It is not often that a vehicle’s owner’s manual becomes something more read than, say, one of the top books on the New York Times’ best seller list.
Sure, many new car or truck owners sit down and skim through their manual looking to pick up the basics and gain some familiarity about their new ride. But intense reading? Nah.
And yet, when the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL Owner’s Manual appeared online Sunday, it flowed through the internet and was dissected on various news and forum sites faster than the latest Star Wars movie trailer.
In part, this is because Jeep does not totally overhaul the Wrangler very often – this is only the third revision since it first premiered in 1987 – so any changes are big news. Really, though, it is more about the vehicle hiding in the shadows (or at least under a coat of camouflage) for the past year and a half, stoking interest in legions of Jeep enthusiasts who on one hand are concerned the Wrangler may be stepping further away from its roots, while on the other excited to see what revisions Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has made.
FCA Canada was the initial site to display both the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL Owner’s Guide, and corresponding Users Manual, which was quickly picked up and hosted by JL Wrangler Forums. FCA Canada has since taken both documents down, but you can still find on the JL Wrangler Forum site.
So now that we’ve had a few days to pour through these pieces of Wrangler gold, let’s take a deeper look and identify eight things you may love about the new JL.
1. Familiarity
FCA executives bent over backward in multiple statements to say that they understood how much the Jeep Wrangler means to its arsenal of fans, and that they would not ‘mess it up’ with this redesign.
The good news – they left alone many of the things that define Wrangler. Things like solid axles, removable tops and doors, fold down windshield, familiar part-time transfer case, floor plugs, seven-slot grille with round headlights and swing out tailgate. Granted, these were all mostly a given and depicted one way or another in various spy photography over the past year, but still nice to see confirmed.
It also seems like FCA went further than previous editions on some of these – for example, they have made the windshield easier to fold down, requiring just four screws to accomplish in the 2018 model. On the doors, they removed the nylon retaining strap and changed it out for a metal bar that will allow the door to remain open even during those off-camber moments.
2. Tops
While all the Wrangler JL tops may not be available at launch, FCA has refined the just about all the covers on their vehicles. The only one that does not look revised is the standard hard top, as the manual still lists this with front removable Freedom Panels and then a rear removable section. From what FCA is stating, this will be the initial top available when the JL launches.
All new for the JL though will be an optional power hardtop, where you can maneuver a top panel open and closed similar – we believe – to the SkyTop version on the Renegade or SkySlider on the Liberty. According to the manual, the entire top will not be removable, but you can take out the driver and passenger quarter windows. The top will also have ‘Pinch Protection’ which will stop the sliding section if sensors detect something in its path.
The JL soft top will arrive without zippers for the first time in Wrangler history as track systems will secure the top to its hardware. The rear quarter and back windows will also utilize these types of tracks to fit into place. While the top may attach to the windshield with the same type of header system, and recline like the previous generation JK Wrangler, it also now has a mechanism on the rear sports bars that will lock the top into place once it is folded down. When ready to put back up, you can disengage the mechanism and it will function as a lift assist to help raise the soft top into the door frame tracks.
At some point, apparently in late May 2018, FCA will also release a powered soft top which may interest many, but not much is available yet on that option.
3. Auxiliary Switches
One of the things that has defined Jeep Wrangler enthusiasts for more than three decades is the need to add all kinds of aftermarket items on the vehicle – many of which require power and need to be toggled on and off with switches. Products like auxiliary lighting, light bars, winches and lockers (non Rubicon). For 2018, FCA has added a four switch auxiliary panel complete with wiring that you can easily hook up to your accessories and then program via the Uconnect Infotainment System.
4. Electronics
The 2018 JL Wrangler will take great strides forward regarding many of its electronic features. Visually, it is moving to a digital instrument cluster that will be 3.5-inches for the base version and 7-inches on the high end. This cluster will display a speedometer, compass, odometer and exterior temperature – while also including standard fuel and oil temperature gauges on the left and right. It is also programmable from the vehicle’s steering wheel so you can change readings. The larger cluster also has those same features, while changing the fuel and oil temp to digital readings.
Three other features included in the digital display for the first time ever, will be parking assist sensors, blind spot monitoring as well as a backup camera that mounts through the spare tire. These are federally-mandated items designed to improve safety, and ones you’ll appreciate if you are using for the first time.
Other nice interior electronic features include a keyless push button start with revised key fob (more on that later) and a revised way to engage and disengage lockers on Rubicon editions. FCA has eliminated the old way of multiple button pushes for a new two-switch method where one switch toggles up and down to engage either the rear or both lockers, while the other entirely disengages the lockers.
On some higher end models, FCA is incorporating a five-position transfer case instead of the standard four position. Both will have the traditional 2wd, 4hi, neutral and 4lo, but the upgraded transfer case will offer a 4auto mode that will automatically shift power between front and rear axles when slippage is detected. This feature should be a big boost when driving in either rainy or snowy conditions.
FCA has also given owners on all editions two USB ports on the back of the center console, as well as a power invertor that can power things like cell phones, electronic games and other low power devices that require 150 watts or lower. Anything requiring higher wattage will not work as the invertor automatically shuts off above 150 watts.
5. UConnect Infotainment
Sticking with the digital theme, FCA’s new UConnect 4 Infotainment System will come in 5-, 7-, or 8.4- inch screen sizes which all have the traditional fare of options like radio, phone, navigation and climate control. All are touch screen and are interactive with either Apply Car Play or Android Auto. Upper end selections include automatic collision notification, SOS emergency calling, stolen vehicle location service, and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot. Using the Uconnect smartphone app, owners can remotely start the vehicle, operate the horn and lights, locate the vehicle, send a destination to the navigation system, and more.
6. Off Road Pages
Hand-in-hand with the UConnect system is a new piece of technology that the off roaders out there will love. FCA calls it ‘Off-Road Pages’ and it is a display option that monitors many features while off pavement through three selectable pages – drivetrain, pitch and roll, and accessory gauges.
The Drivetrain page displays vehicle steering angle in degrees which can be helpful for tire placement, as well as transfer case, sway bar and rear axle status. Pitch and Roll shows off the JL’s current pitch (up and down angle) and roll (side to side) in degrees. This is a helpful tool for providing a visualization of the current vehicle angle. The accessory gauges page displays Coolant Temperature, Oil Temperature, Oil Pressure, Transmission Temperature, and Battery Voltage.
In addition, the Off Road Status Bar is static on every page and provides continually updating information for the current transfer case status, Latitude/Longitude, Altitude and Hill Descent/Selec-Speed Control and selected speed in MPH.
7. Ease of Entry
For 2018, JL Wrangler owners will no longer need a key to operate their vehicle, as Jeep has changed to a keyless fob and push button start. On the base version, owners can open and close their doors with buttons on the fob like previous editions, however there is also an available passive keyless ‘entry and go’ option that will not need the buttons pressed on the fob. With this method, the vehicle’s front, rear and tailgate doors can be opened simply by pressing a sensor on the handle as long as that key fob is within five feet. In addition, the key fob is shaped like a Gerry Can which is a nice nod to the off road history of the vehicle.
8. Engine Options
While the JL will only debut with an upgraded 3.6L Pentastar powerplant, FCA does plan to have two other engine options within the next year – a 2.0L Hurricane that will offer belt alternator starter (mild hybrid) technology, and a 3.0L turbo diesel. These options give potential owners a customizability level not seen in over a decade as the JK stock engine was always a one size fits all.
Both the Pentastar and Turbo diesel will include Engine Start/Stop technology which, incidentally, can be disabled, but will re-engage following the next engine start. It will also disable during 4lo so off-roaders do not have to worry about any potential loss of power issues. For the 2.0L, FCA says in the manual that 91 octane is needed for optimal performance, while the 3.6L can use 87 octane.
According to the current FCA production schedule, all initial JL Wranglers rolling off the line will include the 3.6L engine until February 12, when the 2.0L becomes available. The 3.0L Turbo diesel is set for an August 6 debut.
Jeep’s 2018 JL Wrangler just began its initial production run this week and will debut later next month at the 2018 LA Auto Show. The vehicle is expected on dealer lots around the middle of January.
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