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Jeep Debuts Burly Xtreme Recon at Chicago Auto Show

Brand adds lift, 35″ tires, claims industry-first 100:1 factory crawl ratio

2021 jeep wrangler xtreme recon

Jeep’s new Xtreme Recon package is loaded from the shoes on up. Parent company Stellantis “unleashed” (its word choice) the new $4000 package at this year’s Chicago Auto Show. Off-road primacy is the kit’s top utility.

The loadout includes 35-inch tires on a 1.5-inch lift, beadlock-capable wheels, and (just for fun) Jeep’s Sunrider Flip Top over the front and rear rows. According to Stellantis, the package delivers best-in-class approach angle, departure angle, ground clearance, and water fording capability. Not only that, Wranglers with the Xtreme Recon package will boast the highest factory crawl ratio in the field: an industry-first 100:1.

“As an icon built around 80 years of unmatched 4×4 capability, the Wrangler has always pushed the limit of what a Jeep can do off road, and the new Xtreme Recon Package with 35-inch tires straight from the factory pushes that limit even further,” said Jim Morrison, Vice President, Jeep Brand North America. “While the Xtreme Recon Package sets the benchmark for 4×4 capability, the easy-to-use Sunrider Flip Top for Hardtop fortifies Wrangler’s open-air spirit.”

That’s correct — Jim Morrison says the Xtreme Recon sets the 4×4 benchmark. Customer orders are open now. 

Xtreme Recon Features

The Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited 3.6-liter automatic with eTorque and the Wrangler Rubicon 392 are the platforms for the Xtreme Recon package. The Rubicon 392 is already a beast, with its 470 hp 6.4-liter V8. Adding the Xtreme Recon gives it even more grr.

The package starts with 35-inch BF Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tires. A modest but critical 1.5-inch lift gives it its best-in-class ground clearance. Hardcore off-roaders will appreciate the beadlock-ready 17-inch wheels, and the upgraded 4.56:1 axle ratio increases torque. Stellantis also says it will deliver a 4.88:1 axle ratio later this year for a 3.6-liter V6 base.

The result? The unprecedented factory 100:1 crawl ratio and a hell of a lot of other claimed industry best stats out of the factory. Stats as follows:

  • Approach angle – 47.4 degrees
  • Breakover angle – 26.7 degrees
  • Departure angle – 40.4 degrees
  • Ground clearance – 12.9 inches
  • Water fording – 33.6 inches

Add the Sunrider Flip Top for activities not necessarily limited to bikini photoshoots in the great outdoors, and you’re good to go.

Stellantis introduces the Xtreme Recon Package at MSRP $3995.  Production at Jeep’s Toledo, Ohio assembly facility will start in August for late-2021 deliveries.

Check out the full specifications here.









About Sam Anderson

Sam has travelled the United States in an assortment of vehicles, in constant pursuit of adventure and good times. His experiences inform his writing; he often tests and evaluates tool and outdoor, camping, and DIY gear. His two pickup trucks (of which one survives) have been the best adventure companions he could ask for.

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