German Tuner Hofele’s ‘Urban Lifestyle’ Jeep Wrangler Package Is a Little Much
A Jeep Wrangler studies abroad…and comes back listening to Eurodance.
It's a sad fact of life that millions of Jeep Wranglers out there spend their lives pounding pavement, never to see so much as a dirt road. But German tuning company Hofele has decided to embrace that insanity with a new take on the outgoing JK-generation Wrangler dubbed the "Urban Lifestyle" package, and the result is sure to please...someone.
The idea was to create a Wrangler that "looks just as good in the desert as it does cruising the boulevards," according to the company, but we'll leave it to you to decide whether Hofele accomplished its mission. The once-humble truck now sports a custom front end with a high-clearance front bumper, a redesigned lighting scheme, and a shorter grille. There's also a new combination sun visor and light bar dubbed the "Roof Shield" stretching across the top of the windscreen.
From the back, the Jeep's rear fenders have been given a widebody treatment, while a quad exhaust pipe setup looks the business. Hofele is also offering an exhaust note enhancement tool called the Exhaust Sound Blaster System, which purports to make that Pentastar V6 sound like a screaming V8—perfect for annoying your urban lifestyle neighbors.
This Wrangler also rides higher than stock, thanks to a one-inch lift and a set of monstrous 22-inch rims. The model in the press pics is equipped with what are described as all-terrain tires (though that tread doesn't look very deep); tougher off-road tires are available.
Hofele is offering the option to make the Urban Lifestyle package even less suited for off-road expeditions by swapping out the drab-yet-functional interior for a set of fancy, Nappa leather bucket seats.
The whole thing kind of looks like a kid who went off to Europe to study abroad and came back with a taste for Davidoffs and Eurodance. There's a reason the Jeep Wrangler has basically looked the same for three decades—it's hard to improve on a classic.