‘Hypergreen’ Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: Four Doors & a Lambo Color

The bold color speaks to the kind of impact the four-door Jeep has had since its debut in 2006.

If you frequent JK-Forum, you’ve probably come across one of my posts here talking about some of the amazing experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have behind the wheel of JK-based Wranglers.

A few have been road trips in my own personal two-door 2009 JK. However, most have been on some adventurous Jeep-sponsored outings that I’ve attended as an auto journalist. This includes my recent trip to Moab, Utah, for the Easter Jeep Safari to drive concepts like the high-tech Jeep Safari Concept.

Years ago, who would’ve imagined
that you’d be able to buy a production Wrangler
painted in a color as wild as this one?

That said, trying to nail down my most memorable time in the current-gen Wrangler is akin to telling a Nirvana fan to name their top Kurt Cobain song. Regardless of how many times you play back your favorite tracks by the late rock artist, trying to pick between “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come as You Are” never gets easy. Yet, I never would’ve guessed one of my most memorable test drives in a JK would come from cruising through Southern California in a four-door Wrangler painted a color you’d typically expect to find on a Lamborghini.

Years ago, who would’ve imagined that you’d be able to buy a production Wrangler painted in a color as wild as this one? Called “Hypergreen,” it’s about as far from the traditional finishes we’ve come to expect from Jeep. A fairly rare sighting on the road, the fluorescent-like paint scheme made its official debut in the 2016 Wrangler model year lineup. During my test drive, few people asked if I’d had the Jeep custom-painted.

As wild as that Hypergreen is, the thing that I found myself reflecting most upon during this last test drive is how popular the four-door Wrangler has become since launching in 2006. Personally, I was a little skeptical of whether it would actually catch on. In fact, I really didn’t care much for the Jeep at the time.

That seems pretty crazy now. But consider this: For nearly 66 years prior to the Wrangler Unlimited’s launch, the entire appeal of Jeep had been tied to two-door models. Sure, there’ve been a number of four-door Jeeps in the lineup through the years. But the models inspired by the first Willys, often referred to as the “original Jeep,” had always been only offered in two doors. In fact, I’ve heard it even took some convincing to sell the idea of a four-door Wrangler to some on the Jeep team when the Unlimited was first pitched.

The JKU accounts for nearly 80 percent of all new Wrangler sales.

Now, a little over a decade later, the four-door Jeep accounts for nearly 80 percent of all new Wrangler sales. Looking back, it’s pretty clear that the Wrangler Unlimited was as inevitable as it was groundbreaking, considering that one of the primary complaints about the Wrangler had been that it wasn’t all that practical.

That said, my recent test drive of this 2017 Hypergreen Unlimited is a glaring example (literally) of exactly how far the Wrangler has evolved over the past decade in that area, too, well beyond the addition of two more doors. Take, for example, some of the premium in-car features now offered in the Wranglers like Uconnect’s voice command system; something that most probably never would have even imagined being an option in a Jeep some ten years ago.

However, the Unlimited, which adds 88.4 cubic-feet of extra interior room in the Wrangler over the two-door model, speaks to how the Wrangler Unlimited impacted the Jeep nameplate since its debut.

In fact, mostly all of Wrangler’s growth over the past decade has been rooted in the Unlimited model. “Since its introduction for the 2007 model year, customers have received the Wrangler 4-door very well, and it continues to be popular today,” Wrangler’s Brand Manager, Shannon Bode, tells JK-Forum.

The thing I’ve learned, however, after having a chance to test-drive both Jeeps off-road is that the two-door JK’s body makes the variant a lot nimbler when trying to navigate tight spots on the trail.

On the road, the two JKs drive about the same, but you can understand why the two-door Wrangler might appeal more to a die-hard Jeep fan who spends a lot of time on the trail.

Still, for the average consumer in the SUV market, the Unlimited makes for a much better buy even with a base price of $27,895 (plus $1,095 destination). That compares with a starting price of $23,995 (plus $1,095 destination) for the two-door JK. The extra four grand is well-spent on the Unlimited’s extra comfort and convenience. However, I found it odd that my Hypergreen test model, priced at $46,330 with all the options, didn’t come equipped with a rear backup camera.

Then again, that could just be my own personal issue that comes with the challenge of trying to park a full-size SUV in Hollywood on a weekend, especially when it’s a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon painted in a color as wild as this one, which makes it practically impossible to do anything without drawing a lot of attention.