Exploration and adventure have always been thought to be synonymous with the iconic Jeep experience. Over the years, the Jeep has become one of the most notable vehicles when it comes to off-roading and trailing, consistently symbolizing the spirit of exploration and resilience.
The allure of off-roading is not merely a pastime but a lifestyle, a pursuit of those seeking the thrill of the untamed wilderness. Discovering and overcoming new roads has been one of the many things Jeep is known for. True enough, the new Jeep Wrangler did not disappoint. With its comfortable interior paired with a rugged and robust exterior, you’re sure to conquer any terrain that comes your way.
In this spirit, my recent invitation to the Jeep Tops Off Test Drive event presented an exciting opportunity to delve into the off-roader experience. This event, hosted by the local Jeep Dealership in Nivel Hills Cebu, was quite enjoyable but the true highlight was test-driving the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara—and I relished every moment.
The 2023 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara has a ton of features that will unquestionably make your adventures more exhilarating. The Unlimited Sahara boasts a whopping ten inches of ground clearance, which is not only perfect for the rainy weather in this flood-prone city, but you can also take it on road trips and long drives to neighboring cities or islands. Plus, getting it on and off of a ferry boat would be a breeze with its high ground clearance.
It also has a 2.0L turbocharged gasoline engine which produces about 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Now the displacement might not be something to write home about when it comes to speed but in a city like ours where traffic is bad and gas is expensive, it’ll give you good mileage—which, in all honesty, has better numbers than my 1996 Honda project car.
Now, you would definitely want to drive it in the city on a daily. Why’s that? Because the interior of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara has all of the things you need to make your daily commute a little bit more delightful.
The dash is highly customizable for when you’re driving on the streets, or when you’re out in the wild. The seats guarantee sophistication and comfort, equipped with a nine-speaker Alpine Premium Audio System. One of the most important features to me is that the head unit has both Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Talk about versatility.
The Jeep Wrangler also displays a spacious interior that makes it perfect to bring your friends along on road trips. Trust me, you’re gonna need them when I unveil the best feature of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. Drum roll, please—it’s technically a convertible! With just a few tools and some help with your passengers, you can take the top off of this Jeep Wrangler in under two minutes, which we were shown how to do at the event. (Find out how for yourself at)
Although I had only driven the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara for a few kilometers—which makes me sad I didn’t get to test a lot more of its capabilities out—but all in all, it’s a suitable all-around car for daily driving and tearing up the mountains on a Sunday.
I like the feel of it, coming from an old Honda sedan, I really could feel like I was in the clouds because of the ride height. It’s super functional, the lights are bright, the air conditioner blows cold, the seats are comfortable, and it feels great to be driving it.
Especially as someone who lives in an extremely flood-prone area during the rainy seasons (where I have had to cancel scheduled events and meetings because I couldn’t cross the raging flood), I figured it wouldn’t be too bad to score a car like the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. Also, as an off-road and van-life enthusiast, I think this would make the perfect vehicle.
Photography Kong de Guzman