The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited had been on the market about five minutes when people started asking if there were any plans to equip it with the Rubicon package. From a four-wheeler's perspective, this made perfect sense. It would be the ultimate marriage of factory off-road prowess and platforms. Despite being inundated with questions and concerns from the general public, though, the fine folks at Jeep HQ remained mum about whether our hopes for an Unlimited Rubicon would ever be fulfilled.
Well, the wait is over. The Unlimited Rubicon is now a fact and will be rolling into showrooms by December 2004. And the price tag? You'll be looking at an MSRP of about 28 grand. Not bad when you consider that this little rig is ready to go right out of the box. It has 31-inch tires and Dana 44s front and rear equipped with air lockers, and is 15 inches longer than the stock TJ. And, of course, it's all under factory warranty.
Next month, we'll have the full coverage of our test run in Moab, Utah, where we got to spend a couple of days putting the Unlimited Rubicon through its paces. Just a hint: We weren't disappointed. And we don't think you will be either.
Until next time.