The 2023 Jeep Wrangler Overland is not as gung-ho as the Rubicon, but it's still very capable off-road.

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon usually attracts all of the glory as the line-up's best off-roader, but it's more city-friendly stablemate, the Overland, is no slouch in the rough stuff.

And, while any Wrangler may be on the wrong side of impractical for many, the Overland still offers plenty of fun in terms of drivability and old-school-style 4WDing.

We tested the four-door Overland Unlimited over a seven-day period to see how it’d perform on-road, but most of our focus was on its comfort and capability in an off-road environment.

Read on.

Price and features of the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Overland

This Jeep Wrangler Overland has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $93,400, excluding on-road costs. 

The list of standard features includes an 8.4-inch multimedia touchscreen unit, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a nine-speaker Alpine Premium audio system (with subwoofer), and 18-inch alloy wheels as well as premium touches like heated steering wheel and front seats, black leather trimmed seats, leather-wrapped gear-shifter knob and parking brake handle, and more.

Exterior paint choices include Bright White (on our test vehicle) and Black (both standard), and optional colours such as Silver Zynith, Sting Grey, Firecracker Red, Punk’n (orange), Earl (blue-ish grey), Hydro Blue, and High Velocity (yellow).

This Jeep’s appearance has been tweaked throughout the years without sacrificing any of the ol’ Wrangler spirit.

This is a purpose-built off-roader and the Overland’s five-seat cabin is a basic but functional space. 

All dials, knobs and switches are easy to locate and operate while bouncing through rough terrain or climbing the Overland up steep rock steps.

There are air vents, two USB-C ports, and a 230V inverter in the centre console.

There's leather everywhere – seats, steering wheel, shifter knob – but plenty of durable outdoors-tough surfaces.

Storage space isn’t abundant but there are a few small, deep, and textured receptacles – ideal for keeping your keys, wallet and pocket knife in the same spot while you bounce around while off-roading – as well as grab handles, including a big sturdy one in front of the front-seat passenger. 

There are tensioned net pockets on the doors so you can throw stuff in there, but beyond those there aren't a lot of storage options.

Rear cargo space is a listed 898 litres; with the rear seat stowed away, there is a claimed 2050 litres of room.

The Overland has a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine – producing 209kW at 6400rpm and 347Nm at 4100rpm – and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Official fuel consumption is listed as 9.7L/100km on a combined cycle. 

On this test we recorded 13.6L/100km, from fill to fill – I was expecting a higher figure because we did a lot of low-range four-wheel driving. 

The Wrangler Overland Unlimited has an 81-litre tank so, going by that fuel figure above, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 595km from a full tank.

The Wrangler Overland Unlimited has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2019.

Standard safety gear includes four airbags (driver and front-seat passenger only), AEB, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, rear-view camera, and front and rear parking sensors.

A five-year/unlimited km warranty applies to the Overland.

Servicing is set at 12 month or 12,000km intervals at a total cost of $1995 over five years, with servicing capped at a maximum $399 per appointment.

Lifetime roadside assist is available to Overland owners when they service through Jeep.

Driving the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Overland

The Wrangler Overland is nowhere near as bad on-road as you might assume – its planted stance on sealed surfaces gives it a definite composure – but it’s no sports car in terms of ride and handling.

It’s rather soft on-road and tends to float around a bit on the blacktop if not constantly micro-managed. Steering also has a lightness about it that can sometimes be a bit off-putting. 

The V6 is a gutsy unit, punching the Overland along at a good pace, all while the eight-speed auto delivers nicely controlled shifts.

Because it’s so blocky, with big wing mirrors and the like, the Overland is rather noisy on sealed surfaces via wind rush around the straight-up-and-down cabin.

As for off-road performance, the Overland is extremely capable. I wasn't expecting it to be troubled because it’s a genuine 4WD with a dual-range transfer case, a ladder chassis, solid axles and well-established 4WD heritage.

The Overland is 4882mm long (with a 3008mm wheelbase), 1894mm wide, 1838mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 1900kg.

This is a purpose-built off-roader with a wide wheel track and low centre of gravity, so it feels planted no matter how rough and bumpy the terrain gets.

On the gravel track to our off-road test site, there are numerous steering-wheel-jolting corrugations but overall the Overland – with a coil spring at each corner – soaked them up.

The Wrangler is immediately more at home taking on low-speed 4WDing than it is negotiating suburban traffic.

That aforementioned light steering has a nice weight to it during low-range 4WDing, giving the driver a great sense of sustained control through even severe terrain, but the Overland’s 12.44m turning circle means this off-roader can at times feel like a mini-bus to steer through bushland.

Off-road, the V6 engine comes into its own, delivering smooth even torque when needed, but not over-working to achieve that. Considered driving is necessary as is slow and steady throttle, but that's easily achieved in the Wrangler.

It’s refreshing that switching to 4WD High or 4WD Low range is still done via a short shifter stick to the left of the auto shifter rather than via a button or dial. 

Low-range gearing is very good and the Overland has a well-calibrated off-road traction control that seamlessly launches into action when required, and wasted wheel-spin is kept to an absolute minimum.

This Wrangler has 242mm ground clearance and a standard wading depth of 760mm, and was never troubled when climbing steep rock steps, traversing deep ruts or driving through mudholes.

The Overland has approach, departure and breakover angles of 35.8, 31.2 and 20.4 degrees respectively.

With live axles front and rear, the Overland has plenty of wheel travel to keep moving and under control through off-grid country.

The only real compromises in the Overland’s 4x4 set-up are its standard Bridgestone Dueler (255/70R18) highway tyres and, even on those, the Overland still walked up and over our toughest off-road challenges.

The Overland has listed towing capacities of 750kg (unbraked) and 2495kg (braked).

What we think of the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Overland

The Jeep Wrangler Overland is not atrocious on-road and very capable off-road, but its price-tag is hefty.

Lucky for Jeep, there’s really nothing like it or its more gung-ho stablemate, the Rubicon. 

Both the Overland and the Rubicon are a lot of fun to drive and, what they lack in practicality and daily-driving commonsense, they make up for with sheer enjoyment.

If you really want a fun four-door mid-size 4WD that can still manage everyday life, it’s difficult to ignore the Overland.