Jeep Wrangler

The Jeep Wrangler is one of the Jeep entries the open record knows by name and by date — in 1986, and by little else. That is not nothing: a name in the catalogue is where a car's story starts to be recoverable.

The background

The Jeep Wrangler is a series of compact and mid-size off-road SUVs manufactured by Jeep since 1986, and currently in its fourth generation. The Wrangler JL, the most recent generation, was unveiled in late 2017 and is produced at Jeep's Toledo Complex. The Wrangler is a direct progression from the World War II Jeep, through the CJ (Civilian Jeeps) produced by Willys, Kaiser-Jeep, and American Motors Corporation (AMC) from the mid-1940s through the 1980s. Although neither AMC nor Chrysler (after it purchased AMC in 1987) have claimed that the Wrangler was a direct descendant of the original military model, both the CJ Jeeps and the conceptually consistent Wrangler, with their solid axles and open top, have been called the Jeep model as central to Jeep's brand identity as the rear-engine 911 is to Porsche.

Similar to the Willys MB and the CJ Jeeps before it, all Wrangler models continue to use a separate body and frame, rigid live axles both front and rear, a tapering nose design with flared fenders, a fold-flat windshield, and can be driven without doors. With few exceptions, they also have part-time four-wheel drive systems, with the choice of high and low gearing, and standard open bodies with removable hard or soft tops. However, the Wrangler series was specifically redesigned to be safer and more comfortable on-road, to attract more daily drivers, by upgrading its suspension, drivetrain, and interior, compared to the CJ line. The suspension on all Wranglers included trackbars and anti-roll bars, and, from the 1997 TJ onwards, front and rear coil springs instead of the p

Under the skin

The record carries the layout. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.

Where it sits

Where it sits in Jeep's history is not in doubt: the Jeep CJ came before it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Ferrari F40, the BMW 5 Series, the SEAT Ibiza. Its Jeep stablemates include the Jeep Wrangler (JK) and the Jeep Wrangler (TJ).

The money

On the used market today a Jeep Wrangler typically changes hands for $10,600–$34,000, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,733–$11,295 a year. Insurance sits around $1,120–$2,120 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.