The first day of the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show saw the debut of a new Jeep. It’s the long-awaited and much talked-about 2018 Jeep Wrangler, boasting refreshed design, new technologies and a new turbocharged engine. The upgrades are meant to make the old Jeep ready for the future.
In spite of that, 2018 Jeep Wrangler still looks pretty much the same as did back in WWII, and it still has a ladder chassis. Both of those things are good. You wouldn’t want the iconic Wrangler to let go of its awesome traditional look in favor of some fancy schmancy new design and become yet another faceless SUV. And you don’t want it go with a unibody build because you expect it to be a proper, full-blooded off-roader. So all is well in Jeepland as far as the purists are concerned.
But there are some stuff to keep the modernists happy as well. 2018 Jeep Wrangler features aluminum body panels for a weigh saving of nearly 200 pounds, trick suspension, track bars (learn about track bars here), a new 2.0 liter turbocharged engine with 268 hp and 295 lb-ft boasting a 48-volt generator that makes it a mild hybrid, and the jeep wrangler top speed of a hundred miles per hour ( 100mph). The 3.6 liter Pentastar V6 is still available for those who are stuck in the past. But since it makes only 20 more horsepower than the 2.0 liter unit, and less torque, it doesn’t really make much sense. Later in 2018 a diesel motor will be added to the range.
2018 Wrangler comes in a bunch of body styles, including two and four door models and a ‘naked’ open-top variant. The trims carry on from the current model, including Sport, Sport S, Rubicon and Sahara. The Rubicon is meant to the most offroad-y version of the lot with features such as jacked-up suspension, extended fenders to house 33 inch tires, Dana 44 axles, and electronically disconnecting anti-roll bars. A naked Rubicon in red with the 2.0 liter engine would be our pick.