2023 Jeep Wrangler Sport and Gladiator Sport Still Have Crank Windows
If you’re dead set on your new vehicle having manual windows, then a Jeep may be your only option.
It's getting tougher by the model year to find new vehicles with manual windows. Full-size pickups like the Chevrolet Silverado were some of the last holdouts, but most of those come with switches instead of hand cranks these days—and you're not likely to see any crank windows on dealers' lots. Fortunately, the most basic 2023 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator trims allow you to roll down the glass yourself if you're really against electronics.
A quick trip over to Jeep's configurator shows that Wranglers and Gladiators in the Sport and Willys Sport trims still offer manual windows as standard. That's it, though—don't think you'll get the off-road goodies of a Rubicon with the simplicity of hand cranks. I doubt this is a huge concern for most folks because let's be real: Who's basing their purchase on this? A manual transmission, I can understand. But this? Nah.
Still, it's nice knowing Jeep gives you the option to spec a bare-bones off-roader with the utilitarian ethos its 4x4s always had. To the curmudgeon's credit, it's one less thing to go wrong. At least you know you'll be able to escape through the window if a creek crossing goes awry.
While a base Wrangler or Gladiator is a good deal cheaper than the high-trimmed four-wheelers we're used to seeing, I'd still think twice about plunging a roughly $35,000 purchase into the water. Plus, if you go deep enough that your window switches stop working, you probably should've abandoned ship long ago. You've also got to worry about other electronics frying at that point, not to mention the engine flooding. What's the point of this again? Ah, the novelty of simplicity.
A hasty search for other new models with manual windows turned up nothing we're likely to see any time soon. The 2023 Ford Bronco, which is the closest rig out there to a Wrangler, features power windows as standard on every model. Even the most basic Nissan Versa with an MSRP of less than $17,000 uses switches. The only one we could find? A work-spec Ford F-150 XL Regular or SuperCab is still equipped with manual windows, but those trucks are few and far between outside of fleet buyers.
And before any of you guys bring up the ancient Toyota Tacoma, it doesn't have crank windows either. I checked!
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