The Ford Bronco is finally making its way to dealerships and it appears Jeep will be fighting back with a hardcore Wrangler.
Details are limited, but the brand released a teaser image on social media showing a sign of a Jeep with massive tires and an arrow pointing to the rear end indicating it has 40.4 of ‘something.’
That’s pretty vague, but the arrow presumably refers to a departure angle of 40.4°. While nothing is official, it’s plausible when you consider the Wrangler Rubicon already has a departure angle of 37°.
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There’s no word on how the gain would be achieved, but it’s not hard to imagine Jeep engineers coming up with something to rival the Bronco’s Sasquatch package. It includes a “high clearance” suspension, unique fender flares, electronic-locking differentials and 35-inch mud-terrain tires.
If that’s the case, the hardcore Wrangler would likely follow that formula by adopting a lifted suspension and larger tires as indicated by the teaser. This doesn’t seem like much of a reach as Jeep Performance Parts already offers lifted suspensions for the Gladiator and Wrangler.
It’s also worth mentioning Stellantis has been working on a vehicle customization facility near the Toledo assembly plant that builds the Gladiator and Wrangler. The company has been tight-lipped about it, but a hardcore Wrangler would certainly be one way to help introduce it.
Of course, only time will tell and Jeep is simply saying the teaser is a “sign of things to come.”