More to come on the 29th.
American off-road specialist marque Jeep has released images of the all-new 2018 Wrangler, dubbing it the latest iteration of “the most capable SUV ever.” While just three photographs were handed out, it does go to great length to confirm a lot of presumptions made of the new Wrangler design-wise, and we’re glad that it doesn’t rock the boat too much in that department.
While automotive design is a revered profession due to its complexity and exclusivity, we can only imagine that when it comes to reworking what is widely considered to be an automotive icon, the task gets that much harder, having to teeter the line between innovation and blasphemy very carefully. It appears that the designers in Dearborn have done a pretty good job though, as it appears that the 2018 Wrangler looks both fresh and recognisable, providing a contemporary take on the revered Wrangler design that’s sure to keep fans young and old happy.
Very few details were given along with the photographs, limited to the usual marketing garb. The new Wrangler will bring “advanced” powertrains and all the new-age kit you’d expect of something with a 2018 year designation, while retaining key Wrangler design cues like the “keystone-shaped grille,” round headlights and square taillights, and fold-down windshield, while offering more door, top, and windshield combinations to fully-utilise the Wrangler’s ability to allow the outdoors indoors.
Earlier details dropped by an anonymous source to American publication Jalopnik claims the Wrangler will arrive with no less than six engine variants. Two differently-tuned versions of the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 will feature, along with 3.0-litre and 2.2-litre turbodiesels, as well as a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-pot in two states of tune. This largely lines up with information that’s been gleaned earlier this year, where a 2018 Wrangler Rubicon was spied with a diesel motor, as well as chatter that a 224kW turbo-petrol 2.0-litre will be joining the Wrangler lineup.
Details on the offered body styles were also offered, which detail the “typical two- and four-door configurations,” as well as a ute setup that we’ve spied before (supporting photos featured here are courtesy of JL Wrangler Forums). The roof’s several options should include black or tan soft tops, a black or body-coloured hard top, and a power-retractable roof. While all-wheel drive is a given, along with an automatic gearbox, it still remains only a rumour that the next-generation Wrangler will be offered with a manual gearbox.
While there’s little doubt that the V6 engines will dominate North American sales and the diesels will sell healthily in Europe, the question of which engines will be offered for our market remains. A healthy mix of the petrol and diesels (3.0-litre oiler, 3.6-petrol, and 2.0-litre four-pot maybe?) should win over buyers here, though it remains anyone’s guess as to what will eventually play out.
*Speculative render by JL Wrangler Forums
We’ll have to wait for the 29th for more details on the Wrangler (as well as the possible ‘Wrangler Scrambler’ ute), but you can rest assured that we will bring you updates as and when they come.
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