Wrangler Unlimited Sahara Drives Home Deep Passion for Jeep
I always get bit nostalgic whenever I drive a Jeep in Toledo, Ohio — like this 2016 Sahara Wrangler — because of the personal ties I have to the city and the American nameplate.
In fact, that nostalgic feeling might have even a been a bit stronger than usual driving around Toledo in the Sahara, given its exterior color, Tank. It’s certainly reminiscent of some of those first Army Jeeps, as we embark on the 75th Anniversary of the brand.
As I’ve mentioned before here on JK Forum, I’m a native of Toledo and grew up near the old Willys Plant, dreaming of owning a Jeep as a kid before finally buying my first Wrangler in 2009. So with all the cars I’ve written about during my more than 15 years as a car journalist, I’ve always had a special connection to Jeep and I make no bones about it.
COMMENTARY
Over the years, a lot has changed for Jeep and my hometown. The grounds of Thomas A. DeVilbiss High School where I attended high school, located less than a mile from the site of the old Willys-Overland plant, now houses one of Ohio’s top technology academies. And the assembly of Wranglers now takes place a couple of miles North of the historic Overland site at the Toledo Assembly Plant, a high-tech facility that now also utilizes robots to help build the iconic Wranglers.
Even the old Overland site itself is revving up for a rebirth of new business enterprises in the shadows of one the last remaining Overland smokestacks. And yet through the years, much has remained the same when it comes to the Jeep Wrangler.
Sure, the idea of a four-door Wrangler like the Sahara 4X4 I test drove in Toledo was probably a concept at best when I attended high school. Let’s not forget, despite its popularity, the Unlimited, or four-door Wrangler, is only about eight-years-old. And I imagine it would have been hard to convince even the most die-hard of fans back then that Jeeps would one day feature amenities found in more premium vehicles, like the 40 GB Hard Drive with 28 GB availability, 6.5-Inch touchscreen display, and remote start system equipped in the Sahara.
Still, nearly 75 years after the first Wrangler rolled out, the Overland site maintains the very spirit that drove those early demands for the Jeep. You can see a bit of that past production in the CriticalPast video clip below.
Nothing probably speaks to that better than the recent sales number for the Wrangler, which posted its best annual U.S. sales ever in 2015.
Who exactly knows what the future of Jeep looks like in Toledo beyond the most recent contract deal that ensures the city will remain home to the Wrangler for a while. But there are also some lingering questions about the Wrangler as well. Without a doubt, the Jeep will remain the icon of the brand for decades to come. But will the new Jeep pickup be as a big of a hit as some expect when it arrives to market? And are the days of the soft-top Wrangler really numbered? There are also speculations on whether Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will one day find itself conceding to those plans discussed early last year to go with an aluminum body for Wrangler construction. And could models like the Sahara eventually be swapped out for some new, hipper trim level to appeal to new buyers?
I doubt that even top FCA execs can answer those questions with a great degree of certainty. The market is just too difficult to predict those kind of things, even for a nameplate as grounded as Jeep.
But one thing is for certain, be it all hard tops over soft tops or a shift to an all-aluminum body instead of metal, the very spirit that inspired me to want a Wrangler is sure to inspire many more to want one of the Jeeps for decades to come.
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