Redesigned 2018 Jeep Wrangler Boosts Fuel Economy Marginally

Details on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler are slowly trickling out ahead of its debut next week in Los Angeles. Images of the new Jeep dropped earlier this month. Then, the equipment list leaked. Now, there are fuel economy figures for the 2018 Wrangler Unlimited, which show slight improvements over the 2017 model.

The 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the eight-speed automatic transmission returns 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway for a combined rating of 20 mpg. The 2018 Wrangler Unlimited with the six-speed manual returns 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The combined fuel economy rating is 19 mpg.

Now, it's confusing comparing fuel economy figures because Jeep still plans on selling the previous-generation Wrangler alongside its redesigned model. The automaker is labeling both as 2018s.

For example, customers can purchase a previous-generation 2018 Wrangler Unlimited with a five-speed automatic transmission, which returns 16 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway for a combined rating of 18 mpg. The additional three forward gears in the redesigned 2018 Wrangler Unlimited with the eight-speed transmission improves fuel economy by two mpg in the city and three mpg on the highway. Combined fuel economy increases by two mpg.

A six-speed manual is available in both versions of the Wrangler Unlimited, but the redesigned version improves its fuel economy ratings by one mpg in the city and two mpg on the highway for a combined rating increase of one mpg over the previous generation with the six-speed manual.

It's also worth noting that these are hardly complete ratings. The EPA hasn't released estimates for the two-door model, while the expected diesel variant will likely improve on everything listed so far when it finally arrives.

The 2018 Wrangler gets its official on November 29 at the Los Angeles Auto Show.