Why the Willys Wheeler Is More Than Just a Sticker Package
When I learned that I was going to receive a 2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Wheeler for a week long media loan, I immediately read Derek Shiekhi’s review of the same vehicle. And while perusing the comments on the forum, one common thread appeared. Many of you think the Willys Wheeler package is just a $6,100 sticker package. That seems pretty harsh so I decided to dig a little bit deeper. In the end, the Willys Wheeler package provides worthwhile upgrades over the Sport, if you’re looking for a few options.
According to the folks at Jeep, 75% of Wrangler drivers off-road their vehicles. That means 25% of purchasers aren’t using any of the capability or potential of their Jeep. It also stands to reason that many of those 75% are just casual off-roaders. They may not know about the aftermarket, or don’t want to deal with it. There are legitimate reasons not to go aftermarket.
The Willys Wheeler is based on the regular Sport. The Willys Wheeler has 17″ wheels, and off-road tires. It has a Trac-Loc rear axle. It has the 3.73 axles as standard. It also has rock rails.
Additional creature comforts and niceties include the all weather floor mats, tinted windows, air conditioning, satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity.
To purchase a Wrangler Sport with as many of those upgrades as possible (not all of the Willys Wheeler features are available as options on the Sport) and a 5-speed automatic transmission carries a MSRP of $29,015. The Willys Wheeler with the automatic transmission is $29,240.
It should be noted that the Jeep website doesn’t list air conditioning as standard on the Willys Wheeler, but the window sticker on our loaner has it listed as standard with the package, and the car definitely had air conditioning.
So for $225 more than a comparably equipped Wrangler Sport, you get the Willys Wheeler with the Track-Loc and some stickers. That really doesn’t seem like a bad deal to me. Not at all.
Some of you will say that you don’t need the creature comforts like Bluetooth or satellite radio. Enthusiasts are definitely in the minority with any vehicle, and I’d reckon that many people wouldn’t want to purchase a vehicle without those technologies.
This special edition Jeep should also help with the already fantastic resale cost if you sell it down the line. A friend of mine on Twitter suggested that a Willys Wheeler in green wouldn’t depreciate at all. As hot as the Jeep brand is right now, I wouldn’t find that surprising.
A new Wrangler is coming in 2018, and hopefully that fixes some of the issues I had with my media loan. Even though people don’t buy Jeeps for fuel economy, the 18-19 mpg average really is a bit low for a modern vehicle. While the shape of the vehicle can be blamed, it’s really the 5-speed automatic that lets it down.
An 8-speed automatic and the EcoDiesel would be fantastic in this vehicle.
Also, a modern-day FCA product will include the latest version of Uconnect. Even though you might not care about that, lots of buyers do. Let’s face it, the more people buying Jeeps means Jeep has more money to build the Jeeps we want. That’s a win for everyone!
Feel free to sound off with your thoughts over in the forums!
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