area.

Kia Niro Pricing

The 2019 Forte is sold in four, front-wheel-drive trim levels with automatic or manual transmissions. Starting prices range from $18,585 for the entry FE with six-speed manual to $22,885 for the EX with CVT, leatherette upholstery and smartkey locking and push-button ignition. Pricing includes the $895 freight charge from Pesqueria, Mexico.

The warranty is for 5-years/60,000-miles bumper to bumper with roadside assistance and 10-years/100,000-miles for the engine powertrain.

The midrange Forte S tester ($21,085) was $22,410 with two options: carpeted floor mats, $125, and the S Premium package, $1,200, which adds a power sunroof and LED interior lighting and LED headlights with high-beam assist.

Check current Kia Niro pricing here.

The shifter console has an accommodating e-bin.

The Forte Redesign

Kia did a good job in re-creating the third-generation Forte with its Stinger-infused styling elements — Stinger is Kia’s performance-tuned five-door coupe hatchback that has gotten rave reviews but not big sales numbers.

The shifter console has an accommodating e-bin with charging pad.

But the Kia Forte is a functional family car and an ideal ride-hailing car. The redesign increased its length by 3.2 inches, which went toward more rear legroom and trunk space, now at 15.3 cubic feet — and larger than many full-size sedans. While the wheelbase stayed the same at 106.3 inches, the car is about three-quarters of an inch wider, a bit taller and about 93 pounds lighter.

Much design effort went into creating a heads-up driver area for eyes on the road. The 8-inch center touch screen in the instrument panel is about parallel with the gauge array facing the driver. Eyes move easily left to right and back. Sightlines are reasonably open but the outstretched windshield pillars have a wide base at the side mirrors that can block clear views of pedestrians in crosswalks. The plastics, fabric and headliner are of premium materials and appearance. Nothing looks or feels cheap.

The firm fabric seats are comfortably bolstered, but those on the long haul might wish for more lower-back support or adjustable lumbar. The shifter console has an accommodating e-bin with USB, audio aux-in and two 180-watt 12-volt plugs, plus a tray to rest a phone, which can be optioned for wireless charging. (But there are no back-seat charging ports on the S model.)

The 147-hp, Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter engine has fuel economy ratings of 30 mpg city, 40 highway and 34 mpg combined, on 87 octane.

The cabin has more soundproofing and the ride quality is comfortable. The rear torsion-beam suspension is a budget choice, but it allows an improved and flatter trunk space.

There are just enough electronic technologies to the Sport model to enhance without overwhelming the driver. Standard equipment includes remote locking, projection headlights, fog lights, LED taillights and running lights, rearview camera, AndroidAuto or Apple CarPlay infotainment systems, manual height-adjustable driver’s seat, 60/40 folding back seat, and steering wheel controls for Bluetooth, audio and cruise.

Back seat legroom is long, with a max of almost 35 ½ inches.

The new body has 54 percent more high-strength steel and is 16 percent stiffer, which always helps durability way down the road. Safety features are substantial for an economy car, including forward collision avoidance warning and assist, lane-departure warning and driver attention warning.

Stopping power is confident from four-wheel disc brakes with 11-inch vented front rotors and 10-inch solid rotors rear. The 34.8-foot turning circle is urban-friendly.

Kia Forte Powertrain

The much-revised, Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter engine has the same power ratings as before but better fuel economy. The Atkinson-cycle technology is frequently used with gasoline-electric hybrids. It uses less fuel and generates lower horsepower but higher mileage ratings. And that’s pretty much how the 147-horsepower engine performs, mileage over muscle. But, oddly, there is no auto stop-start at idle (It is under study, Kia said).

Trunk space of 15.3 cubic feet is larger than in many full-size sedans.

Power delivery gets an assist from the re-engineered CVT automatic transmission, which Kia calls Intelligent Variable Transmission. The revisions were to take away the wail and the uneven rubberbanding of acceleration common to most CVTs. The initial start out has a quicker response, but there’s no denying it’s a CVT. Its standard drive mode is for maximum mileage, but punching up the Sport mode adds just enough urgency to guard your line in the commute. Kia says the engine and IVT are “Smart Stream” powertrains that will make their way into the Kia lineup in the future.

Forte’s curb weight is trim at 2,762 pounds, to benefit mileage. Fuel economy ratings with the CVT are strong at 30 mpg city, 40 highway and 34 mpg combined, on 87 octane. I was averaging 24.8 to 32 mpg with limited highway driving and mostly in Sport mode.

The base FE model can be ordered with a six-speed manual with 15-inch wheels. Its fuel economy is 27/37/31 mpg, so I’m not sure what incentive there is to go manual.

The redesigned 2019 Kia Forte is an attractive car at a reasonable price.

Back Seat and Trunk Space

Whether picking up paying passengers or in the school carpool, the back seat legroom is long, almost 35 ½ inches, with tall headroom (37.5 inches). The bench seat has adult-class thigh support and a relaxed seatback angle. Extras include a well-padded center armrest, overhead lights and grab handles, but no USB or 12-volt charging ports.

The trunk has useful storage under the floor — because there is no spare tire, just a flat-tire inflating system.

You can’t always get the SUV you want for $22,000. But the Forte’s complete remodel makes a competent, comfortable and attractive car, whether as commuter, family sedan or ride-hailer.

2019 Kia Forte S Specifications

Body style: compact, 5-seat, front-drive sedan

Engine: 147-hp, 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder; 132 lb.-ft. torque at 4,500 rpm

Transmission: CVT

Fuel economy: 30/40/34 mph city/hwy/combined; 87 octane or higher fuel

BY THE NUMBERS

Fuel tank: 14 gallons

Trunk space: 15.3 cu. ft.

Front head/leg room: 38.8/42.2 in.

Rear head/leg room: 37.5/35.7 in.

Length/wheelbase: 182.7/106.3 in.

Curb weight: 2,762 lbs.

Turning circle: 34.8 ft.

FEATURES

Standard equipment includes: remote locking, projection headlights, fog lights, LED taillights and running lights, 8-inch touch screen, rearview camera, AndroidAuto or Apple CarPlay, manual height-adjustable driver’s seat, fog lights, LED taillights and running lights, 60/40 folding back seat, steering wheel controls (Bluetooth, audio, cruise)

Safety features include: 6 air bags, forward collision avoidance warning and assist, lane-departure warning, stability and traction controls, hill-start assist, driver attention warning

PRICING

Niro Base price: $21,085, including $895 freight charge; price as tested $22,410

Options on test vehicle: S Premium package, $1,200, includes power sunroof, LED overhead interior lighting and LED headlights with high-beam assist; carpeted floor mats $125

Where assembled: Pesqueria, Mexico

Warranty: 5-years/60,000-miles bumper to bumper with roadside assistance; 10-years/100,000-miles powertrain

Car Reviews

1968 Mustang GT “Bullitt” movie car

by Mark | Oct 29, 2018 | 0 comments

Long-lost Mustang Bullitt to be shown in San Diego, Nov. 4-19

The 1968 Bullitt Mustang movie car as found in Nashville, Tenn. A second car was used as the “jumper” and was found last year in Baja California.

BY MARK MAYNARD

There has been a lot of “Bullitt” engine-revving around the fastback’s 50^th anniversary on Oct. 17. The hard-knuckled 1968 film centers on San Francisco PD Lt. Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) who was tasked with protecting a Chicago mobster who was about to sing his guts out. It is a gear-jamming 48-hour weekend of chasing the hitmen.

Good-guy McQueen drove a 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback. The bad guys drove a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum. The famous car chase lasted just 10 minutes and 53 seconds, but it lives in infamy.

Two identical 1968 Mustang GT fastbacks were used in the Warner Bros. movie. After filming, the cars went their separate ways: the hero vehicle driven by McQueen in the movie was sold by Warner Bros. to a private buyer, and the other — used in many of the jumps during the famous chase scene — was sent to a salvage yard. The jumper car resurfaced in Baja California in early 2017, but the other was lost to history. Until this year.

A Kiernan family collage with the famous Mustang.

Sean Kiernan, owner of the hero vehicle, inherited the car in 2014 from his late father, Robert, who had purchased the Mustang in 1974. To fulfill his family’s lifelong dream, Sean contacted Ford and the two parties worked together to reveal his movie star car alongside the new 2019 Mustang Bullitt at last year’s Detroit auto show.

“You know, it was never our intention to keep this car a secret from everybody,” Kiernan said in a release. “It just kind of happened with life. I’m just completely buzzing to join with Ford and the new Bullitt and show this car to the world on one of the biggest stages there is.”

Kiernan has followed through on his commitment to show the car and will display it — in its barn-find condition — at SEMA until Nov. 3. After the big aftermarket trade show, the car will be trailered to San Diego where it will be on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, in Balboa Park, from Nov. 4-19. Find it in the museum’s special display space, “SPEED: Science in Motion.”

But before being loaded into the museum, the famous Mustang will make a KUSI-TV appearance next Sunday morning.

The museum also will have a special VIP reception with Kiernan and the Bullitt on Nov. 15.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (last admission at 4:30 p.m.), at 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park. Museum admission is $19.75, plus $5 for the “SPEED” exhibit.

Info: sandiegoairandspace.org/

The original 1968 “Bullitt” Mustang 390 GT 2+2 fastback with the 2019 tribute Mustang.

BULLITT50 Chronograph raffle

If you are a “Bullitt” aficionado who can recite movie quotes and specs about the cars and stars, this charitable raffle might be worth a ticket or 10.

Robert E. Kiernan Jr., owner of the original and recently re-discovered 1968 Bullitt Mustang, succumbed to Parkinson’s in 2014. In his honor, Drive Toward a Cure for Parkinson’s Disease has arranged a special tribute, with the support of Ford Motor Co., Warner Bros Studios and Chad McQueen.

For the fundraiser, BRM Chronographe and automotive artist Nicolas Hunziker have created a “one-of-one” hand-painted chronograph watch — valued at more than $35,000.

The watch, which includes a 1-gram paint chip from the car, will benefit Parkinson’s disease through the one-time raffle. Drive Toward a Cure will donate all raffle proceeds to the Michael J. Fox Foundation in his name.

Raffle tickets are $25 each and can be purchased as a direct donation to Drive Toward a Cure online at drivetowardacure.org. Just 1,968 tickets will be sold.

Robert’s son and current Bullitt caretaker Sean Kiernan will announce the winner of the BULLITT50 Chronograph at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2019. The Highland Green Mustang, still with barn-find patina, also will be on view.

Car Reviews

Mercedes-AMG E63 S: ridiculously powered, appointed and priced

by Mark | Oct 29, 2018 | 0 comments

The Mercedes E-Class is a benchmark of luxury, but the split personality of AMG madness co-exists comfortably.

Nobody needs a big $145,000 Mercedes-AMG E63 sedan that gets to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, but the performance division sold 1,378 vehicles in September and 20,738 year-to-date, which isn’t a bad payday.

And that is why most top-tier carmakers give such attention to ridiculously powered, appointed and priced cars.

“Customers know AMG is something exclusive,” said Bart Herring, sales chief at Mercedes-Benz USA. “And we have more opportunity to bring them into our brand with something more exclusive,” he said.

There is no such thing as a car for basic transportation today. Even the cheapest econoboxes are dressed in premium materials and advanced technologies. And that rising tide has forced the luxury brands to rise higher, too, including such incentives as subscription leasing and ultra-performance models as a status upgrade.

The flat-black treatment is more NASCAR than Germany with ghost racing stripes along the lower door panel and yellow accents to the flat paint, carbon-fiber exterior trim pieces.

Without getting political, the rich are only getting richer, not only here but abroad as well, especially in China, said industry analyst Ed Kim, of AutoPacific, Inc. “And, therefore, many of these customers need more exclusivity than what a standard E-Class or GLS-Class can provide,” he said in an email.

Today, the differentiators between mainstream and luxury have less to do with content and more to do with the experience, Kim said. It is about the less tangible things, such as materials choices, colors, interior smell, door close sound and feel and “the actual ownership and service experience.”

Status plays into this, he said, and Mercedes-Benz has found ways to give “higher net-worth customers something more unique and with more status than the basic $499-a-month E300 that upper middle-class lessees will stretch their budget to afford,” Kim said.

A suede-wrapped AMG steering wheel and AMG many-ways adjustable sport seats, including side bolsters.

AMG performance is a holy grail worldwide and the division fuels that interest with elite choices in coupe, sedan, convertible and wagon body styles. And new for 2019 is a midrange E53 model, with a new inline six-cylinder engine and 48-volt technology; it replaces the E43.

“These entry performance cars are huge for conquests,” Herring said. And the midrange offering forms a three-stage pricing tier: the entry E300 starts at about $60,000, the E53 at $70,000-$80,000 and the E63 at $100,000-$120,000, he said.

The black leather- and microsuede-paneled cabin has yellow dashpad stitching and trim.

The Mercedes E-Class is a benchmark of luxury, but the split personality of AMG madness co-exists comfortably. This week’s tester is a 2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 S sedan, starting at $105,395, including the freight charge from Sindelfingen, Germany. The tester was optioned as a sinister-looking, flat-black battleship with an as-tested price of $145,000.

Standard equipment includes Keyless Go smartkey locking and push-button ignition, Nappa leather, 12.3-inch multimedia screen, semi-autonomous driving technologies, self-parking, Car to X communication between other such-equipped cars on the road to send over-the-air traffic advisories to the driver.

The tester’s style treatment was more NASCAR than Germany with ghost racing stripes along the lower door panel and yellow accents to the flat paint, carbon-fiber exterior trim pieces. Fat quad exhaust tips enhance a wide and low stance. And 20-inch lightweight AMG wheels are track ready with ultra-high-performance 265/35 ZR Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires that are about 10 ½ inches wide.

The hand-assembled 4.0-liter V-8 is rated for 603-hp and 627 foot-pounds of torque from 2,500-4,500 rpm. The big car is capable of 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds.

Inside, the black leather and microsuede-wrapped cabin has yellow dashpad stitching and trim elements, a suede-wrapped AMG steering wheel and AMG many-ways adjustable sport seats, including side bolsters — but with the hardest seat bottoms I’ve tested that weren’t in a race car.

The hand-assembled 603-horsepower, twin turbocharged and direct-injection 4.0-liter V-8 has a righteous 627 foot-pounds of torque from 2,500-4,500 rpm, with automatic stop-start at idle. The SpeedShift nine-gear automatic routes power to all wheels or just the rear wheels through the “intelligent” AMG Performance 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive with a drift mode.

There are five performance modes, including Race with calibrations for drifting — which I cannot imagine in this 4,515-pound car. And for those weekend SCCA slaloms, there is a manual-shift mode. The electronics adjust the entire powertrain, including engine, transmission, suspension, steering, stability controls and the all-wheel drive system.

0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds.

The transmission’s short shift times, fast multiple downshifts with a double-clutching function, makes for a highly emotional gear-shifting experience. It also has a wet start-off clutch instead of torque converter, which AMG says saves weight and optimizes accelerator input.

You also hear the AMG treatment in the baritone blare of the exhaust. And with 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.3 seconds, the braking is just as impressive from AMG ceramic carbon discs, 15.4 inches at the front and 14.2-inches rear.

The ride quality is streamliner smooth from the AMG air suspension, but it’s also sensitive to surface noise on grainy road surfaces or concrete.

20-inch lightweight AMG wheels are track ready with ultra-high-performance 265/35 ZR Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires that are about 10 ½ inches wide.

Fuel economy ratings of 15 mpg city, 22 highway and 18 mpg combined are impressive for such a ballistic application, but likely achievable only in Comfort mode in which the transmission doles out conservative shifts. My driving earned an average of 14.4 mpg, but the 21.1-gallon tank allows a 300-mile cruising range.

The tester also had the $1,100 Acoustic package of more soundproofing and laminated windshield and side glass with a heat-absorbing membrane. The 23-speaker, 1,450-watt Burmester 3D surround system, $4,550. The Sun Protection package, $380, added extendable double sun visors and rear sunshades. And there is a cabin fragrance-spritzing system, panoramic sun roof and a rear power sunshade.

The basic E-Class sedan is sold in E300 and E400 trim levels, in rear- or 4Matic AWD. The E300, with a 241-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, starts at about $54,000. The E400 4Matic, with 329-hp, turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, starts at about $60,000.

What’s another $40,000 for AMG exclusivity?

“The reach of AMG in racing gives legitimacy to what the brand is all about,” said Herring. “The badge has a lot of credibility behind it.”

A little more than 3 feet of legroom.

2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 S

Body style: large, 5-seat, AWD sedan
Engine: 603-hp, twin turbocharged and direct-injection 4.0-liter V8; 627 lb.-ft. torque from 2,500-4,500 rpm
Transmission: SpeedShift 9-spd automatic
Fuel economy: 15/22/18 mpg city/hwy/combined; premium fuel
0-60 mph: 3.3 secs

SPECIFICATIONS

Fuel tank: 21.1 gal.
Trunk space: 13.1 cu. ft.
Front head/leg room: 41.4/41.7 in.
Rear head/leg room: 38.2/36.2 in.
Length/wheelbase: 196.4/115.7 in.
Curb weight: 4,515 lbs.
Turning circle: 39 ft., estimated

FEATURES

AMG equipment includes: Speedshift MCT 9-speed transmission with shift paddles, AMG-tuned 4Matic AWD, sport air suspension, electronic limited-slip differential, high-performance braking, dynamic engine mounts, rear spoiler, hand-assembled 4.0-liter V-8
Safety features include: 7 air bags, active brake assist, attention assist, brake assist, Parktronic with active parking assist, blind-spot assist

PRICING

Base price: $103,395, including $995 freight charge; price as tested $145,160
Where assembled: Sindelfingen, Germany
Warranty: 4-years/50,000-miles bumper to bumper with 24-hour roadside assistance

Books

Barn finds and beaters — heartbeats of hope for the enthusiast

by Mark | Oct 18, 2018 | 0 comments

From “Cuba’s Car Culture”: What’s down the next side street? (Motorbooks photos)

Tom Cotter is a barn-find revivalist who has made a career of finding and telling us about cars that “ran when parked,” no matter how mundane or bad they smelled. The hunt and discovery of a tired old car just makes the heart beat faster in the chest of an enthusiast. And Cotter has written a shelf of barn-find books, including “Cobra in the Barn,” “Vincent in the Barn, “Barn Find Road Trip” and also his “The Barn Find Hunter” web series. Cotter has sniffed out tales of a guy who knows a guy who once knew where there was this cool old something-or-other under a tarp. Or it could be in a dilapidated barn or an overgrown back yard. Each book is a page turner, a heartbeat of hope that there is still one more out there for us to find. His latest coffeetable-book series is “Motor City Barn Finds: Detroit’s Lost Collector Cars,” with photography by Michel Alan Ross, who has shared much seat time with Cotter when not working on his other car projects. Most of his finds are beyond the financial resources of caring adopters to resuscitate these battered beauties and return them to a glorious rebirth. But it’s sure fun to read their stories. Among them, the complete but ratty 1966 Lotus Europa Type 46, bought from the original owner and stashed in a garage for 30 years. Cotter called it “a real time capsule,” still shod with 13-inch American Racing Libra aftermarket wheels. There is a lot of American iron on the pages of Motor City, most of which had been salted away in storage before the road salt ate the entire car. But there is shadowy intrigue in the occasional marque from Europe or from a race shop or an old chop job. Cotter tells a good tale and Ross has an explorer’s perspective in capturing the visual storytelling. Info: “Motor City Barn Finds: Detroit’s Lost Collector Cars,” published by Motorbooks; $35 hardcover; 208 pages. Quartoknows.com/Quarto-Drives/#titlelist

Can-do spirit of Cuba

I’ve missed the boat — or even the plane —to get to Cuba to see a vibrant car culture and all of its workarounds to keep old cars working. Images of the cobbled-up cars abound on our Facebook pages and in the phones that our island-touring friends bring home to share. For years, all I saw of Cuba’s cars were in photos and now there are at least two glossy coffeetable books to chronicle the can-do spirit of Cuban drivers. With the takeover by communists in 1959 and the subsequent trade embargos, whatever cars were on the island stayed on the island without access to parts. But that didn’t stop the locals from driving those beaters and keeping them on the road with creative alternatives to factory replacement parts. Tom Cotter, known largely for his barn-find car books, went back in time with Bill Warner (founder of the Amelia Island Concours) to learn the island’s automotive history. The initial assignment was a focus on early auto racing, which had a start in 1903 and continued in the mid-1950s for the three Cuban Grand Prix. Sir Stirling Moss, who won two of the three race, wrote the foreword. “The kidnapping of “El Maestro” Juan Manual Fangio, in 1958 somewhat defined the direction the country was to go,” he wrote. Cotter and Warner visited Cuba just as the country was again opened to the U.S. But Cotter urges that it will be too late to experience the old ways once they start building McDonald’s restaurants and Home Depots. The photos in “Cuba’s Car Culture” are familiar from others that I’ve seen online and in other books, but it is the storytelling of Cotter and Warner that weld fresh metal into the story. Info: “Cuba’s Car Culture: Celebrating the Island’s Automotive Love Affair,” published by Motorbooks; $35 hardcover; 192 pages. Quartoknows.com/Quarto-Drives/#titlelist

2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon review

by Mark | Oct 17, 2018 | 0 comments

The redesigned Jeep Wrangler JL is tougher and softer in all the right ways making it the best performing Wrangler since the 1986-1995 YJ

The redesigned Jeep Wrangler windshield still folds and the doors can still be removed. (Photos courtesy of Jeep)

BY MARK MAYNARD

T the Jeep Wrangler has long been forgiven for everything that made it a charming pain in the rough. But now, the redesigned 2018 Wrangler is a charmer, off-road or on main street. And the top-line Wrangler Rubicon is a standard-bearer of advanced technologies with its first use of a 48-volt mild-hybrid electrical system.

The 2018 redesign steered this symbol of “Don’t tread on me” from the endangered specie’s list, threatened by ever-increasing clean-air standards for engines and new safety regulations.

It is tougher and softer, in all the right ways making it the best performing Wrangler since the 1986-1995 YJ model with square headlights. The windshield still folds (with greater simplicity), the doors can still be removed and there’s still a manual hand-brake lever on the shifter console. But as with all new cars, it is the electronics technologies that are almost the bigger story of the redesign.

There are new engines, including a turbocharged four-cylinder with mild hybrid technology and an upcoming four-cylinder diesel in 2020. And the carryover V-6 is still the base engine.

A side view of the Wrangler on a trail ride.

The redesigned Wrangler still waves the flag of ‘Don’t tread on me.’

The JL Wrangler

Experienced Jeepers will know this new Wrangler, codenamed JL, from the first slam of the door. That’s when they will realize the doors don’t need to be slammed. And more soundproofing allows occupants to have a conversation without shouting — and that’s with the top up. There is still a mild maelstrom at highway speeds in the soft-top cabin, but it’s about a hundred decibels more tolerable.

The cockpit and driver area were completely reconfigured for a somewhat ergonomic arrangement. There are several stash areas and device-charging ports.

An over-shoulder view of the back seats.

Even the two-door’s ride quality has been tamed.

Even the two-door’s ride quality is not a fearsome bucking bronco. The wider track lets the short-wheelbase model seem more free-wheeling and stable. And there is a much tighter turning circle now. Tighter turning is an asset off-road, but it is just one more engineering feat that makes the Wrangler ideal for the city, too.

The new boxed frame is much stiffer, which helps for stability when teetering among boulders or slogging through a highway commute. For anyone who knew a previous-generation Wrangler, refinement is not a word associated with any part of it.

Drafty, noisy, and rough riding were accepted parts of the lifestyle, but now we see that those qualities are not intrinsic to the concept.

Rubicon equipment includes remote locking, push-button ignition, rearview camera, and an 8-speaker Pioneer audio system.

Jeep Wrangler Pricing

There are three garden-variety levels of Wrangler in two- and four-door Unlimited models plus the trail-agility-champion Rubicon, and all have various levels of four-wheel drive.

Starting prices range from $29,440 for the entry two-door Sport to $39,790 for the four-door Sahara Unlimited. The top-line Rubicon starts at $39,440 and $42,940 two-door or four-door. Pricing includes the freight charge from Toledo, Ohio.

Find current Jeep pricing here.

Big disc brakes on the Wrangler test vehicle.

Braking is considerable from the large four-wheel discs.

Heavy-duty hardware

The two-door Rubicon tester was $49,555. That’s big money for a two-door Wrangler, but this one was the pinnacle of the line. It included Jeep’s most capable four-wheel-drive system with stability and rollover-mitigation controls.

The Jeep Wangler tester also was equipped with heavy-duty, third-gen Dana 44 solid axles front and rear with Tru-Lock electronic locking. The high- and low-range Rock-Trac transfer case has a manual shift lever at the console and a 4.10 gear ratio. Hill-start assist is beneficial for controlled trail ascents or descents.

Braking is considerable from four-wheel vented discs. The front rotors are 12.9 inches with twin-piston calipers. The 13.4-inch rear discs have a single-piston caliper.

The Wrangler tester had heavy-duty Dana 44 solid axles

There are heavy-duty Dana 44 solid axles front and rear with Tru-Lock electronic locking.

Front and rear sway bars disconnect for more wheel travel. Gas-charged, multi-valve monotube shock absorbers help manage its husky 4,175-pound curb weight.

But being a Jeep means there is much heavy steel in the frame, differentials, and suspension. There are four steel skid plates to shield vulnerable elements such as the fuel tank, four-wheel-drive transfer case, and transmission). And tubular steel rock rails at the frame edge are a trail-riding essential.

Compensating for some of the Jeep Wrangler’s curb weight are high-strength aluminum doors, hinges, hood, fenders, windshield frame, and a magnesium swing gate.

Jeep Wrangler Powertrains

Fuel economy has never been a selling point for the upright Wrangler shape. The 285-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 (with auto stop-start at idle) still can be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission. It has mileage ratings of 17 mpg city, 23 highway 19 mpg combined on 87 octane. Two-door models have an 18.5-gallon tank and four-door models have 21.5 gallons.

Upgrading to the 270-hp, turbocharged and direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder and the eight-speed automatic is a $3,000 upgrade. But it brings fuel economy ratings of 23/15/24 mpg; premium fuel is recommended but not required. And while the fuel economy isn’t a huge incentive, the power and acceleration can be brisk.

A rear three-quarters view of the 2019 Wrangler

The two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon tester was $49,555 with many ‘on road’ conveniences.

eTorque technology

The new engine has Jeep’s so-called eTorque technology. The system applies hybrid functions of auto stop-start at idle, electric power assist, transmission shift management, intelligent battery charging, and regenerative braking. The engine and fuel flow can be turned off during stops, coasting, or when the engine is decelerating.

The electric motor gives a boost to the engine to get the rig moving and to smooth out shifts, Jeep says.

But inching forward for a foothold on a boulder might still require accelerator finesse to raise revs while awaiting the turbo to hit the peak 295 lb.-ft. torque at 3,000 rpm.

The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine (also with auto stop-start at idle) will be available in 2020 as an upgrade for four-door models. The engine has 260-hp but 442 foot-pounds of peak torque at a low 2,000 rpm and an eight-speed automatic.

Why buy the Jeep Wrangler?

The Wrangler is a cornerstone of Jeep heritage. The redesigned model is what happens when engineers and designers listen to owners and everybody works together.

SPECIFICATIONS