In the world of off-roading, few other publications have as much credibility as
Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road, with the title having a reputation for putting vehicles through rigorous off-road testing before bestowing its well-respected 4x4 of the Year award. For the second consecutive year, and the third time in the last decade, the award goes to a Jeep Wrangler, with the 2012 award going to the Wrangler Rubicon equipped with the then-new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6. For 2013, the award goes to the new
Wrangler Moab edition.
The Moab delivers many of the same features of the topline Rubicon model, at a more reasonable price point. Some of the key features of the 2013 Wrangler Moab edition include a winch-ready front steel bumper, rock rails, and an available rear locking differential.
The 4x4 of the Year competition has three main guidelines for eligibility. First, vehicles must be on sale before January 15 of the model year, have a production run of at least 2500 units, and be equipped with a traditional two-speed transfer case. Over the past 20 years of the competition, Jeep vehicles have won the coveted 4x4 of the Year Award 11 times.
Source: Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road