Orlando Sentinel's view

Jeep’s Wrangler, despite a recent top-to-bottom overhaul, remains very true to its World War II roots. It’s still a rough and tumble machine.

That’s good if you like tradition.

It’s not so good if you are DaimlerChrysler. The company has watched the softer, more civilized Honda CRV knock the Wrangler out of the No.1 slot on the sales charts.

Consumers have spoken, and they’ve said they prefer a more civilized small sport-utility vehicle.

It seems unlikely that DaimlerChrysler will stand by and do nothing as Wrangler sales fizzle.

A few years ago, the company showed off a small sport-utility at the North American International Auto Show called the Plymouth Backpack. The spunky little Plymouth was much better-looking than any of the foreign entries.

For some reason, the Backpack never made it out of concept form. Then two years ago, at the same auto show, Jeep showed off a four-door Wrangler.

Though the current Wrangler is a fine vehicle in many ways, it’s just too crude for the mainstream.

I’d look for DaimlerChrysler to rectify the situation with an all-new small Jeep, one that isn’t so rough on the kidneys.

Performance, handling

The Wrangler is available with either a 2.5-liter, inline four-cylinder rated at 120 horsepower or a 4.0-liter, inline six that develops 181 horsepower. Both models come standard with a five-speed manual gearbox; a three-speed automatic and four-wheel drive round out the drivetrain options.

I tested the six-cylinder, five-speed, four-wheel drive Wrangler Sport. I have no complaints about the Wrangler’s performance, which is strong enough to leave all others in this class in the dust.

The smooth-running six has loads of low-end power. The manual gearbox is easy to shift, and the clutch works smoothly. When revved, the engine makes a nifty growl. Proper use of the clutch and gas pedal will produce loud tire squeals upon takeoff.

But things take a turn for the worse the first time you head into a curve or drive over bad terrain. Maybe it’s because the wheelbase is so short. Maybe it’s because the suspension is so firm. Whatever the reason, the Wrangler feels like a tractor when going in any direction other than a straight line and when riding over bumps.

I got used to it soon enough, but no other sm all sport-utility I’ve tested felt this rough.

Shifting into four-wheel drive is a breeze. You just move the lever on the floor and away you go. The fat tires and powerful engine will see to it that you’ll safely drive to almost any off-road destination — around here at least.

I found that driving slow over bad terrain is the best way to drive the Wrangler off-road. The vehicle remains easy to control. Go fast, and you’ll be hanging on for dear life. The superhard suspension makes for plenty of shake, rattle and roll.

Crudeness, of course, is part of the Wrangler’s rugged heritage. The Wrangler’s ancestors earned their stripes on battlefields all over the world — in Europe, Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere. That’s part of the allure of the Wrangler. But it seems fe wer and fewer drivers want that high level of ruggedness these days.

Jeep engineers have done a good job tuning the front disc/rear drum brakes and power steering system, both of which civilize the Wrangler a tad.

Fit and finish

First class is the only way to describe the Wrangler’s cabin. Jeep designers created a terrific interior when they overhauled the vehicle in 1997. The slim, compact dash has easy-to-use rotary controls for the air conditioner in the center of the dash, just below the radio. Two air bags are standard, and the driver can turn off the passenger-side bag.

The cloth-covered front bucket seats are OK. They are soft, so long trips tend to result in a fatigued backside. There is decent room in the rear bench seat for two adults or three small children. That rear seat folds forward, or it can be removed.

The Wrangler’s convertible top does a great job of keeping water out of the interior. For such a large top with so many sections and zippers and fasteners, I was surprised that not a drop of water leaked inside during a solid week of heavy rains.

Unfortunately, raising and lowering the top is frustrating and time-consuming. Perhaps it becomes easier with practice, but I wouldn’t lower the top unless I was sure it could stay down all day or for several days. It’s too much work to put it up and down.

Our test vehicle didn’t have much in the way of power equipment. But such things as power mirrors and door locks and cruise control would be out of place in such a spartan machine. The AM/FM radio sounded a bit tinny.

Although such vehicles as the Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester are mere pretenders rather than contenders when it comes to driving off-road, they have racked up impressive sales. The Jeep name on a small but rugged four-door sport-utility vehicle that performs better on the street than off could be a gigantic hit. We’ll just have to wait and see if one appears.

1999 Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD

Base price: $17,905. Safety: Dual air bags. Price as tested: $21,000. EPA rating: 16 mpg city/19 mpg highway. Incentives: Non e.