When Jeep announced the all-new Wrangler, the company claimed to have focused on聽improving on-road refinement, safety, and fuel economy.聽As the current Wrangler is already superbly off-road capable, I was totally convinced this 2018 model was going to go soft.
It hasn鈥檛. Jeep seems to have pulled off the impossible, improving on the Wrangler in every way.聽
How鈥檚 it going to be better off-road? Well, the most capable version, the Rubicon, gets 33-inch tires as standard, and has room for owners to fit ones聽up to 35 inches in diameter. It gets a new six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic, both with exceptionally low gearing in four-low, has electronically locking differentials front and rear, and even gets an electronic sway bar disconnect, capable of聽improving axle articulation over tricky obstacles.
Those are all really great upgrades, and Jeep could have still impressed by stopping there. But it went further. Would you believe that this more-efficient, more modern Wrangler actually has steeper approach, departure, and breakover angles? Those are what dictate how steep or tall of an obstacle the Jeep can drive onto, off of, or over, and they鈥檙e the best of any road-legal vehicle on the market.聽
On-road, the Wrangler will also benefit from that聽new transmission, which will work in concert with new and revised powertrains to boost both performance and fuel economy. No MPG numbers have been released yet, but by cutting weight, improving aerodynamics, and adding the new motors, they should improve significantly. (A plug-in hybrid version will be available in 2020.)聽
Versions other than the top-tier Rubicon also benefit from the inclusion of full-time four-wheel drive鈥攁 Wrangler first. That will improve the Wrangler鈥檚 safety in inclement weather.聽
The base engine will be the same 3.6-liter V6 from the outgoing model. It鈥檚 a minivan motor, sure, but it also get the job done, with respectable performance and economy at a very low price. From there, you鈥檒l be able to spend up to a more advanced,聽more efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. That should pull a little harder, weigh a little less, and retain its performance at altitude鈥攁 problem the current Wrangler struggles with. But it鈥檚 the 3.0-liter turbodiesel, and its 442 pound-feet of torque, that has us salivating, even if it is only available with the new auto box.
Jeep also says the Wrangler should be quieter and more refined inside. Ride quality is said to be much improved, as are noise levels.
Both two- and four-door models will be available with soft or hard tops. And now those soft tops will be zipper free, for easier use and improved longevity.
But it鈥檚 the most irrelevant improvement that's聽most telling about the care put into the 2018 model. Unexpectedly, and in defiance of all common sense, Jeep has chosen to retain the previous model鈥檚 folding windshield, with some important upgrades. In聽the current Wrangler, folding said windshield聽is a laborious process that involves removing multiple parts and impairs the vehicle鈥檚 safety in a rollover. In the new Wrangler, however, Jeep's聽added an additional cross bar to the roll cage at the top of the windshield. That enables you to drop the glass by removing just four bolts and it retains the rearview mirror when you do.聽
Jeep didn鈥檛 have to do stuff like that to keep selling the Wrangler. That they did is just awesome.