July 3 It would easy to forget that the Jeep Wrangler always was an off-road vehicle. That’s what it was designed for and, just like the Land Rover Defender, it works best in the mud.

The only vehicle I own is a Landie but even I have to admit that the Wrangler is far better on road than the Defender ever was. Yep, it’s actually comfortable and you can hold a conversation inside the cabin without the use of sign language.

The Defender is no more but after 350 miles in the Jeep, it genuinely feels like a better proposition, if you want a vehicle that can crash across a muddy field and then sit comfortably on the motorway at speed.

Don’t go thinking the Wrangler is refined though! It’s very much an acquired taste and really has to be worked hard to return any sort of performance. But it is now the only viable alternative to a Defender and deserves your attention…