2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10th Anniversary Edition Preview: Los Angeles Auto Show

Why the 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10^th Anniversary Edition Matters: To celebrate the fact that Four Wheeler magazine’s “4x4 of the Decade” has now been on sale for a decade, the 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10^th Anniversary Edition is currently on the track for a spring debut at local Jeep dealerships across the country. Although first, of course, it made a pit stop at the current 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, where folks got at an early look at the new ne plus ultra of the off-roading world.

It’s another in a long line of Wrangler special editions that each have a fairly daunting task: Keeping a fresh face on a vehicle that is so much more capable than its “rivals” that winning awards like Autobytel’s SUV of the Year has become almost routine. After all, similarly sized vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV-4 are car-based crossovers that wouldn’t get past the Rubicon trailhead, while vehicles with semi-comparable off-road prowess—from the likes of Land Rover, for example—can cost tens of thousands more than the Wrangler.

And while exact pricing for the 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10^th Anniversary Edition has yet to be revealed, the vehicle’s MSRP is unlikely to change that equation much.

• Redesigned steel bumpers that have been custom-tailored for winch mounting and boast removable end caps to help avoid damage on the trail
• Mopar rock rails for a further level of vehicle protection while off-road
• BFGoodrich KM2 265/70R17 off-road tires
• An extra half inch of ground clearance
• Front and back red tow hooks
• A dual-intake Powerdome hood for enhanced engine-cooling capability (and style)
• Numerous 10^th Anniversary appearance upgrades, both inside and out, including an available red-leather interior

“The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10th Anniversary Edition is a tribute to 10 years of Wrangler Rubicon history, and to the Jeep brand’s most passionate enthusiasts,” according to Mike Manley, president and CEO of the Jeep division. “This Wrangler Rubicon is for them. It is a unique vehicle that we expect will long be sought after, a Wrangler that offers an unprecedented level of capability once only attainable by long hours of custom aftermarket preparation crafted in the garages of the most avid Jeep enthusiasts in the world.”

It’s hard to improve on the classic look of the Jeep Wrangler, so the brand’s designers concentrated their work on burnishing the details. The exterior of the vehicle wears “10^th Anniversary” fender badges and dynamic “Rubicon” hood decals with an eye-catching red-silhouette effect—complementing its red tow hooks—and its massive off-road rubber is wrapped around 17-inch aluminum wheels that are painted in satin black and feature polished faces and red Wrangler logos on their outside lips. Also, the hood on the special-edition Wrangler Rubicon does more than merely help engine cooling; it delivers a more aggressive appearance that’s highlighted by dual black intake vents.

The Chrysler Group’s Mopar aftermarket team also pitched in with a black fuel-filler door and tail-lamp guards for the outside, and rugged slush mats for the inside. The cabin of the 2013 Jeep Wrangler 10^th Anniversary Edition further showcases model-specific seat embroidery, a unique gauge cluster, and Quick Silver accents, and customers can get the full 10^th Anniversary treatment by ordering an available red leather interior.

The 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10^th Anniversary Edition will be offered in an exclusive Anvil exterior finish, as well as in White and Billet Silver.

Delivering 285 hp and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, the award-winning Pentastar V6 engine nestles under the hood of the 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10^th Anniversary Edition, and that powerplant can be mated to either a standard six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic. And remember, that 3.6-liter engine was named to Ward’s prestigious list of 10 Best Engines for 2012. For the curious, the Wrangler can achieve EPA marks of 17 mpg city/21 mpg highway/18 mpg combined in both configurations.

The 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10^th Anniversary Edition relies on plenty of hardware to achieve its stellar off-road performance, including Jeep’s Rock-Trac four-wheel-drive system. This setup boasts a “4-Low” ratio of 4:1 and a crawl-ratio of 73.1:1, enhanced by features like electronic-locking Dana 44 axles (front and rear), Tru-Lock locking differentials, and an electronic disconnect feature for the front sway bar, which allows for significantly more wheel travel. Then, in addition to the kind of gear that enables the Wrangler to achieve best-in-class marks for water fording, ground clearance, and approach/departure angles, there are also a surprising number of comfort and convenience features available, including:

• Heated front seats
• The Chrysler Group’s award-winning Uconnect technology
• Garmin navigation
• A seven-speaker Alpine audio system (with subwoofer)
• Automatic Temperature Control with air filtration

The standard top for the 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 10^th Anniversary Edition—available in traditional two-door or four-door Wrangler Unlimited body styles—is the brand’s Premium Sunrider removable soft top. However, owners can upgrade to the three-piece “Freedom” hard top in black or body color.

Can a constant stream of special- and limited-edition models really help boost sales? Well, the November numbers are now in, and the Jeep Wrangler has rustled up its eighth monthly volume record of 2012 while achieving a 17 percent increase in deliveries on a year-to-date basis. Certainly, Jeep’s wholesale enhancements to the Wrangler in the post-meltdown era have made a difference, but so do—and so will—offerings like the 2013 Jeep Wrangler 10^th Anniversary Edition.