Only a certain sort of person sees a road sign with a silhouette of an off-road vehicle and the number 40.4 on it and gets excited. Only a certain sort of person knows what a departure angle is. That certain sort of person owns a Jeep Wrangler or has thought about it more than once.
Earlier this week, Jeep teased Jeep people with a social media post of just that image. This morning, they let us all know what it means. It refers to a new package available on 4-door Jeep Wranglers, bundling some of the most popular modifications off-road enthusiasts make to the Wranglers into a factory-built version with a warranty.
Bronco Sasquatch-Beating Geometry
The Wrangler Xtreme Recon includes factory 35-inch tires (we’re sure it’s just a coincidence that they’re the same size as the rubber on the new Ford Bronco’s own off-road-centered Sasquatch package). It also comes with a 4.56:1 axle ratio and a 1.5-inch lift. Combined with the big tires, that gives it ground clearance about 2 inches higher than the Wrangler Rubicon. Bilstein shocks are tuned to handle all that height.
Jeep’s press release announcing the package doesn’t list a price. We’ve reached out to Jeep parent company Stellantis for that information and will add it to this article when we have it.
The new suspension gives the Xtreme Recon an approach angle of 47.4 degrees, a breakover angle of 26.7, and a departure angle of… well, read the sign. All but the breakover angle, we’d note, best that Sasquatch. That was a strange sentence to write.
The Xtreme Recon can ford up to 33.6 inches of water.
Available Today
The Xtreme Recon package is available for order now on Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon and Rubicon 392 models and will be part of the 2022 lineup.
Jeep also announced that “a 4.88:1 axle ratio will be available on the Wrangler Rubicon,” but did not indicate when that is coming. “When paired with the 6-speed manual transmission, this optional axle ratio delivers a best-in-class 100:1 crawl ratio,” the company says.
