Jeep’s pursuit of luring customers with deep pockets away from more established premium marques continues with the introduction of the Wrangler Rubicon. The hardcore off-roader gets a price tag of Rs 68.94 lakh, which means it costs Rs 5 lakh more than the Wrangler Unlimited launched in August last year. If you thought the latter encourages for some off-roading action, the former intends to do little else.

Just look at it! Massive wheel arches. Chunky tyres. No roof (comes with a removable top arrangement). Big seats. Rugged-looking fit and finish inside out. And, of course, the Trail-rated powertrain. There’s a sense of invincibility about it. Powering the Wrangler Rubicon is a 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol engine which produces 268bhp/400Nm. An 8-speed automatic transmission harnesses all that oomph and feeds it to a capable all-wheel-drive system. Jeep calls it the RockTrac 4×4 system.

So what? You might say that the Wrangler Unlimited gets the same powertrain. That’s correct but the Rubicon dials-in a higher ground clearance and better approach, break-over and departure angles. Couple those traits with a two-speed, low-range transfer case, efficient torque management tech, and locking differentials on both axles, and you could potentially dominate any terrain out there.

It’s not all shamelessly aggressive. The Rubicon shares its list of creature comforts with the Unlimited. That means everything from LED headlamps and DRLs, an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control and a 9-speaker sound system, to support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, hill descent control, tyre pressure monitoring system, a 7.0-inch MID, cruise control and keyless entry are part of the package.

FCA India says that 67 per cent of its orders for CBUs (Completely Built Units) account for the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. The Rubicon, which broadens the Wrangler’s portfolio in the country, should help Jeep garner more numbers. Bookings for the Rubicon commenced a while back, and deliveries will start from March 15, 2020. If you had to purchase a personal vehicle with a go-anywhere ability and an extensive list of features, what would it be?