by Matt Konkle
Managing Editor
MOAB, Utah — After more than 36 years roaming the planet as a rugged, go-anywhere machine, the venerable two-door Jeep Wrangler looks like it will soon be just another piece in the smoky mist of history, according to a Stellantis report Saturday at the 57th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.
In place of the two-door Jeep, the report said, will be an all-new seven-passenger Wrangler 4xe internally named ‘JLUL’, loosely based on the larger Grand Cherokee L introduced over a year ago.
The vehicle changes are set to begin for the 2027 model year, the report indicated.
“The seven-seat Grand Cherokee has been a tremendous success since it launched, and electrification only adds more value,” a Jeep spokesperson said Saturday. “So it only makes sense to provide families with a more spacious Jeep Wrangler while still offering legendary performance, and now, electrification as well.”
While Stellantis’ report did not reveal much about this three-row Wrangler besides a 4xe platform, it did indicates the automaker plans to lengthen the rear passenger area 14 inches to accommodate that third row, and add five extra inches of headroom.
Additionally, the vehicle’s 4xe platform will include the standard 2.0 turbocharged engine and hybrid electrification designed for up to 28 miles of combustion-free driving. Overall, if the range matches the Wrangler 4xe edition, the JLUL should get somewhere around 49 mpge.
Currently, the Wrangler 4xe is North America’s top-selling PHEV vehicle and nearly 50,000 were sold in 2022. According to Jeep, roughly one in four Wranglers leaving the showroom these days are 4xe models.
”When our engineers looked at what made sense for this seven-seat Wrangler, one thing quickly became clear, it needed to be a hybrid 4xe,” a Jeep spokesperson said. “We see this as an ideal vehicle for families, as well as those who want superior, and quiet, off-road performance.”
The Wrangler’s two-door elimination shouldn’t really come as a surprise as its sales numbers pale in comparison to the much more popular Wrangler Unlimited. For the 2022 model year, the four-door JLU outsold the JL by an almost 10-1 margin.
Also, during an interview a few years ago, Jeep Head of Design Mark Allen even credited the four-door Wrangler, unveiled in 2007, for saving the brand’s nameplate from extinction.
Since its 1987 inception, Jeep has utilized two doors in every Wrangler model. This smaller wheelbase lets it attack terrain where larger four-door editions can’t easily go, allows for a tighter turning radius and better breakover angle when traversing off-road obstacles — virtually eliminating the possibility of a high-centered situation.
Four-door versions do provide a more stable base and added weight when climbing obstacles, and its longer wheelbase certainly helps on sharp downhill descents. Plus, that fully-realized back seat makes it much more enticing for those enthusiasts who have families, or want extra cargo room.
However, even though it would be interesting, do not expect to see a Wrangler ‘JLUL’, or the two-door disappearing, any time soon. While the Jeep brand is unveiling new mid-run 2024 model year changes to the Wrangler — including a new grille, additional 4xe trims and new optional packages, it is not eliminating the two-door model. At least, not yet. And it has no plans to roll out a longer wheelbase production seven-passenger Wrangler ‘JLUL’.
But one thing is clear. After all, it is April Fools Day.
Jeep did release a seven-seat Wrangler concept before the 2021 Speciality Equipment Market Association show, dubbing it Outlook, which served as fodder for this idea.
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