The all-new and much improved 2018 Jeep Wrangler is nearly here. Ahead of it landing on dealer lots, Jeep has brought its configurator for the new JL online.
We’ve been bringing you news of the upcoming JL Wrangler for months. First came the spy photos, then official pictures during the SEMA show, culminating in our Managing Ed’s drive of the rig in the Arizona desert. Yesterday, we took the time to comb through the JL’s build-and-price tool, accessible on the company’s website at jeep.com to parse out all the important details for you.
As expected, there are a quartet of trims available at launch: Sport, Sport S, Sahara, and Rubicon. All are offered with two or four doors, except the Sahara which is only listed as the latter. A single engine is shown across the board in the form of FCA’s venerable Pentastar V6, rated here at 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. The information given lists this engine with a standard start/stop system which can be disabled. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on all models; opting for the eight-speed automatic will hoover an extra $2000 from your bank account.
Going through the trims, prices climb steadily as one moves up the Wrangler food chain:
- Sport 2-door: $26,995
- Sport 4-door: $30,495
- Sport S 2-door: $30,195
- Sport S 4-door: $33,695
- Sahara 4-door: $37,345
- Rubicon 2-door: $36,995
- Rubicon 4-door: $40,495
None of those prices include a destination fee of $1195. As we learned during our first drive of the Wrangler in Arizona, this marks at least a $3000 hike over the outgoing model. A heap ‘o beans, but the JL is light-years ahead of the JK in just about every measure.
Heading straight for the most desirable model, the Rubicon, we took the opportunity to examine all the option packages and color combinations offered in the configurator for that trim. Those snazzy LED lights we’ve been seeing on test mules all year? They’ll cost an extra $895. Heated seats and a steering wheel – plus remote start – are bundled together in a Cold Weather package for a reasonable $595. Remote start by itself is only a hundred dollars less.
The two most expensive trims (Sahara and Rubicon) come equipped with FCA’s 7-inch infotainment screen. Upgrading to the admittedly excellent 8.4-inch unit with navigation will set buyers back an additional $1295. Blind spot monitoring and a couple of other safety nannies are packaged in a $895 option group.
In terms of styling and exterior frippery, nine different colors will be available: Bright White, Mojito! (yes, with an exclamation mark) Green, Punk’n Orange, Firecracker Red, Ocean Blue, Billet Silver, Sting-Gray (groan), Granite Crystal, and Basic Black. It seems all these hues will be offered on all four models, which is great news.
Body-colored flares on the Rubicon are a $395 option, and asking Jeep to hit the Freedom Top with a dose of paint matching the body will cost you a not-insignificant $2095. This is on top of the $2195 being charged for the Dual Top group in the first place.
Rubicon JLs whose only off-road experience will be the owner’s gravel driveway (you know they exist) can spec their Jeep with leather seats for $1495 and an Alpine audio system for $1295.
As for off-road gear, front and rear steel bumpers built to withstand some extra rock bashing are a $1295 option, one that should be selected by all Rubicon buyers in our opinion. A ‘Jeep Trail Rated Kit’ consisting of a recovery strap, clevis, and gloves is an acceptable $195.
A check-all-the-boxes example of the Rubicon four-door rings the bell at an eye-watering $57,310. Once taxes and the inevitable dealer fees are factored in, one suddenly realizes they are living in a world where a Jeep Wrangler costs in excess of $60,000.
Back down to earth, the base model Sport is offered sans air conditioning but it can be added for a sensible $1295. This would be the route your humble author would take, rather than make the $3200 walk up to the Sport S trim.
Other options on the Sport include an anti-spin diff for $595 and a $1095 hardtop. It is also worth noting that the Sahara, clearly marketed at folks who are looking to buy a Wrangler for family duty, does not come standard with the trick Selec-Trac Auto-4WD system. Presumably included to placate buyers unfamiliar with the operation of 4WD, Selec-Trac allows drivers to put the transfer case in 4WD Auto and let the computer figure out when and where to send power in slippery conditions. It is a $595 option.
Fuel mileage was noted on a single trim, the Sahara, at 17 city / 23 highway. One should logically expect similar numbers from the other models as their drivetrains are the same.
Don’t expect too much negotiation room at the dealer during the first few months of the JL appearing in showrooms. It’s bound to be an overwhelmingly popular model, one which dealers won’t need to discount in order to sell.