Looks to me that they have a slanted back hardtop on that test mule, the rocker panels look to be larger (wider body?) but the mirrors appear to be carry overs, not larger and that front bumper looks like it could be the same offensively obtrusive european one which to me would be the first mod done.




European version pictured

 

i hope the hoods are interchangable with the current gen models i want a lighter alum hood : )

 

The current hood is like 20 lbs. you driving a race car??

 

the stock hood is more about 35 lbs and if i can drop 15 lbs if unessary weight why not. an alum 10th edition hood would be pretty sweet.

 

Are you looking to drop weight in other places as well? If not then 15 lbs makes 0 difference. Now if you want it just for looks well then by all means. Lol.

 

IDK the weight of the steel hood but an aluminum hood could/would be well under 20lb. Probably in the range of 10-15lb. My Miata hood, which is a larger piece of material to begin with, was only 11 lb including the latch.

But yeah, seriously, on a ~3800-4000 lb vehicle that most "enthusiast" owners will happily add hundreds of lb of extra cosmetic or dubiously functional crud in the way of huge tires, heavy wheels, winch, bumpers, etc., knocking 20 lb off of the hood weight seems pretty ridiculous. If you replaced the entire galvanized steel body with aluminum alloy you might reduce the vehicle weight by 200lb, which is meaningful but not a game changer. Now, an aluminum 2.0L 4-cylinder engine would knock probably another 100lb off, and presumably they would engineer out some other excessive weight elsewhere, maybe you can get a whole vehicle that's 10% lighter at the end of the day. That's meaningful, mostly in that it may improve fuel economy, if only marginally. They need all the help they can get.

For me aluminum body in a Jeep is important for corrosion resistance more than weight.

Weight reduction is always a good thing and every lb counts. It counts most where it rotates, and more where it is furthest from the center of gravity of the vehicle. The hood is not the most important place to reduce weight, and neither is the tub. Wheels, tires and bumpers are unfortunately much better places to reduce weight and exactly where Jeep owners seem content to add weight. So it's hard to take weight reduction seriously when it comes to Jeeps.

 

I think this test mule is "fake" to throw everyone off the true new Wrangler. Looking at the frame rails, there's nothing different. The next frame is said to be hydro-formed to increase strength and reduce weight.

And I really think the next Wrangler is going smaller. Not by much, maybe between its current size and the TJ. This cuts weight, allows lighter drivetrain and suspension and reduces frame flex: makes it more efficient to get better mpg.

 

I will totally trade my 2015 JKU in and get a new one if they come out with a legitimately smaller Wrangler. TJ size would be an improvement. CJ size would be perfect. Any change will be an worthwhile. Aside from my general grumbling about quality and that sort of thing, the size and heft of the JK is really my only serious complaint.

 

Yeah the steel miata hood vs that alum version is rediclous. the alum version is maybe half the weight.

 

i didnt see it here in this thread but maybe i missed somthing.
to be honest , if this is the new models of 2018 . Im keeping my 12
for a long while. It just dosent interest me having some of the features displayed in this video.
Like electronics and aluminum parts. No drop down window and slanted, not that i drop mine ever . but its iconic if nothing else . And a lot of what i see here if true, would make me glad i have the old 3.6 manual at this point . Also i dont think panels on a soft top is a great idea . Im sure theres a lot of you that want fancy stuff but i like things rather less complicated and more basic . The less electronic the less things might go into fault mode is my feeling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nE-YtE6K7s