The Birth of the Jeep's Iconic Wrangler
By Westborn Chrysler Jeep Ram Dodge
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Did you know that the Jeep's famous Wrangler has been made for almost 80 years? Truth be told, the Wrangler originated as a war vehicle during WW II. So, you might wonder, how did this military workshorse transition from the battlefield to the ultra-popular vehicle we see today? Let's take a look.
It started with the CJ
The Willys-Overland, the original Jeep manufacturers, took the military design and made a civilian version and called it the CJ. To make the vehicle more useful to average America, they added a tailgate, street gearing and a hard top. Plus, they assumed that the Army olive paint would be less than optimum and offered more exciting color combinations. By 1948, you could source a Jeep CJ in Michigan Yellow, Emerald Green, Potomac Gray or Normandy Blue. The Wrangler CJs sold well and continued until 1986.
Then came the Wrangler YJ
In 1986, Wrangler YJ was released. The body was redesigned make it far more comfortable to drive. Unlike the CJs that were crafted to be highly-capable off-road machines, the YJs were more for the street. In fact, in 1994, the company offered an automatic transmission much to the chagrin of true Jeep buffs. The Wrangler YJ was manufactured until 1996.
Wrangler TJ and JK
The TJ was the third-generation Wrangler. Jeep dropped the leaf springs for softer coil springs and returned the Jeep's original round headlights. The powertrain choices remained the same as the YJs. A big change occurred in 2007 when the Jeep introduced the four-door model Wrangler JK. It was a hit and today 75% of Jeep's Wranglers are now 4-door models. Feature wise, the JK held on to many off it's popular of off-road details such as removable doors, a fold-down windshield, and soft top.
Wrangler JL
In 2018, Wrangler's third iteration, the Wrangler JL, was introduced. Jeep added a bunch of comfort features in the JL and customers were thrilled. Perhaps the most exciting change was that the Wrangler finally could be ordered with a diesel engine.