Visually, the European JL differs little from its US sibling on first glance, although it does get the option of two roof options; a zipper-less soft-top and a three-panel removable hard top available in either the specific body colour or black.
Depending on the market, the JL will be sold in Sport, Sahara and Rubicon trim levels, with an optional Overland pack for the Sahara adding 18-inch alloy wheels, body coloured grille, detailing and headlight bezels, Overland logos, a body coloured hard spare wheel cover and LED lights.
As in the US, the Euro-spec Wrangler has the option of being fitted with 32-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain tyres, although wheel sizes range from 17-inch polished alloys for the Sport, 18-inch alloy or uniquely finished rims on the Sahara to 17-inch painted alloys on the Rubicon with an optional black polished finish.
A total of 10 new colour options will be offered, namely Black, Bright White, Billet Silver Metallic,Granite Crystal Metallic, Sting Grey, Punk'n Metallic,Mojito, Hellayella, Firecracker Red and Ocean Blue.
While still riding on a ladder-frame chassis frame but with extensive use of lightweight materials to cut weight by up to 91kg, the Wrangler’s biggest upshot is a completely new interior, not only featuring upgraded materials and a new design, but also a choice of three UConnect infotainment systems (five-inch, seven-inch and 8.4-inch), a 3.5 or seven-inch TFT instrument cluster display and dual USB ports.
The Wrangler’s selectable four-wheel drive system has also made into the Europe, with the Sport and Sahara models getting the standard Command-Trac system, while the off-road focused Rubicon boasts the Rock-Trac setup with Tru-Lock electronic front and rear differentials and heavy duty Dana 44 front and rear axles allowing for a wading depth of 76mm and ground clearance of 250mm.
Available in both three-door and five-door Unlimited bodystyles, the Wrangler’s biggest difference over its States-side cousin lies underneath the bonnet, where the existing Jeep Wrangler to pack 275 kW four-pot and 213 kW V6">2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, dubbed Hurricane, will be joined by a Fiat-sourced 2.2-litre Multijet turbodiesel producing 147kW/450Nm.
Equipped with a 48-volt electric motor for a mild-hybrid setup, the four-cylinder petrol churns out 200kW/400Nm, while certain markets will also get the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 that makes 210kW/347Nm. While unconfirmed, the Grand Cherokee’s 177kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 is also slated for a possible reveal albeit only in 2019.
A further change for the Wrangler is that it will not be offered with the six-speed manual gearbox as in the United States, with all models being fitted with the new ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic ‘box in place of the old Mercedes-Benz supplied five-speed.
With production having already started at FCA’s North Toledo Plant in Ohio, sales of the Wrangler in Europe will start in September with South Africa likely to follow soon after.
