Visual History of the Jeep Wrangler, from 1986 to Present (2024)

As this photo aptly demonstrates, the original Willys played a key role in World War II. That's General Dwight D. Eisenhower, future President of the United States, sitting in the Jeep’s passenger seat at the Italian front in 1944. You cannot begin to discuss the Wrangler—or the Jeep brand, for that matter—without first outlining the original Willys Jeep, the foundation upon which the entire Jeep world was built. Arriving 46 years before the Wrangler, the Willys laid the groundwork for both the future Jeep 4x4 and the Jeep brand overall as a symbol of American ingenuity, manufacturing might, and as the plucky and endearing little vehicle that helped the good guys win World War II.

After the war, Willys trademarked the Jeep name and reconfigured the vehicle for civilian use. These early Jeeps begin the CJ (“Civilian Jeep”) line of 4x4s and initially were sold as alternatives to tractors, complete with a variety of power-take-off accessories, plows, even onboard welders.

The CJ line kicked off in 1945 with the CJ-2A, eventually evolving in size and comfort until the CJ-7 and longer-wheelbase CJ-8 are the final two variants in 1985. Initially powered by the same 60-hp “Go-Devil” four-cylinder engine as the wartime MB, the CJ line eventually would come to adopt six- and even eight-cylinder engine options. Fans of obscure factoids take note: The CJ-2A marks the first appearance of Jeep’s iconic seven-slot grille. (The military Jeep featured nine grille slots.)

Later CJ iterations included the CJ-3A, the CJ-5 (introduced in 1954), the longer-wheelbase CJ-6 (introduced in 1955), and the CJ-7 (introduced in 1976). Technically, a single CJ-4 was built, but it generally isn’t included in the CJ lineage. In 1981, Jeep launched the long-wheelbase (yet still two-door) CJ-8 Scrambler, a small pickup based on the CJ. The somewhat awkward CJ-6, pictured here, neatly previewed the two-door Wrangler Unlimited sold between 2004 and 2006.

Throughout the CJ’s nearly 40-year production run (which included Willys’ sale to Kaiser and, later, American Motors Corporation), Jeep’s image hardened as a purveyor of tough, capable off-roaders. This image became far more popular in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, as Americans smitten by 4x4s begin adopting them as everyday vehicles. It is the CJ’s success, and the fondness of Jeep customers toward it, that put great pressure on the team tasked with designing the first Wrangler.

AMC’s lighter, better-driving replacement for the aging CJ becomes the Wrangler, code-named YJ. It used carryover engines from the CJ, some borrowed bits from the Cherokee and from AMC partner Renault’s parts bin. The Dana axles came from the CJ but were leaf-sprung as opposed to coil-sprung, as they are on the Cherokee. It was unmistakably a Jeep, with its open bodywork and seven-slat grille, but the square headlights proved less endearing than previous Jeeps’ round peepers—as even Jeep acknowledges. On the history page of the brand’s website, it says: “The Wrangler YJ had square headlights, which was a first (and last) for this type of Jeep vehicle.” Ouch.

The Wrangler name was simply one of several on an internal list sent around to Jeep’s marketing, design, and executive staff for consideration. It was the most popular by far. Before officially affixing the Wrangler name to its new four-by-four, Jeep first gets an OK from Goodyear—which sells a line of Wrangler all-terrain tires—to use the Wrangler name. But nobody at Jeep thought to ask Wrangler jeans for the same permission, bringing on a lawsuit that would last several years but curiously didn’t stop the Wrangler’s launch and use of the name. (The lawsuit would be dropped after a later owner of Wrangler jeans found it frivolous.) The Wrangler came to market in the summer of 1986 as a 1987 model riding on—you guessed it—Goodyear Wrangler tires. Buyers could choose from a base model, mid-level Laredo, or top-spec Sahara, with either a 117-hp fuel-injected 2.5-liter four-cylinder or a 114-hp carbureted 4.2-liter inline-six. The six was down on horsepower compared to the four, but it produced 210 lb-ft of torque to the smaller engine’s 135 lb-ft. The suspension and body improvements made it a much better over-the-road partner without sacrificing off-road capability, but we found it’s still a pretty rough ride in our 1990 review of a Sahara model.

Its car division long on the ropes and deep in debt, the American Motors Corporation was bought by Chrysler for $1.5 billion months after the Wrangler went on sale. Chrysler’s purchase, in essence, soaked up Renault’s 46 percent stake in AMC and netted the U.S. automaker—then just a few years out of its first bankruptcy—Jeep, the crown jewel in the excrement heap that AMC and Renault’s U.S. lineup had become. Around the same time, Jeep transfered Wrangler production from Brampton, Ontario, to Toledo, after clearing out the old CJ tooling.

For the 1991 model year, Jeep traded the Wrangler’s AMC-sourced 4.2-liter inline-six for a different AMC-sourced inline-six, a fuel-injected 4.0-liter. Output jumped to 180 horsepower and torque rose to 220 lb-ft. The same year, Jeep also revealed the Wrangler Renegade, a curious aside in Wrangler history. It came with body-color fender extensions and special faired-in bodywork to wrap around 9.5-inch-wide Goodyear Wrangler tires in an effort to appear sporty. The Renegade would last until 1994, fading out one year after Jeep killed the Islander.

Catching up with the times, almost, Jeep first offered anti-lock brakes to Wrangler customers in 1993.

One year after its anti-lock brake revelation, Jeep introduced another Wrangler first: an optional automatic transmission on four-cylinder models. It was still the same ancient Chrysler three-speed unit carried over from the CJ, but hey, it counts. (Six-cylinder Wranglers had been available with automatic transmissions from the get-go.)

Production of the Wrangler continued in earnest even as the YJ model was set to be replaced by the newer TJ in 1996. There was no ’96 Wrangler, technically, but Jeep continued to build and produce the YJ through that year. A Rio Grande trim package was introduced for ’95, and was available only on base Wrangler S models.

The second-generation Wrangler arrived with two key advancements: a return to Jeep-appropriate round headlights and the adoption of the XJ Cherokee’s coil-spring suspension. Every body panel save for the doors and tailgate was new, and the body itself enjoyed a 100-percent increase in torsional stiffness. The frame, too, was 15 percent stiffer, for an overall increase of about 33 percent. Switching to coil springs not only enhanced the Wrangler’s ride quality, but it netted the off-roader a massive seven-inch increase in suspension articulation for both its front and rear solid axles. The YJ’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder and optional 4.0-liter inline-six engines carried over.

Jeep’s $280-million redesign focused on expanding the Wrangler’s appeal with greater on-road comfort, as well as more options. A pair of airbags came packed into the steering wheel and dashboard, and the drag coefficient was lowered from—believe it or not—the softtop YJ’s 0.65 to 0.58 on the softtop TJ. (For comparison, the new Toyota Prius cuts through the air with a 0.27 drag coefficient.) Although slightly more modern in appearance, the TJ retained manual steering on the base SE model—the Sport and Sahara variants had standard power steering—and the optional automatic transmission remained a three-speed.

The TJ Wrangler soldiered on through 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 with almost no changes of note. Finally in 2003, Jeep added a gear to the Wrangler’s optional automatic transmission, dragging the gearbox into the 21st century. That same year, the 2.5-liter AMC four-cylinder engine was dropped in favor of Chrysler’s more modern 2.4-liter four.

Of far greater note in 2003, Jeep introduced the Wrangler Rubicon, a new trim level geared toward hard-core off-roaders. The Rubicon came standard with locking front and rear differentials, a 4:1 low-range gear ratio, four-wheel disc brakes, and 31-inch all-terrain tires.

Those who fondly remember Jeep’s CJ-8 Scrambler surely would be taken by the similarly shaped 2004 Wrangler Unlimited. With a wheelbase 10 inches longer than the regular TJ Wrangler’s, the Unlimited (code-named TJ-L) wore the same sheetmetal from the B-pillar forward, but a longer aft section housed a roomier back seat and a bigger cargo area. In fact, rear-seat legroom increased by less than two inches, while the cargo area was 13 inches longer. Additional sound deadening and the longer wheelbase help imbue the Unlimited with slightly more refinement (barely, as we found in our review) and upped its tow rating to 3500 pounds from just 2000. The 190-hp 4.0-liter inline-six was standard along with a four-speed automatic transmission; a six-speed manual would be offered in 2005.

Late in 2004, in what Jeep referred to as the “2004.5” model year, the TJ-L added the Rubicon trim level.

The third-generation Wrangler, the JK, arrived. Compared with its TJ predecessor, the two-door JK measured 5.4 inches wider and its wheelbase increased by two inches, although overall length was clipped by three inches. For the first time, a four-door Wrangler was offered, using the same Unlimited moniker applied to the long-wheelbase TJ, and it’s certifiably big. At its launch, we described the JK’s size increase as being the result of “ever-stricter standards for safety, emissions, and economy.” In hindsight, the Jeep’s size increase also appears to have been guided by the popularity of ever-more-gigantic SUVs in the mid-2000s. (Remember, the vehicle’s gestation took place during a time when Hummer seemed like a viable brand.) The JK was released mere months before gas prices skyrocketed—and about a year before the U.S. economy crashed. Nonetheless, the bigger Jeep proves every bit as popular as the TJ it replaced, even with its standard (and thirsty) six-cylinder engine.