The simple press of a button and hum of an electric motor may soon be in store for JL soft top owners who want to open up the cabin and go topless.
According to an unconfirmed dealer source posting on the JL Wrangler Forums , the next generation Wrangler soft top will do away with the traditional manual assembly in favor of powered soft top panels that fold down.
The source also claimed Fiat Chrysler will offer a full ‘panoramic’ glass roof option for some hardtop editions as well as a true 3-piece hardtop which will have removable front, rear, and cargo sections.
While manually pulling up and down the soft top has long been a rite of passage for Jeep Wrangler owners, FCA apparently feels the majority of buyers these days want simplicity from their vehicles and thus will appreciate the ease of a powered soft top over the manual edition.
There was no word if FCA would still keep the manual top version as an option for the purists among us.
FCA metrics must also bear out the popularity of a panoramic glass roof option in other vehicles, and this feature for the JL, if true, would give owners who do not want to remove the heavy hardtop, that open cabin feel without the noise and sometimes harsher climate conditions.
As far as the actual JL hardtop, if the poster’s information is accurate, it will be a ‘true’ three piece top that would do away with the current Freedom top’s driver, passenger, and rear sections in favor of removable front, rear and cargo pieces.
Keep in mind, these options are all unconfirmed, and likely will remain merely possible features until FCA officially unveils the vehicle later this year.
According to the JL Forums poster, here is the schedule for the JL release:
July-August 2017: 2018 Wrangler Order Banks Open
September 2017: 2018 Wrangler Production Begins
September 1, 2017: 2018 Wrangler Press Launch
Early 2018: 2018 Wrangler Pickup (JP) Production Begins
Summer 2018: 2018 Model Year Production Ends
