2018 Jeep Wrangler to get full-time four-wheel-drive option

It appears the next-generation
Wrangler will take another small step to modernization and civility.
JL Wrangler Forums reports that the new Wrangler is showing up on dealer computers along with a variety of options. One of them is the inclusion of a full-time four-wheel-drive system called Selec-Trac. This means that it will be possible to simply leave the Wrangler in four-wheel drive all the time, without worrying about damaging it when pavement is dry, much like the all-wheel-drive systems on most modern crossovers.

This might concern Wrangler purists, but there are a couple of reasons not to fret. For one, although Jeep doesn’t have a Selec-Trac system on the market to compare to right now,
the old Selec-Trac system offered on the Jeep Liberty had a low-range for off-roading, so this one probably will, too. For another, only one kind of Wrangler will offer this feature, according to
JL Wrangler Forums. The Selec-Trac system will only be available on the four-door
Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, the version that’s arguably the most luxurious, and the body-style with the longest wheelbase. All the others will only have the classic selectable four-wheel drive.

There is another interesting feature noted in the
JL Wrangler Forums collection of information. Apparently the four-cylinder engine will have a combination starter and generator driven by a belt. This is interesting, because the only other car we’ve seen with such a component is the new
Audi A8.
In that application, the belt-driven starter and generator is used for smoother, faster starting and stopping to save fuel. We would guess the Jeep’s system works in a similar way, though likely without the support of a 48-volt electrical system. We will likely know more when the new Wrangler makes its debut, which is expected at the L.A. auto show this year.

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