Barring an unexpected last-minute change, every mainstream car available for sale in the United States for the 2023 model year will come with standard air conditioning. That’s a first.
The last holdout was, unsurprisingly, the Jeep Wrangler. For the 2022 model year, buying a brand-new Wrangler without A/C is possible.
You’d likely have to order it. Dealers rarely keep the absolute bare-bones model of any car in stock. But the least-expensive possible Wrangler in 2022 – a 2-door Wrangler Sport with no optional equipment – costs $29,995 (plus a $1,595 delivery charge) and lacks modern air cooling. Air conditioning is a $1,395 option on that model.
It’s also possible to move one step up the trim ladder, to the 2-door 2022 Willy’s Sport model, without adding a blue side to the temperature knob. Every other Wrangler trim level, including all 4-door models, has A/C.
For the 2023 model year, those specifications are gone. The most stripped-down 2023 Wrangler is once again the 2-door Sport model, but it comes with A/C. And carries a $30,295 price plus that same delivery fee. That makes the 2023 model with a cooling setting less expensive than an equivalent 2022 model.
Stubborn traditionalists should know that the base Wrangler still comes with manual door locks and hand-crank windows.
