Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. News

Here’s Your First Official Look at the All-New Jeep Wrangler JL

By

2018 will be a big year for the car world. On the way is a new BMW M5, Porsche Cayenne, Lexus LS, Jaguar I-Pace, Chevy Silverado, Aston Martin Vantage, BMW X7, Audi A8, and much more. As eagerly as we anticipate each of these cars, though, one new model might steal the year’s spotlight: Jeep’s 2018 Wrangler JL.

2018 Jeep Wrangler
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s been over a decade since Jeep last introduced a Wrangler generation. Let that sink in a moment: The defining 4×4 vehicle has looked pretty much the same since 2007. As you can imagine, fans are foaming at the mouth, wringing their hands, and doing whatever else it is people do when they’re at wit’s end in wait. Bits and pieces of information have been teased out over the past few years, but this is our first meaty chunk of news: Jeep has revealed official photos of the JL generation Wrangler.

2018 Jeep Wrangler
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Thanks to spy shots of test vehicles, we expected the new Wrangler to look a lot like the current one (JK generation), but it’s really not easy to pick out the differences. Making matters more frustrating is that Jeep has yet to release any other information about the 4×4 model. From these images, we can see new headlights, re-sculpted front fenders, an updated grille, new wheel designs, more rounded window frames, and a ventilated hood. Apart from these touches, the JL has the same boxy shape we know and love.

Recommended Videos

Much more significant changes supposedly take place in the Wrangler’s cabin, but we’re still awaiting photographic evidence. We do know Chrysler’s latest UConnect 3 infotaiment system will be available, along with improved creature comforts and reshaped seats.

2018 Jeep Wrangler
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Other details that have leaked prior to this photo reveal include a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder as the base engine, a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 as the upgraded motor, available six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions, and two transfer cases (one with low and high ranges, and the other with 4H Auto and 4H part-time modes). Down the road, Jeep may also offer a diesel-powered version and a (gasp) hybrid. Also confirmed is a Wrangler pickup version to be called the Scrambler.

If we don’t hear more about the new Wrangler in the coming weeks, we’ll get the full scoop at the Los Angeles auto show on November 29.

Miles Branman
Miles Branman
Former Contributor
Miles Branman doesn’t need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn’t strong in his own family, Miles… Read Full Bio
Auto
Porsche wants to teach you how actually to drive their cars
Porsche

A Porsche is one of the most recognizable cars on the road. You always know when you are looking at one. So, it stands to reason that people love them, right? Of course they do. But loving a car and knowing how to drive one are very different. What is it that Ja Rule said in The Fast and the Furious? “We know a few things. And one of the things we knows is, it isn’t how you stand by your car, it is how to drive your car. You better learn that.” How do you learn to drive a Porsche? At the Porsche Track Experience, which has offered programs on everything from a single-day basics class up to a three-day advanced course.

Now, the team behind PTX is expanding into new offerings for the car.

Read more
Auto
The next evolution of the sports car: Porsche redesigns an icon
City, Car, Transportation

Authenticity. It is what we are looking for nowadays as consumers. Thirty years ago, we looked for brand names. We strived for status and letting all those around us see that what we wore, where we lived, where we dined, and finally, what we drove, symbolized our success in life. Then all of that started to stumble, and every industry felt the recession. Of course, the recession was temporary, but the effects of it were not. What we started to look for after that was something real. We realized that stuff…was just stuff. Now, when I look at cars, or suits, or restaurants, I ask myself: What is this going to make me feel?

That is what the new Porsche Mission S does; it makes me feel like vintage New York and the upstate escape.

Read more
Auto
How much horsepower does a 2026 Formula 1 car really have?
Red Bull's Max Verstappen driving a victory circle.

 

If you have ever been to a Formula 1 race, you probably know these machines are the pinnacle of performance. These super machines are some of the most amazing creations in the mechanical world and are a marvel to watch scream around the courses around the world during the F1 season. But how much power do they have? More specifically, how much horsepower pulls that thing around the track?

Read more