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10 Facts about the 2018 Jeep Wrangler

The 2018 Jeep Wrangler is here. It debuts this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it's going on sale in January. After years of anticipation, it's finally reality. Here's our complete First Look, but to break it down further, here's things you'll find curious, cool, absolutely necessary, or just plain interesting. – The 2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL) will be sold concurrently during 2018 as inventory is moved out. This means you might be able to get a decent deal on the outgoing model, the JK. It gets a little confusing since the JK and the JL will both be 2018 models, which suggests the JK sell-down might take awhile. Mike Manley, Jeep boss, defended the strategy during a briefing in Auburn Hills, and noted it's somewhat common across the industry. – The doors: They lift out and have handles so you don't drop them. There's also half-doors that will be offered in 2019. Doors weren't standard on Wranglers until the early 1980s. – There are multiple trims. The two-door comes in Sport, Sport S or Rubicon. The Unlimited is Sport, Sport S, Sahara or Rubicon. Expect more to come. – The EcoDiesel arrives in 2019. This could be interesting. Jeep says it's in response to consumer demand, and it could be a differentiator from the Ford Bronco or other utes looming on the horizon. The V6 is the same engine from the Ram and Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel models. In the Wrangler, it pumps out 260 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. – The Sky One-Touch power top is cool. With a touch of a button, the canopy of the roof scrolls back. Perfect for the urban or actual jungle. It's offered on Rubicon and Sahara four-door variants. – What they didn't do: The speculation surrounding the Wrangler's future hit a fever pitch in 2015, and most of rumors didn't pan out. It's still built in Toledo, Ohio and it's still body on frame. – Some of the rumors were (kinda) on point. Aluminum was used, fairly extensively. The doors, door hinges and front fenders are aluminum. The rear swing gate is magnesium. No one was speculating on that one. – The badges are cool, and Wrangler enthusiasts will love them. There's one on the swing gate that harks back to the Willys predecessors and offers cool stats, like the fording depth of 30 inches. There's also a silhouette on the shifter and the steering wheel is meant to conjure the image of the Y-shaped ones on military vehicles. You kind of need to squint for that one, but there's plenty of other Easter Eggs.

Chrysler teases upcoming outlay of SEMA cars

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is hauling a multitude of modified models to the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas this November, and the company is releasing the first teasing sketches of many of them.
Unfortunately, FCA isn't giving many solid details on any of the concepts other than saying the vehicles from Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat all benefit from tuning from its Mopar performance brand. The teaser photos include a sinister-looking Chrysler 200S, Fiat 500 Abarth with two-tone paint and a scorpion on the hood, a red and black 500L, seemingly two different takes on the Jeep Renegade, a green Dodge Challenger wearing the T/A badge, an orange and black Dart, a very neon Charger, just the outline of a red and black Viper, a Ram ProMaster in Mopar livery and a Ram pickup called the Outdoorsman.
Take a look through the gallery to see what you think of the sketches for these concepts, and scroll down for the full announcement from FCA.

2018 Jeep Wrangler Buying Guide | Answers to your SUV questions

There are few truly one-of-a-kind vehicles, but the Jeep Wrangler remains one of them. Available in traditional two-door form, or as the four-door Unlimited model, this proudly square-shaped SUV traces its origins back to the battlefields of World War II. While its shape seemingly hasn't changed much over the years, the 2018 Wrangler has been completely redesigned inside and out. A 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and all-wheel drive are standard across the extensive Wrangler lineup, including rock-crawling versions like the highly regarded Rubicon model. While it doesn't have any direct rivals, some buyers might prefer an SUV with more refined ride and handling characteristics. The Wrangler's solid front and rear axles' primary purpose is off-road adventure, not on-road comfort, no matter how much it's been improved over its predecessor. Here you'll find all the information needed to make an educated buying decision if you're considering a 2018 Jeep Wrangler including safety and reliability ratings, engine specs, horsepower, fuel economy ratings and pricing. We'll also summarize what Autoblog's professional auto reviewers think of the Wrangler. Is the 2018 Jeep Wrangler Safe? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not given the 2018 Jeep Wrangler an overall safety rating. However, the 2018 Wrangler is listed as scoring three out of five stars in frontal crash tests and rollover resistance. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which provides ratings for new vehicles based on its own comprehensive crash tests, did not give the 2017 model year (previous generation) Wrangler, the last one fully-tested, a recommended rating. The 2017 Wrangler scored a "marginal" rating for driver side safety in the small overlap frontal crash test (a passenger side rating was not recorded). Side impact performance came in at a "poor" rating, as did overall headlight performance. One bright spot in an otherwise dismal safety score was the Wrangler's "good" rating in the moderate overlap front crash test. Ratings may differ for Wrangler models from other model years, so be sure to visit the https://www.nhtsa.gov/ NHTSA and http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratingsIIHS websites to review ratings on the specific vehicle you're researching. At the time of this writing, the 2018 Wrangler is subject to one ongoing recall involving 106 vehicles.