Not too long after Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-road Magazine named the refreshed 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon ‘4X4 of The Year’, another off-road authority has awarded the icon with one more trophy. The annual ‘Four Wheeler of The Year’ award was given to the Pentastar-powered mud slinger by the editors of Four Wheeler Magazine, who are never easy on test vehicles. In order to even be considered for a nomination, a 4X4 must have been either entirely new or heavily revised before it could embark on the more-than-1,000 mile journey. The newly installed 3.6 liter, 285 horsepower V6 and five speed automatic meant the 2012 Wrangler qualified to traverse not only gravel, mud, dirt and rocks but stone-cold pavement as well. When ever thing had settled, the Rubicon had earned enough respect to be crowned four wheeler champ once again.
“The 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon owned nearly all aspects of off-road testing during our annual ‘Four Wheeler of the Year’ competition,” said Four Wheeler Editor John Cappa. “The grueling 1,000-mile trek put each contending vehicle through its paces in several on- and off-road environments, including high-speed graded roads, jagged rocks, shifting sand dunes, and more. The universal do-all capability of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon allowed it to outperform the other competing 4x4s, making it our 2012 Four Wheeler of the Year award winner.” With 260 lb-ft of torque on tap, the 2012 Wrangler is still crawl-happy but for the first time in a long time, the Pentastar has provided it with on-road refinement and passing power. In Rubicon form, the capable vehicle becomes almost unstoppable as a two-speed transfer case, solid axles front and rear with locking differentials and 32 inch tires.
Source: Jeep
