It’s not easy to update the look of the Jeep Wrangler, but Jeep designers did it for 2024. They managed to keep all the signals that you’re looking at a descendent of the classic army truck of the Roosevelt era while also signaling that the 2024 Jeep Wrangler is an up-to-the-minute update.
Except for the ones they didn’t update.
MotorTrend found a quirk in Jeep’s online configurator that the company hadn’t acknowledged when it announced the redesigned Wrangler – the least-expensive model didn’t get the new look.
They Get The Non-Cosmetic Updates
The entry-level Sport and Sport S trims received most of the same updates as other trim levels. They get the new standard 12.3-inch touchscreen. They get the updated dashboard. The cheap trims get the side-curtain airbags that cover both rows of seating.
But they don’t get the new grille. The updated look on other trim levels has meshwork inside the iconic seven slots, and their bevels are a color Jeep calls Neutral Gray. But Sport and Sport S models get the old, body-color grille from the previous design.
A Jeep spokesperson told MT, “The move helps differentiate the upper-level models from the Sports, as well as helps keep those models’ price points lower.”
We’re Okay With This
Fair enough. We suspect buyers of the cheap Jeeps don’t mind. The least expensive Wranglers are almost defiantly spartan. The Sport (starting at $31,895 for a 2-door model) is one of the last cars for sale in America with hand-cranked windows and manual door locks. You can no longer buy one without air conditioning. In 2023, you can’t buy any new car without air conditioning.
But if you want the rock-crawling ability of two straight axles and don’t care much about creature comforts, you’re probably not hung up on whether it has the most up-to-date grille design. You don’t care what it looks like. You plan for it to look like mud.
Jeep parent company Stellantis has a history of keeping older products in production even after their replacements arrive. The company redesigned its Ram 1500 pickup five years ago but still sells the previous-generation model as the Ram Classic.
