JEEP is celebrating its 70th year on the road by releasing a 2011 update of its drop-top Wrangler 4WD range.

The two-door Wrangler and four-door Wrangler Unlimited models, which remain most faithful to the Jeep off-road heritage, will remain available in two trim levels: entry-level Sport, and petrol-only Rubicon (which also adds more hardcore off-road extras).

All Wrangler models have experienced price increases of between $10 and $3410.

The Wrangler update sees the inclusion of a revised version of the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo- diesel engine that produces more power and is more efficient than the previous version. The diesel is also equipped with stop-start technology that helps save fuel in traffic by switching off the engine when the vehicle comes to a halt (manual model only).

Power output is up by 17kW to 147kW, while torque remains stable at 410Nm for the manual model and 460Nm for the five-speed automatic. Average fuel consumption drops to 7.1 litres/100km for the six-speed manual (from 8.4), while automatic versions also see a decent drop, down to 8.1 litres/100km (from 9.5L).

Jeep isn't fitting the Chrysler group's new ‘Pentastar' V6 engine to the new Wrangler, instead retaining the current 3.8-litre V6, which remains unchanged for power (146kW/315Nm) and fuel efficiency for both models.F

For more motoring check out Drive.com.au.