37 years since the Jeep Wrangler hit the market

37 years since the Jeep Wrangler hit the market

At the 1986 Chicago Auto Show, Jeep premiered the successor to the Jeep CJ, the Jeep Wrangler. It’s been 37 years since then, and the Wrangler has withstood all its competitors. The fact that it was sold in 5 million copies shows how popular the car is.

That’s quite an achievement, especially considering that the Wrangler is, in any case, a limited niche model. Still, this sales result makes the Wrangler the best-selling Jeep model of all time. Since it’s still in production and more popular than ever, this million mark will be hard to beat by any other model from the American automobile marque.

When it hit the market, the car had a new chassis, upgraded suspension, a more practical interior, but also better handling on the road. Ten years later, the second generation arrived with classic round headlights, which, like the first, remained for a whole decade. In 2006, Jeep presented the third generation known as the JK Wrangler, which was built on a new platform and with a new chassis. It was the best-selling model and was produced until 2017.

The current generation Jeep Wrangler was unveiled at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show. It was the first time that Jeep offered this model as a mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid, which indicated that the company is seriously thinking about following the trend of electrification of cars.

When it comes to powertrains, the Wrangler is currently offered with five engine options: a 3.6L Pentastar V6 with 285 hp (210 kW) and 260 lb-ft (360 Nm), a 2.0L turbo I4 with 270 hp (199 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm), 6.4L HEMI V8 with 470 hp (346 kW) and 470 lb-ft (640 Nm), 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 with 260 hp (191 kW) and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm), and a 2.0L plug-in hybrid turbo I4 with 375 hp (276 kW) and 470 lb-ft (640 Nm) of torque.

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