Yahoo Autos 2024 Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler 4xe Get Targeted Upgrades
Purebred off-road machines like the Jeep Wrangler tend to evolve on a geologic timescale, which is appropriate because the Wrangler is built to excel when driven over actual geology. It's a "solid axles, meet solid rock," kind of thing. It's therefore no surprise that the mid-cycle refresh applied to the 2024 Jeep Wrangler and Wrangle 4xe hasn't changed the landscape much. In fact, we'd be surprised if you could spot the changes from 10 paces. But the changes are there, and though they're subtle, they are meaningful nonetheless and for a range of reasons.
Resized slots
It starts at the front, where the vertical dimension of the slots in the grille has been shortened, with a thicker rim of body-color paint now outlining the trademark seven-slot array. On its own, this tweak would reduce airflow to the radiators, which must support powertrains including a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, the Rubicon 392's 6.4-liter Hemi V-8, and a largely carryover 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6. To compensate, the previously painted ridges between the slots have been opened up so they can admit more cooling air.
This change was not made for the sake of a mere facelift. Instead, it's a functional outgrowth of a new factory-installed Warn winch that's now available—a first for the Wrangler. Though its lower profile has been tailored to fit the Wrangler, it nevertheless would have protruded up into the old grille's airflow. Warn and Jeep also collaborated on small changes required to pass Jeep's internal-performance and environmental-durability standards, including a reformulation of the winch's internal grease. For its part, Jeep made alterations to the support structure of the front bumper. The result: a fully crash-tested, factory-installed 8000-pound Warn winch you can add to any steel-bumper-equipped Rubicon model by checking a $1995 box on the order sheet.
Altered axle
Though the grille ensures the standard 3.6-liter V-6's cooling system can cope with an increased tow rating of 5000 pounds, the update that enabled that 1500-pound increase is hidden elsewhere. The Rubicon's rear axle now employs a full-floating design instead of a semi-floating one. Rather than being one conjoined part, the rear axle shafts now "float" separately from the wheel hubs. There's no palpable change to the Rubicon's ride or off-road performance, but this change improves the camber stiffness, overall durability, and trail repairability of the rear axle. In addition to enabling a higher tow rating, the Rubicon's standard "full floater" also lessens the reliability peril associated with fitting larger aftermarket tires.
Willys evolves
One of the more visible changes relates to the Willys package, which is now far more capable (not to mention expensive) than before because it has been upgraded with 33-inch Rubicon-spec BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires, rock rails, and a standard electronically locking rear differential. Wide-stance axles and the Rubicon's high-riding fenders come along with this change, making for a considerably tougher-looking and better-performing combination than before. But that tougher, taller stance also brings both improved ground clearance and approach/departure/breakover angles. Costing some $6000 less than a Rubicon, the Willys evolves from a budget appearance package to a compelling off-road choice that's available as a two-door with a stick shift all the way up to a four-door 4xe model.
New standard touchscreen
Climb inside any 2024 Wrangler to see its most obvious update: a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It's nicely integrated into the mildly restyled dash, which includes horizontally arrayed center air-conditioning vents beneath the screen that blend into a recontoured passenger grab bar. The best part: The mondo screen is standard across the board, from the lowliest $33,690 two-door Sport up to the $89,390 (!) Rubicon 392. Built-in navigation isn't available until you get to the Sahara model, but wireless phone mirroring and the app-based navigation it enables comes on all trims. The factory navigation system does have other advantages, including built-in Badge of Honor trail guidance and implementation of the Trails Offroad trail-library application that operates from cached data in places where cellular service is absent.
We were dubious of the big screen at first because the Wrangler is, at its core, a convertible. But the display is robustly backlit, to the point where it was easy to read with the top and doors off while the sun streamed in over our shoulder. If anything, the transition from the deep shade of an underpass to full sunlight made it even more impressive. There's also a prominent finger rest across the top and along the passenger-side edge, making it easy to brace your hand while you make selections—a boon on uneven terrain.
A mix of visible and hidden changes makes the new Wrangler quieter than before. The quaint external wire antenna that used to whistle at speed and wobble when driven through brush is history, finally replaced by an in-glass windshield antenna. Meanwhile, the Premium Cabin package that comes gratis on High Altitude, Rubicon X, and Rubicon 392 models includes a windshield surround stuffed with additional insulation, as well as front side windows made from dual-pane laminated glass. The benefits of the new antenna setup were obvious, but it'll take a sound meter and our test track to quantify the other benefits.
Also inside, reengineered front seats with 12-way power adjustment—which didn't exist previously because their controls must operate and survive when underwater, as they can be at full fording depth with the doors off—are available on the Sahara and up. The other interior change is less obvious but potentially more significant. Side-curtain rollover airbags have now been incorporated into the slim covers that conceal the rollover structure. They do have an unintentional side benefit: their slightly oblong shape makes it easier to grab onto the rollover structure to hoist yourself aboard.
PHEVs for you and me
Beyond that, the other sweeping significant change is the expanded availability of the 4xe plug-in-hybrid powertrain. Despite a piddling 22-mile electric range and not-great gasoline-only fuel economy, the Wrangler 4xe is the bestselling PHEV in the United States. The 4xe powertrain is also the most popular choice in the current Wrangler lineup, representing 38 percent of sales in 2023's first quarter. That state of affairs seems set to accelerate, because the 2024 4xe lineup now includes an entry-level Sport S model for $51,790, with the off-road-focused Willys, Rubicon, and Rubicon X starting at $56,530, $62,380, and $70,880, respectively. Meanwhile, on the more civilized side, the 4xe Sahara goes for $58,640, while the loaded-to-the-gunwales High Altitude 4xe commands $68,790.
Out on ragged sandstone, our 33-inch-tired 4xe Willys four-door (the Unlimited moniker was quietly retired at the end of 2022) proved the worth of this quiet and torquey powertrain as we motored silently over millions of years of nature's jumbled handiwork. The skid plate protecting the underhanging battery pack touched down once or twice, but a gas-burning four-door Rubicon may have done likewise because the two models' ground clearance and breakover-angle specs almost exactly match. The 2024 update includes many welcome convenience, comfort, and safety upgrades, but the bottom-line off-road experience hasn't suffered one bit. In fact, things are significantly better from where we sit, in a vastly improved Willys that's available as a gas-fed model or with the popular 4xe powertrain.
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