2017 Rubicon Recon Debuts at KOH

If You’re Going to Make the Ultimate Rubicon JK, You Need to Debut It at the Ultimate One-Day Race.

Jeep is now the official vehicle of Ultra4. As such, they chose to debut the new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Recon model at the 2017 Nitto King of the Hammers, powered by OPTIMA.

We saw the PR photos, but how did it look in person? We headed to the California desert to find out.

While there, we found Dave Cole, owner of Ultra4, the sanctioning body of the King of the Hammers.

“It’s my first four-wheel drive Jeep,” admitted Cole, with regards to the Recon.

The Recon was Cole’s operations vehicle for the entire KOH event this year. He had many good things to say about it, too. If anyone knows Cole, they know he’s not one to mince words just to satisfy a sponsor. Mike Manley, Jeep Brand Head, would be proud to know that Dave liked it, though, considering the terrain Cole had to drive around in Johnson Valley, California.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About the Recon Edition

The Recon certainly has the looks to replace the Hard Rock model, which was phased out of production. The Recon improves the already-capable parts with better, upgradeable ones — like the new rock sliders designed to fit up to 35-inch diameter tires.

To better give us an idea on why the Recon was created, Scott Bloom of Jeep Wrangler Marketing spoke with us on camera in the video above. As a bonus, he also drops some hints on to how to create the ultimate King of the Hammers Jeep. (Basically, befriend a Jeep guy; that’s the best way to get it done. Put the bug in their ear, and let it grow.)

What do you all think of this new Recon Rubicon? Is it tough enough for the KOH?