Jeep’s flagship Wrangler SUV is getting a refresh for 2024 with an expanded 4xe lineup, more safety features and new capabilities.
The updates revealed Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show come just as U.S. Wrangler sales fell 17% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2022, shedding market share to its newest competitor, the Ford Bronco, whose sales were up 38% from a year ago.
“Competition is good,” Jim Morrison, head of Jeep in North America, said during a briefing ahead of the auto show. “We’ve done more interventions in this thing over the last two years, and with those interventions and people talk about electrification, because the conversation was earlier today is demand for Jeep and for Wrangler are at an all time high. So, more people are talking about it, and what better vehicle to deliver the freedom and adventure than Wrangler?”
Mark Stewart, Stellantis NV’s chief operating officer for North America, told WJR on Wednesday order books and financials for the automaker’s brands remain strong, though “we’re not very excited about our total share at the moment.”
Cue the refresh. The No. 1 plug-in hybrid in the United States for a second consecutive year, according to the company, citing figures from S& Global Inc., the Wrangler 4xe will expand down the lineup in response to customer demand, Morrison said, and to help capture better fuel economy results and improved carbon emissions for Stellantis, which year-after-year ranks last among major automakers in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Automotive Trends Report. Jeep plans to have a fully electrified lineup by 2025, and 4xe has increased to 38% of Wrangler sales from 25%.
The Sport S 4xe trim will offer a lower 4xe entry price, which wasn’t shared on Wednesday. The fully gas-powered, four-door Sport S for 2023 starts at $38,395. The 2023 4xes start at $54,735, and the up to $7,500 federal subsidy is available for it through April 17.
Expanding the 4xe into less expensive models will be key to growing the plug-in hybrid’s share to 50% of Wrangler sales by the end of the year, said Sam Abuelsamid, e-mobility analyst for market research firm Guidehouse Inc.
“It would be impressive to get to that point with plug-in hybrid sales,” he said. “Consumers are loving it so far. They are buying them as fast as they can build them.”
Also new for the 4xes is the Jeep Power Box. It has four 120-volt outlets with 30 amps of total output, allowing the battery pack to power external devices.
“You can power your house in a storm or your tent on a trail,” Morrison said, “whatever you might need.”
The 2024 Jeep Wrangler will be available in six models. Ordering is open now and vehicles will start to arrive in U.S. Jeep dealerships later in 2023.
As for the rest of the 2024 vehicles, they’ve have an adjusted seven-slot grille, a windshield-integrated antenna ready for the four-wheeling trails, 10 new wheel designs and multiple open-air options, including the Sky One-Touch Powertop.
Inside, the Wrangler finally gets 12-way power adjustable front seats thanks to new waterproof technology that preserves the Wrangler’s ability to ford water up to 34 inches. A new instrument panel comes with a standard Uconnect 5 12.3-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Through the touchscreen, drivers will have access to Trails Offroad guides for 62 Jeep Badge of Honor trails that’s like a map and historic tour guide all in one. An optional subscription also can unlock a catalog of more than 3,000 off-road guides. They’ll also be able to track their own trips and save them.
“We’ve really been able to make an experience,” said Josh Riggs, lead designer manager for user experience, “that only Jeep can provide in this type of vehicle.”
Morrison’s favorite new component is Quiet Cabin, which equips Wrangler with more speakers and microphones to be able to make hands-free calls on the highway without changing the vehicle’s physics — or as Mario Holmes, the program chief vehicle engineer, says it, a “40% speech intelligibility improvement” from the vehicle’s current two mics.
“You can drive a Wrangler at 70 miles per hour and talk to your mom,” Morrison said. “I’m driving my Grand Wagoneer one day and my Wrangler the next day. There’s no difference, which is incredible.”
The vehicles also now come standard with first- and second-row side-curtain airbags. Also standard on the Sport S and above is forward collision warning and advanced cruise control with stop.
The top-of-the-line Rubicon is elevated with the new Rubicon X that comes with standard 35-inch tires for the 2- and 3.6-liter powertrains, an integrated off-road camera and steel bumpers. The traditional Rubicon also will come available with an 8,000-pound capacity Warn winch, an up to 100:1 crawl ratio and a Dana 44 HD Full Float solid rear axle that provide up to 5,000 pounds of towing.
A new throwback Willys model also sports larger tires, more ground clearance, higher flares and greater traction.
bnoble@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @BreanaCNoble