2018 Jeep Wrangler SUV technology and capability facts

The
2018 Jeep Wrangler is here. It debuts this week at the
Los Angeles Auto Show and it’s going on sale in January. After years of anticipation, it’s finally reality. Here’s our complete First Look, but to break it down further, here’s things you’ll find curious, cool, absolutely necessary, or just plain interesting.

– The 2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL) will be sold concurrently during 2018 as inventory is moved out. This means you might be able to get a decent deal on the outgoing model, the JK. It gets a little confusing since the JK and the JL will both be 2018 models, which suggests the JK sell-down might take awhile. Mike Manley,
Jeep boss, defended the strategy during a briefing in Auburn Hills, and noted it’s somewhat common across the industry.

– The doors: They lift out and have handles so you don’t drop them. There’s also half-doors that will be offered in 2019. Doors weren’t standard on
Wranglers until the early 1980s.

– There are multiple trims. The two-door comes in Sport, Sport S or Rubicon. The Unlimited is Sport, Sport S, Sahara or Rubicon. Expect more to come.

– The EcoDiesel arrives in 2019. This could be interesting. Jeep says it’s in response to consumer demand, and it could be a differentiator from the
Ford Bronco or other utes looming on the horizon. The V6 is the same engine from the Ram and
Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel models. In the Wrangler, it pumps out 260 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque.

– The Sky One-Touch power top is cool. With a touch of a button, the canopy of the roof scrolls back. Perfect for the urban or actual jungle. It’s offered on Rubicon and Sahara four-door variants.

– What they didn’t do: The speculation surrounding the Wrangler’s future hit a fever pitch in 2015, and most of
rumors didn’t pan out. It’s still built in Toledo, Ohio and it’s still body on frame.

– Some of the rumors were (kinda) on point. Aluminum was used, fairly extensively. The doors, door hinges and front fenders are aluminum. The rear swing gate is magnesium. No one was speculating on that one.

– The badges are cool, and Wrangler enthusiasts will love them. There’s one on the swing gate that harks back to the Willys predecessors and offers cool stats, like the fording depth of 30 inches. There’s also a silhouette on the shifter and the steering wheel is meant to conjure the image of the Y-shaped ones on
military vehicles. You kind of need to squint for that one, but there’s plenty of other Easter Eggs.

– The windshield folds down by turning four bolts and comes completely off with six. It takes minutes. The JK’s windshield had 28 bolts, broke paint when it folded down, and the process took about 90 minutes.

– A 2.0-liter four cylinder engine is offered, and it’s a form of a mild hybrid. Called eTorque, it adds electric power assist,
brake regeneration and stop-start technology. The I4 is rated at 270 hp and 295 lb-ft.

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