Next-gen Jeep Wrangler details revealed

Next-gen Wrangler (J70) will have pure EV and combustion-assisted EV powertrain.

Published On Dec 02, 2023 09:00:00 AM

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Jeep Wrangler Magneto 3.0 Concept used for representation only.

The next-generation Jeep Wrangler will go into series production in 2028. Two powertrain options – a BEV and a range-extender setup – will be on offer. This will be the most radical development for the American off-roader since it was introduced internationally in the 1980s.

Documents published as part of Jeep parent company Stellantis’s latest agreement with the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) reveal the future of several of the firm’s US-built models, including the Wrangler.

Current-gen Wrangler to be replaced by new-gen model in 2028
Will get all-electric and hybrid powertrains
Wrangler EV to be preceeded by road-biased Recon EV SUV

The current generation of Wrangler includes a plug-in hybrid model, the 4xe, which is available in only a handful of markets. Along with its Gladiator pick-up truck sibling, the Wrangler will receive upgraded plug-in hybrid powertrains in 2025 (it remains to be seen whether the technical changes being brought in will enable right-hand-drive production) before being phased out in 2028, the documents reveal.

Jeep Wrangler EV platform, powertrain

They will then be replaced by the new J70-generation Wrangler, with electric and ‘Range Electric Paradigm Breaker’ (Stellantis-speak for combustion-assisted electric) powertrains. The REx system will be used first in 2025 by the Ram 1500 REV, a pick-up truck based on the STLA Frame platform, which is also expected to underpin the electric Wrangler.

Part of a new family of EV architectures being applied to all Stellantis products from next year, this body-on-frame platform will major on payload and towing capabilities. For instance, the 1500 REV claims a 1,224kg payload and a 6,350kg towing capacity – significantly greater than the rival Ford F-150 Lightning’s.

The STLA Frame can also accommodate vast batteries to cope with the traditionally high mileages and heavy workloads of commercial vehicles. The 1500 REV will be offered with two long-range electric powertrains, with 168kWh and 229kWh batteries delivering about 560km and 800km between charges.

Jeep has hinted at what to expect from an electric Wrangler several times, most recently with the Magneto 3.0 concept, an outlandish, Wrangler-based off-roader with 650hp and 1220Nm from a bespoke axial-flux motor, driving, unusually, through a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Jeep Recon EV to come before Wrangler EV

Before revealing the production Wrangler EV, Jeep will introduce a rugged electric SUV called the Recon, which promises comparable off-road ability but is based on Stellantis’s more road-focused, monocoque-construction STLA Large platform.