Karl Brauer, executive analyst for iSeeCars.com, said the Wrangler went a couple decades without a direct competitor when the previous-generation Bronco was discontinued in 1996. Brauer said the new Bronco is a capable off-roader “that absolutely gives people who are considering a Wrangler an alternative that’s very, very appealing.”
Brauer said there’s definitely potential for someone who planned to buy the ICE Wrangler in a CARB state to switch to its competitor.
“Stellantis would have had a lot more leverage and flexibility with how they want to dole out Wranglers and not potentially lose customers in a pre-Bronco world,” Brauer said. “But we are in a Bronco world now, and that makes it undeniably riskier to increase the difficulty in getting a specific Wrangler model that a customer might want.”
On the flip side, some wonder if consumers have gotten used to the idea of ordering vehicles in the COVID era. If that’s the case, customers may be more willing to wait for the conventional Wrangler, said Brian Moody, executive editor for Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.
Moody also believes the Wrangler 4xe variant, which boasts a torque and horsepower advantage over its counterpart, has enough selling points to stop consumers from joining the Bronco family.
“The way they implemented their plug-in hybrid 4xe system is really cool and authentic to the brand of Jeep,” Moody said. “Jeep has that eSave feature where you can basically bank the electricity. Then when you get to your destination, say you’re going fishing out in the middle of nowhere, then you can drive on all-electric mode once you get there. That’s pretty cool.”
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