By Theodore Opara

Weststar Associates, general distributors of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands is kick-starting the year with the introduction of the all-new award winning Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep Wrangler which has dominated by the all-wheel drive vehicle segment for many decades is available in Sahara, Rubicon and Sport models. The Wrangle ended the year 2013 with the Four wheeler of the Year award, from ‘Four Wheeler Magazine’, an award it has won for three consecutive time.

The Jeep Wrangler, revered for its off-road prowess has witnessed remarkable improvement with new features targeted at ensuring high comfort for the occupants.

According to Funmi Lawuyi of Weststar Associates, the all-new Wrangler and other Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Chrysler products are available at Sunny Motors and M-B Automobile showrooms. The three Wrangler versions, Sahara, Rubicon, and Sports are in a class of their own.

Wragnler Sahara: At Weststar, the attractive four-door Unlimited Wrangler Sahara comes with a rugged but refined interior. There’s ample storage space, thoughtfully designed ergonomics and improved Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Protection, comfort and convenience features like: Sahara embroidered heated leather-trimmed front seats, illuminated cup holders, lighting in the foot well and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with integrated LED are part of the attractive package. Also available is the Uconnect System with entertainment features, phone, web, Travel Link + Navigation by Garmin and Uconnect Voice Command with Bluetooth, as well as an Audio Jack Input for mobile devices, plus Remote USB Port.

The Wrangler Sahara on offer comes with a 5-speed Automatic transmission and strikingly arrives with a black 3-piece Removable Hard Top.

Wrangler Rubicon:The Four-door Wrangler Rubicon version offers tunable monotube shock absorbers, which feature low speed tunable valve technology that’s firm on the rocks and relaxed at higher speeds. Standard Dana 44 front and rear axles are equipped with Tru-Lok locking differentials and offer the ultimate in traction. The front axle sway bar disconnect allows for better articulation off-road.

Wrangler Sport: The two-door Wrangler Sport has full metal doors with roll-up windows, comes with rear compartment storage space and a front stabilizer bar.

Every Wrangler vehicle, including the Sahara is fortified with under body armor that protects its critical components with 2.5-mm stamped steel skid plates on its fuel tank and transfer case. Heavy duty forged-steel dual front and single rear frame-mounted tow hooks for pulling less capable vehicles out of ditches, come standard. Also standard, are the High-efficiency round fog lamps which include chip-resistant polycarbonate plastic lenses with halogen bulbs that provide a low, wide beam of light.

The 2014 High-End Luxury Wrangler boasts a powerful and efficient 3.6L Pentastar V6  VVT engine. Voted as one of Ward’s 10 Best Engines for 2013, this 285-horsepower engine is ready to provide you with power, satisfying fuel efficiency with up to 600 km on a tank of fuel, and will deliver up to 260 pound-feet of torque. The Command-Trac 4WD system helps deliver more control and more torque at the wheels to help you go virtually anywhere you point your vehicle.

The Wrangler comes with a wide range of standard and available safety and security features. An example is the standard advanced multistage front airbags which help provide occupant protection by matching airbag output to impact severity. There are also side-supplemental airbags with sensor detection, an on-road four wheel disc Antilock Brake System (ABS), Brake Assist and more. More would include Hill Descent Control which helps monitor throttle, speed and braking when travelling downhill, plus Hill Start Assist which keeps your brakes applied for a short time after you’ve removed your foot from the brake to give you time to accelerate without rollback.