Jeep Wrangler Outsells Ford Bronco In Q1 2023, But Not By Much

In Q1 2023, there was a notable difference in the sales numbers between the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. The Wrangler outsold the Bronco, but there’s more to the numbers when analyzed closely.

Ford sold 32,430 units of the Bronco, up by 37.6 percent from 23,573 units sold in the same period last year. The Bronco brand, which includes the Bronco Sport, saw sales growth of 18.3 percent. Ford reported a continued strong demand, driven by conquesting about 60 percent, with top buyers coming from the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee.

According to Ford, the Bronco family continues to attract a higher mix of female buyers. The Bronco female buyers account for 31 percent of retail sales, an increase of 8 percentage points since its introduction in 2021, based on the most recent customer demographic data through January.

On the other hand, Jeep sold 37,971 units of the Wrangler, which was more than the number of Bronco units sold in the same period. However, this figure is down by 17 percent from 45,551 Wrangler units sold last year.

In contrast, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe’s total US sales increased 72 percent over the same period last year. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe accounted for 38 percent (14,392 units) of total Jeep Wrangler sales in the first quarter of 2023.

“We also continue to see strong demand for our plug-in hybrid vehicles, with the Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe placing No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, as America’s best-selling PHEV vehicles,” said FCA US Head of Sales Jeff Kommo.

Based on these figures, it appears that the Ford Bronco is gaining ground against the Jeep Wrangler. Despite Jeep’s strong sales of the Wrangler 4xe, the overall sales of the Wrangler have declined, while the Bronco brand has seen significant growth.

The reopening of Bronco retail order banks on March 27 could be a sign of the brand’s continued growth. Meanwhile, Jeep is getting a foothold elsewhere, primarily in the plug-in hybrid vehicle market. The recent introduction of the 2024 Wrangler could help Jeep’s case, but that’s something we have yet to see in the months to come.

Sources: Ford, Stellantis

The 2024 Jeep Wrangler Gets a Big Screen

While the Jeep Wrangler remains as popular as ever, increased competition in the off-road-focused SUV market might have pushed the beloved rock roller to the next level. For ’24, Jeep is refreshing the Wrangler and adding a series of quality-of-life upgrades into the interior and driveline. Joining the updates, unveiled today at the New York International Auto Show, are also some massaged design work and an array of returning powertrains.

The biggest change for every ’24 Wrangler is inside the off-roader’s cabin. The Spartan interior is now posher than ever. Nestled inside the dash is a standard 12.3-inch media touchscreen that runs the modern Uconnect 5 and comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

For physical button fans, Jeep didn’t integrate the climate controls into the larger screen and kept the buttons set down below. This screen is a step up from the current Wrangler’s 7-inch media display that runs the older Uconnect 4 infotainment system.

Alongside that new screen, the ’24 Wrangler has a holistically more comfortable interior, according to Jeep. It features optional 12-way power heated seats and more soft-touch materials in the cabin. Jeep also says this power seat is rated for water fording, which should be good news for fans of river riding.

While the powertrains are carrying over, including the 6.4-liter Hemi, Jeep didn’t ignore the Wrangler’s driveline. On the Rubicon, you’ll see a new, upgraded full-float Dana axle at the rear. This design is more rugged than the standard Dana 44 axle. Jeep also says this more rugged rear axle makes upsizing the tire diameter easier for those planning to modify their Wrangler.

Of course, the Rubicon still comes with 35-inch tall tires to handle your off-roading obstacles when you check the box for the Rubicon X package, which includes steel bumpers, power seats, and a host of other options.

Gracing the front of the new Wrangler is a redesigned grille that sports seven slats and reportedly improves cooling while making space for an optional Warn winch. This new grille isn’t standard across the board, though, with base model Wrangler Sports sticking with the older design.

While the powertrains are carryover, they are still worth noting. The base powertrain remains the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that’s mated to a six-speed manual transmission and makes 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.

You can still upgrade from that V6 to the turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 if you want the automatic transmission on the base model, otherwise, you’ll be rowing your own gears.

That 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 makes 270 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque. If you want, you can still option that 2.0-liter with the PHEV system in the Wrangler 4xe. This cranks the total output to 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Topping the charts is still the 6.4-liter Hemi, which sends 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed transmission.

All of this will likely crank the price up for the Wrangler as it transitions into the ’24 model year. You can expect to start seeing these ’24 models hitting the showroom and the trails this summer.