Here’s What the All-New Interior Looks Like in the 2018 Jeep Wrangler
Modern and mudproof – a winning combination.
Fiat-Chrysler continues their slow striptease of the new 2018 Jeep Wrangler this week with a pair of interior pictures that show the updated dashboard, infotainment unit, and center console that will greet buyers when the model goes on sale early next year. No surprise, it's a bit nicer than the outgoing version—and hopefully, just as rugged.
The current Wrangler's interior (see below) is functional enough, but like anything designed by Fiat-Chrysler in the immediate post-recession era, its two defining characteristics are "black plastic" and "bulbous forms." The 2018 Jeep Wrangler takes a cleaner, almost retro-modern approach. The gauge cluster, eight-inch Uconnect touchscreen, and four HVAC vents are in an even line along the top the dash, with the gauges and vents surrounded by a body color-matched piece of trim that looks like metal but definitely isn't. The whole dashboard also has a flatter profile, which enhances the old-school vibe.
Below the infotainment unit, the entire center stack has been completely redesigned. In the old model, the power window switches (remember, removable doors) and two HVAC vents were situated just under the touchscreen. For 2018, a more robust automatic climate control setup has taken that spot, along with an integrated volume knob for the touchscreen and buttons for the traction control, heated seats, and heated steering wheel.
Just under those controls are the window switches, along with a power outlet and a flap labeled "Media" that's hopefully hiding some extra USB ports. But it's at the very bottom of the stack where things really get interesting. For 2018, Jeep turned the somewhat-inelegant single differential lock button into an intuitive front/rear toggle switch and relocated it to just above the transfer case shifter. The sway bar disconnect button is also in the center stack now, along with four auxiliary buttons to smoothly run a smorgasbord of off-road accessories.
Obviously, the true test for this interior will come when it rolls out of showrooms and out into the rough-and-tumble world. But purely from a visual standpoint, this looks to be leaps and bounds ahead of the outgoing model. We'll see for ourselves in person when the 2018 Jeep Wrangler is formally unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 29.
