The All-New 2018 Jeep Wrangler

Although it doesn’t look like it, the Wrangler pictured above is the all-new 2018 version that’s been completely redesigned. It was released in the States earlier this year and since then I’ve been eagerly waiting for it to come to Kuwait so I can test drive it.

I finally did last weekend when I was given the Wrangler Sports edition to test drive for the weekend. It may not look that different on the outside, but I can tell you the new Wrangler is vastly different from the previous generation. Although the outside looks pretty identical to the previous generation, every panel was actually completely redesigned. You just can’t tell unless you put the old model side by side with the new one. Where you will notice major changes is in the interior.

The interior is where the new Wrangler has really improved. I owned the second generation Wrangler and I’ve rented the third generation one a few times so I’ve had a lot of experience with the previous models. The new fourth generation Wrangler is easily the most comfortable and featureful version yet. Even though I had the entry level Wrangler it was still packed with comforts. The interior felt more car-like than ever with a large touchscreen that had Apple CarPlay, keyless start, a reverse camera with probably the best quality footage I’ve seen on a reverse camera yet, USB and USB-C ports all around, AC power plugs, and because I had the 4-door version, there were rear AC vents, a feature I know a lot of previous 4-door owners wish they had.

One of the things I loved about the new Jeep was how solid and well-built everything felt. From the feel of the door to the rattleless interior, the Jeep felt well put together, much more than the previous models. Everything felt more premium including the steering wheel which felt great to hold.

A friend of mine wanted to collect rock samples from Mutla’a so I volunteered to drive them out there in the Wrangler. It was a long drive and the Jeep was fairly comfortable with the AC managing to keep the car cool in the very hot weather. The Sports edition I had doesn’t come with any roof padding which would have helped even more with the cooling as well as the wind noise. The wind noise was surprisingly pretty bad, I would have figured Jeep would have managed to improve that by now but looks like they haven’t. It’s actually my biggest complaint about the car. My other complaint would be with the suspension which I found too hard, I was feeling every crack in the road to the point I thought maybe the tires might have been overinflated (they weren’t).

There are three Wrangler editions at the moment, the entry level one is the Sports edition, you then have the Sahara edition which is more feature equipped and finally the Rubicon which is their top of the line model. The engine is the same in all three, a V6 3.6L which I found to be pretty punchy, it made my FJ feel very slow and heavy. Both the Sahara and Rubicon models have a larger touchscreen in the center console and a lot more USB and USB-C ports scattered around the car amongst other options like leather seats, roof headliner with insulation, LED lights and more. The new Wranglers start at KD10,850 but my personal preference would be the Rubicon model pictured above. It has a lot more options than the Sports version including a better suspension, larger tires, and more aggressive look. But it also costs KD15,999 which makes it a lot more expensive than the entry-level model.

If you’re interested to test drive the new Wrangler you could drop by their showroom and book an appointment or get in touch with them on instagram @jeepkuwait_