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For 2020, the Jeep Wrangler has poised itself as the best all arounder, off-roader, and flexible mid-sized SUV that money can buy.
2020 Jeep Wranglers – stellantisnorthamerica.com | Shop 2020 Jeep Wrangler on Carsforsale.com
What’s New for the 2020 Jeep Wrangler?
Jeep is a company that seems to never slow down in terms of progress these days. Of course, for a company that’s iconic vehicle is best known for deliberate steady progress to heights previously unknown, that fits nicely. With 21 different combinations of trims and packages for the Wrangler, it can be tough to determine what’s what so let us break it down for you.
The two-door Wrangler comes in three trims, Sport, Sport S, and Rubicon. The four-door Unlimited variant adds Sahara as a fourth available trim. Multiple packages for the off-roader can be had, but the Altitude and Recon packages stand out as far more than simple appearance packages so we’ll cover them below. Every 2020 Jeep Wrangler is still an excellent off-roader at heart, but offers many different on-road pleasantries for those in need of a true all-arounder.
This generation of the Wrangler was released in 2018 and while it’s continued to improve each year, 2020 is by far the best ever. Multiple special edition trim packages are new, the Moab edition is gone, and for the first time, a diesel is available on Unlimited models. The 3.6-liter V6 is standard throughout the lineup, but a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder is optional. Both engines can be had with a mild hybrid system on the Sahara trim. Overall, Jeep took its already good receipt and refined it for 2020.
The Breakdown
One of the most versatile vehicles today
The diesel has enough torque to climb anything
Few vehicles are as cool as the Wrangler
How is the Wrangler this noisy?
Luxury-esque models need nicer materials
Rough ride no matter how much you spend
Trims don’t need to be this confusing
2021 Wrangler Specs
- 260 horsepower from base engine
- 265 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 8 available trims
- 12.9 cu-ft of cargo capacity in 2-door
- 31.7 cu-ft of cargo capacity in 4-door
- Towing capacity of 3500 lbs
- Available 8.4-inch infotainment screen
2020 Jeep Wrangler Powertrain
All three engine options for the 2020 Jeep Wrangler are perfectly serviceable. While the gas V6 isn’t particularly sporty it’s still got the grunt you’ll need if you do find yourself deep in the backcountry. The turbocharged 4-banger is probably the one we’d opt for as it’s much more engaging and can be tuned for even more power in the aftermarket. If you’re likely to take your Wrangler off-road on the regular then really the diesel V6 is the one to have. With 442 lb-ft of torque, only the new 392 and 4xe can claim to have more and only by about 30 lb-ft.
Steering is a bit lighter than expected with noticeable numbness on center. Handling and braking aren’t particularly sharp, but this is a Wrangler after all. Both components do their job just fine and we’re sure that they’re optimized for the dirty stuff. The 8-speed automatic feels very smooth and though we didn’t get the chance to really test its mettle off-road, buyers from all over seem to have very few complaints. The standard 6-speed manual transmission is notchy and easy to use with good mid-pedal engagement.
Overall we’d call the 2020 Jeep Wrangler a good driver and one that is surprisingly civil despite its beastly rock-crawling DNA. It’s not perfect, and it’s not luxurious by any means, but it’s not very often that you find a vehicle that can go as many places as this one can without being considerably less comfortable.
Towing & Payload
Towing with the 2020 Jeep Wrangler will require a fairly light load at a minimum rating of just 2,000 lbs. The most robust of Wranglers can pull a maximum of 3,500 lbs which is in line with most competitors.
2020 Jeep Wrangler Fuel Economy & MPG
While the diesel gets pretty good mpg (22 city / 29 hwy) considering the brick-like design of the Wrangler, the two gas engines fall pretty quickly down to 21/22 for the 4-cylinder and 18/22 for the V6. Keep in mind all of those numbers are for the Unlimited four-door with the 8-speed automatic. Opt for the 2-door and you’ll get a couple of mpgs back, but choosing the 6-speed manual takes them away again with the worst combination (Unlimited, Gas V6, 6-speed manual) getting just 17 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
For this kind of money, it’s clear that you simply can’t have it all, and unlike other off-road-focused brands that have seemingly gone soft in recent years, the Jeep has clearly poured its research and development budget into off-road tech before spending it on the inside of the 2020 Jeep Wrangler. Materials inside are made to be cleaned easily and because of that, you won’t find any plush, super soft, or particularly expensive bits. The controls feel good to use, they’re just not lavish.
Nevertheless, seating is comfortable and does a reasonable job of soaking up the bumps and bruises that the almost truck-like frame can’t. Perhaps the thing we love the most is how easy it is to see out of this vehicle. There’s no question about where the corners of the vehicle are thanks to great seating position and outward visibility. The driver seat does feel like a proper command center, something we’ll get into shortly. Rear seat occupants in the two-door Wrangler need to be under a specific height to ride this ride. Four-door Unlimited passengers won’t face the same limitations and even tall folks should feel comfortable on long trips.
Cargo capacity is dramatically different depending on the version you buy. Pick up the Unlimited and you’ll have more than enough trunk space to carry almost anything you and three friends could need on a weekend warrior trip into the woods. The two-door variant though will require you to use rooftop storage or other means if you can’t fit all your gear in the 31 cubic feet of space behind the front seats. That drops to under 15 if you happen to be using the rear seats for other passengers.
Entertainment & Technology
The base center control stack leaves quite a lot to be desired, but beyond that, the 2020 Jeep Wrangler is well laid out and feels modern. UConnect is one of the best infotainment systems available and it shines here in the optional 8.4-inch touchscreen. Both it and the smaller 7-inch system come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. The steering wheel is well laid out with controls and the nice big bright gauge cluster has configurable menus, vital information, and a great layout. Beware, truly base models can be had with a 5-inch infotainment system that’s worth avoiding.
Safety Features
Perhaps the biggest drawback of the 2020 Jeep Wrangler is that to own one you’re going to miss out on many modern safety features both passive and active. Blind-spot monitoring, rear parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic alert are only optional. It received mostly “Good” marks from the IIHS in terms of crash testing, but was not rated by the NHTSA. Still, you won’t find the slew of safety equipment that other manufacturers are selling as standard.
2020 Jeep Wrangler Trims & Pricing
Sport – $33,045
As the base of the Wrangler lineup the Sport is well named. Like an athlete in the middle of a game, this SUV isn’t carrying much in the way of superfluous extras. You’ll get 17-inch wheels, a small 5-inch infotainment system, manual locks, mirrors, and windows too. Air conditioning is NOT included but despite the lack of amenities, the Sport still has 4WD, and can climb over almost anything.
Sport S – $36,740
We imagine most buyers will be looking at the Sport S as the true base model since it comes standard with A/C, automatic headlights, power windows, and door locks, as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and alloy wheels.
Sport Altitude – $38,185
The Altitude package adds beefy brakes, a heavy-duty suspension, 18-inch wheels, a hardtop, and a rear window defroster.
Sahara – $40,140
The Sahara is only available in Unlimited four-door guise and aside from appearance package extras gets a special full-time four-wheel-drive system with a locking center differential. Standard features like the 7-inch infotainment system, all-terrain tires, and side rails.
Sahara Altitude – $43,435
Similarly to the Sport Altitude, the Sahara gets more off-road-tuned brakes and suspension as well as leather seating.
Rubicon – $43,690
This is for the real off-road fans and gets all of the off-road goodies from the Sahara but compliments them with heavy-duty axles with electronic locking differentials both front and rear, shorter gearing to better tackle trails, rock rails, and even an electronically disconnectable front stabilizer bar.
Rubicon Recon – $48,445
The Recon package tacks more onto the top-of-the-line Rubicon with LED headlights and taillights, as well as a special graphics package, Moab rock rails, front and rear steel bumpers with bumper loops, and a black hardtop. Buyers will even get the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine in the package.
Warranties
Like nearly every other company right now, Jeep offers 3 years or 36,000 miles of Limited warranty coverage and 5 years or 60,000 miles of powertrain coverage. They also offer the first two oil changes and tire rotations as complementary and unlike most brands they do make a lifetime warranty available for an additional cost.
What we think
2020 Jeep Wrangler – stellantisnorthamerica.com | Shop 2020 Jeep Wrangler on Carsforsale.com
Overall this is one of the best Jeep Wranglers ever made. We expect to see prices on these fall pretty hard pretty quickly since the 2021 model year is coming with new powertrains and more options, so if the 2020 Jeep Wrangler described above sounds like your cup of tea, you could save thousands.
