New Jeep Wrangler to receive lightweight panels

JEEP’S upcoming JL Wrangler, due to appear at the end of 2017, is set to gain a host of fuel-saving features to improve the model’s otherwise average consumption.

The new Jeep will come with the option of a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine or a V6 diesel engine, as well as an eight-speed automatic transmission. It will also benefit from weight-saving aluminium panels.

Reports out of the USA are quoting a Jeep supplier as saying that the JL Wrangler will have an aluminium bonnet and doors to help cut overall weight and, in turn, fuel consumptions.

Prototypes caught in testing also appear to have a windscreen that is more laid back than the upright screen that has been a feature of Jeeps for the past 75 years.

The JL Wrangler will also see the debut of a factory-made double-cab pick-up variant, something Jeep enthusiasts have been calling on for many years. As Australia is one of the biggest markets outside North America for the iconic Wrangler, we expect to see the JL on sale here sometime in the first part of 2018, shortly after its US debut.

The Jeep Wrangler remains one of the very few true 4x4s available to enthusiasts, and with the JL set to retain a separate chassis construction with live axles front and rear, that ability should continue with the JL.