If certain reports are to be believed, Jeep is planning to unveil its hardcore off-roading machine, the Wrangler in the coming month. Jeep had announced, before the arrival of the updated Compass, that it will launch 4 SUVs in India within the next 2 years. We suspect that this is the consequence of that promise. Jeep also mentioned the local assembly of the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee in India to make it price competitive. We suspect that this is what the case with the Wrangler is as well. This might be the CKD (Completely Knocked-Down) unit of the Wrangler, which will see its currently astronomical price tag come down significantly. The Wrangler is probably the most famous off-roader ever built. It has a certain heritage of ruggedness in its blood.
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Jeep, planning to expand its footprint in India, understands that in order to sell the Wrangler, it needs to bring down the prices by quite some margin. As a result of this, they have strategized to assemble the SUVs in its plant in Ranjangoan. In the same way, Jeep is pondering over the possibility of bringing a compact SUV to India, which can be based on the same platform as Citroen’s upcoming compact SUV codenamed the C21. This can be planned, keeping in mind the conglomeration of FCA and PSA Groups into a new entity, the Stellantis. What happens to that is something we will soon find out. Let us keep our focus on the Wrangler.
Jeep Wrangler – Exterior and Interior
The exterior of the new Jeep Wrangler can not be too different than the current model because it has always retained its iconic silhouette. On the front might be the signature seven-slat grille with chrome finish, drop-down window and rounded LED headlamps with integrated LED DRLs. Down below might be a chunky bumper, housing the fog lamp unit. On the side, one might find extremely large and rugged wheel arches, with high-profile 18-inch alloys ready to take on any terrain. To give it the old-school feels, all four doors of the Wrangler can be taken off pretty effortlessly. The rear might house the LED taillamps, as well as the spare wheel, mounted on the boot door. Overall, one can expect the Wrangler to stay vintage in terms of the silhouette but also feature all the modern bits.
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The story on the inside could be a bit different and in a good way. We recently witnessed a completely redesigned interior of the Compass which was a big departure from the outgoing model. Similarly, we can expect a lot more modern safety, tech and convenience features with this version of the Wrangler. The quality of the interior cabin will be even better all around. There will be features like Digital Touchscreen Infotainment System with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Digital Instrument Cluster for a ton of information for the driver, Ambient LED Interior Lighting, Leather Finished Dashboard and the company’s very own, UConnect Connected Car Tech with plenty of features like on the Compass.
Also read: Jeep to launch 4 new SUVs in India within the next two years!
Jeep Wrangler – Engine and Prices
The Wrangler might continue to come with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine churning out 268hp and 400Nm. This engine will be paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission to deliver high performance. Needless to say, there will be a whole host of off-roading equipment including Jeep’s Selec-Trac 4×4 System, Tru-Lok Differentials, various terrain modes, performance suspension, a very high ground clearance including high approach and departure angles, high water wading capabilities and much more. The key differentiator, however, from the outgoing model will be the pricing. The current model sells for Rs 63.94 (unlimited variant) lakh and Rs 68.94 (Rubicon variant) and we expect that due to the local assembly, we might see a significant decrease in these prices to make the Wrangler a more appealing proposition. The likely launch will take place in March.
