2022 Jeep Wrangler Reviews, Pricing & Specs

When you go shopping for a new Jeep Wrangler, you must first decide if you want the classic two-door or the more practical four-door body style.

Then, depending on that selection, you decide if you want a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a gasoline-powered V6, a turbodiesel V6, a gas V8, or the Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain. The turbo-four and V6 engines come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, so your next decision might be whether you need to upgrade to the eight-speed automatic. Four-wheel drive (4WD) is standard, but depending on the trim level, there are multiple systems from which to choose.

Now it’s time to select a Wrangler model. This Jeep comes in four core trim levels: Sport, Sport S, Sahara, and Rubicon. Numerous special editions build from these versions of the Wrangler, some with fabric soft tops, some with black hardtops, some with body-colour hardtops, and some with an available Sky One-Touch Power-Top. Examples include the Willys and Willys Sport, Sahara High Altitude, and Wrangler Rubicon 392.

Last, you add options—and it can seem like everything is optional. So, while the 2022 Jeep Wrangler price range runs from just under $40,000 to north of $100,000, not including the destination charge, you can easily find yourself spending more.

Our test vehicle was the new High Tide model. This US-market special edition is not sold in Canada, but it’s based on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimted (four-door) Sport S trim and adds a few options, most of which are available in Canada: LED exterior lighting, a body-colour hardtop with a Sunrider Fliptop (a fabric section of roof over the front seats; the black and tan versions are available in Canada), a Gorilla Glass windshield upgrade, floor mats, and hood decals. Unfortunately, the Xtreme Recon package that adds capability to this model is not offered with this configuration in Canada.

Our Wrangler had a gasoline V6 engine with eTorque mild hybrid electrification, an automatic transmission, Selec-Trac full-time 4WD, extra-cost Hydro Blue paint, all-terrain tires, the Technology Group, the Convenience Group, the Cold Weather Group, the Trailer-Tow and Heavy-Duty Electrical Group, the Safety Group, and the Advanced Safety Group (see, we told you everything is extra). Equip a Wrangler Sport S as closely as you can match this in Canada, and you’re looking at an MSRP of $56,395. A destination charge, which varies from $1,895 to $2,595, is extra.

Jeep makes a few other changes to the 2022 Wrangler. Most amount to minor equipment modifications, but of particular note is a new air filtration system that Jeep says can eliminate 95% of particulates from the cabin, which seems hilarious to us given the Wrangler’s removable roof and doors. Also, Rubicons with a V6 engine now have a standard 4.88 axle ratio supplying a 100:1 crawl ratio right from the factory floor. Silver Zynith and High Velocity Yellow are new paint colours, and Gobi paint (a flat khaki tan) got a limited-production run.

The Hydro Blue paint sparkles brilliantly in direct sunlight. The Sunrider Fliptop replaces the individual removable roof panels over the front seats and looks a little odd whether it’s open or closed. But it sure makes life easier when you want to open the Jeep up a little bit while you’re sitting at a traffic light. Also, with this solution, you need not worry about storing the panels, dropping and damaging them, or scratching them, etc.

Though our test model closed in on $60,000, the Wranger Sport S interior is pretty basic. That’s fine with us because nobody should expect an SUV designed for top-off, doors-off, windshield-down driving under a variety of conditions to be plush inside (or free of airborne particulates, for that matter). The Wrangler is even equipped with floor drain plugs so that you can hose the interior out. Still, when you’re spending this kind of coin, you might look around the interior and wonder where the money is going, aside from paying for rubber mats.

Our Wrangler had a 3.6-litre V6 engine with eTorque mild-hybrid electrification that adds a little bit of extra electric-motor muscle when accelerating from a stop, plus a 48-volt electrical system that can enhance overall fuel economy. The engine makes power specs of 285 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm.

Our test vehicle also had an eight-speed automatic transmission and the optional Selec-Trac full-time 4WD system, which is great for areas where foul weather regularly makes roads slippery.

According to Natural Resources Canada, a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the eTorque V6 should consume 11.2 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. We averaged 13.4 L/100 km on the evaluation route running the Jeep in rear-wheel drive (RWD) except for an off-roading excursion. Over the course of a week and 700 kilometres of driving, the Wrangler averaged 14.0 L/100 km. However, our tester came with equipment that wasn’t accounted for in NRCan’s evaluations.

If you’re thinking about becoming a first-time Wrangler owner, get used to stopping at the gas station on a frequent basis. Also, don’t complain about how loud it is inside the cabin, how sloppy and vague the steering is, how awful the ride is, how touchy the brakes are, how unstable it can feel, how it can’t go around a corner without squealing or spinning the tires, or how you must yell at your passengers in order to be heard. These are all well-known Jeep Wrangler traits, and believe it or not, these are the reasons people love this off-roader.

You see, driving a Jeep Wrangler is a singularly unique and immersive experience that enlivens every one of your senses. A good way to experience the Wrangler is with the top open and the windows down, but if you can take the time to remove the top and doors, it will be better. You hear and smell everything around you, you sense the sun on your skin and temperature changes in the shadows, and you feel every bump, hole, and wrinkle in the road while constantly making minor steering corrections. You might even taste the outside air, such as when driving along a coastline where heavy surf is raging.

Driving a Wrangler is the opposite of calming. Until, of course, you reach that spot far from civilization, shut the engine off, and revel in the silence and solitude. Indeed, a Jeep Wrangler is about relieving the stress of the daily grind, escaping to your happy place, and feeling free of responsibility, if only for a little while.

At the same time, the Wrangler’s unique character and capabilities heighten your awareness and encourage you to explore, adding a sense of excitement with an undercurrent of concern. Emotionally speaking, few vehicles can spark as wide a range of human responses as this Jeep does, from joy and delight to irritation, aggravation, and sometimes even anger.

Our love affair with open-top Jeeps dates to the mid-1980s, so we know to expect a rough-and-tumble driving experience and a seemingly unquenchable thirst for fuel. You might want a Wrangler for the image, not understanding the compromises you’ll need to make regarding comfort, convenience, and overall refinement. A Ford Bronco is better at those things but is still on the raw and rugged side. If none of this sounds good, maybe what you really need is a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Getting into and out of a Jeep Wrangler is tough no matter what, but a raised suspension with added ground clearance makes it even more difficult. Shorter, less-limber people will not be happy, especially if the outside of the Jeep is dirty because it will deposit whatever is on the paint onto their clothing as they struggle to embark or disembark.

A manual height adjuster allows you to raise the driver’s seat. However, the lever is located on the left side of the bottom cushion, and as you climb in and slide out over the lever, the seat lowers itself, requiring regular re-adjustment.

The 2022 Wrangler’s seats are comfortable, and the cloth upholstery looks and feels durable. Plastic and rubber are the dominant interior materials, but Jeep does supply some soft, padded spots for arms and elbows. The driving position is close to the steering wheel, dashboard, and windshield and can take some acclimation time. This, like so many characteristics of the Wrangler, contributes to making a drive in the Jeep so memorable and unlike any other vehicle.

Depending on where you’re looking, visibility is excellent or compromised. Some intersections with overhead traffic lights require you to lean forward and look up unless the roof is open. The spare tire blocks part of the view to the rear, but the reversing camera helps and the Safety Group includes both a rear cross-traffic alert system and rear parking sensors. Looking down at the ground on the left side of the Wrangler is easy, helping when you’re navigating tight drive-throughs and challenging trails. Jeep also offers a forward-view camera on some Wranglers.

Rear-seat passengers experience the same entry and exit difficulties as the people in front, compounded by the intrusive rear wheel wells and narrower door openings. Once they’re aboard, however, two adults will find agreeable accommodations with a good view out. There are air conditioning vents, cupholders, and large grab handles for the second row, but the speakers embedded into the Wrangler’s overhead roll bar are essentially right in their faces.

Storage is a mixed bag. Netting on the lower door panels is useful for some items but not others. There is a small tray on top of the dashboard, but you won’t want to put anything there that can’t take solar heating. A small but deep centre console box and a narrow but deep glove compartment are available, but overall there aren’t many places to put things.

To load cargo, you must swing the tailgate from left to right. Be careful when opening it on hills and when parallel parked. Once the tailgate is open, you can flip the rear window up to reveal 898 litres of cargo space behind the Wrangler Unlimited’s rear seat. Fold the rear seat down, and a Wrangler Unlimited can carry 2,050 litres of cargo.

Because our tester is based on Sport S trim and did not have the optional Uconnect infotainment system with a larger 8.4-inch touchscreen (shown here), it had relatively basic infotainment technology.

Nevertheless, the 7-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto provided all that we really needed. The larger Uconnect 8.4 infotainment system from a shared parts bin with Chrysler, Dodge, and Ram does offer upgrades such as satellite radio, connected services including a WiFi hotspot, and a navigation system, and Jeep bundles it with an Alpine premium audio system. However, by streaming Pandora and running Apple CarPlay for navigation and access to Apple Music, we didn’t feel like we were missing out on much. Wind noise can affect Siri’s effectiveness, though.

Our Wrangler wasn’t totally devoid of tech. Fitted options included remote engine starting, satellite radio, a passive keyless entry system, and single-zone automatic climate control with the new air filtration system. The Cold Weather Group equipped our test vehicle with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, which can extend the open-air driving season a little bit.

In addition to convenience features, our Wrangler included both the Safety Group and the Advanced Safety Group. The Safety Group adds blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors for a Wrangler. The Advanced Safety Group adds adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high-beam headlights.

Considering the Wrangler’s small side mirrors and tall centre of gravity, the Safety Group is a worthy upgrade. It also makes reversing easier, especially with a spare wheel hanging on the tailgate. The Advanced Safety Group is more of a nice-to-have upgrade, though adaptive cruise control is appealing because the Wrangler is tiring to drive long distances.

When it comes to crash-test ratings, the Wrangler fails to meet the expectations for a modern SUV. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does not publish a full set of results but does give the 2022 Wrangler a mediocre three-star rating for rollover resistance.

The Jeep proves tippy in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) testing, where it rolls onto its right side in the left front small overlap crash-test evaluation, in which it earns a Marginal rating for protection. Furthermore, in a new, more stringent side-impact test, the Wrangler gets an additional Marginal rating. Headlight performance rates Poor for the standard headlamps and Marginal for the LED upgrades.

So then, safety is not a good reason to choose the 2022 Jeep Wrangler. The safety features are optional rather than standard, and ratings from the NHTSA and IIHS suggest that a Wrangler must be driven with extra care.

If you’re searching for a convertible that can comfortably carry four or five people and their luggage at the same time, and can cross terrain that few vehicles would dare to tackle, then a 2022 Jeep Wrangler is a cost-effective solution to your transportation needs. It helps that the only alternative new vehicle that can do the same things is the Ford Bronco. Open the sunroof and lower all of the windows (including the rear power window), and a Toyota 4Runner comes close.

If you don’t care about driving with the top open, and the only four-wheeling you ever do is when a blizzard strikes, then a Jeep Wrangler is not cost-effective. Buy one for the image alone, and it will cost you in terms of gas, safety, comfort, and convenience.

Don’t misunderstand. We love the Jeep Wrangler as much for its imperfections as its capabilities, and despite its tendency to reduce some kinds of stress while inducing others. Something this raw and rugged comes with a long list of compromises, and your satisfaction in owning a Jeep Wrangler is entirely dependent on your acceptance of these downsides.

We’ll sum it up like this: Driving a Wrangler is akin to playing in high surf at high tide. It’s fun but exhausting, with elements of danger and surprise, and you’ll never be bored.

Note: Images show a US model.