The current Wrangler has been in production for nearly a decade, which means Jeep is now regularly rolling out new special edition trims to keep America’s most famous off-road SUV fresh. The company’s latest attempt to bring in buyers, a trim called the Rewind, is essentially just retro-inspired stickers inspired by ’80s and ’90s multi-color patterns.
Normally, I’d dismiss this sort of news because trims like this don’t actually add anything new to the driving experience. But the Rewind Wrangler and its sister car, the Gladiator Rewind, pull my heartstrings at just the right angles. Finished in a deep purple as standard and covered in funky light-blue and orange stripes, it’s probably my new favorite of the two trucks – except for one big issue: it’s not available with a stick.
Anyone who’s been following Jeep lore for the past year will know the Rewind is not an entirely new car. It originally appeared as a concept at last year’s Easter Jeep Safari as a two-door Wrangler with a similar paint job and hood stickers, plus a lovely multi-color pattern from your favorite ’90s city bus seats.
Jeep says the Rewind proved so popular that the company turned it into a production trim for the Wrangler and the Gladiator. If the press release is to be believed, it’s proof that voicing your opinion on what you like and what you don’t like might actually drive executive decisions. So that’s nice.
Okay, back to the Jeep. Whether you go for the standard Wrangler version or the pickup-bed-equipped Gladiator variant, you’ll be getting something akin to a Willys trim, albeit with a handful of aesthetic changes. There are LED headlights and taillights, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control, a trailer hitch, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and remote start. Those who plan to actually off-road will be pleased with the rear locking differential, the steel rock rails, and the off-road tires.
Aside from the exterior graphics, which Jeep describes as “inspired by the bold hues and patterns of the mixtape and roller skate era,” Rewind-trimmed trucks get gold-accented wheels and tow hooks, as well as body color-painted fender flares. Wranglers get a specific spare tire cover. In addition to purple, you can also get the Rewind in Bright White, Granite Crystal (dark grey), Anvil (grey), Gloss Black, Hydro Blue, Joose (orange), and Earl (lighter grey).
While the inside of the production Rewind isn’t nearly as cool as the concept, there are still some neat touches. The most interesting have to be the seats, which are covered in Nappa leather that’s embossed with 8-bit arcade graphic patterns. There are also a handful of smaller changes, like color-matching interior trim pieces and contrast stitching.
A Jeep spokesperson told me via email that, like the Willys trim, the Rewind will be available with either the standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 or the optional 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four. If you choose the V6 on the Willys, you can option a manual transmission. Sadly, that’s not the case with the Rewind. The Jeep rep confirmed to me that no version of the Rewind will be available with the stick shift. Seeing as how the manual transmission carries its own kind of nostalgia, it feels weird to exclude it here, in a car dripping with nostalgia.
Either way, interested buyers won’t have to wait long. Jeep says both versions of the Rewind will be available to order starting next month. They’ll be priced at $1,900 more than a similarly equipped Willys trim. That means it’ll come in around $48,245, including destination, for the Wrangler, and $50,415 for the Gladiator.
Is this just a blatant nostalgia play to drum up a bit of sales late in the Wrangler’s and Gladiator’s product cycle? Almost certainly. It is, in essence, a $1,900 sticker package with some different leather and stitching. While I greatly enjoy the design, I feel like a manual would’ve been the cherry on top. Still, I think a fun ’90s-themed Jeep without a stick is more fun than no ’90s-themed Jeep at all. So I’m not mad.
Top graphic image: Jeep
It actually accentuates the horrid rear door (cheaply taken from the Wrangler) on the Gladiator
special editions are the only thing stellantis can actually bring to market
$48-50+ K for these things? SMH. My suspicion is that anyone who may actually buy one is not a stick-shift candidate to begin with.
Martini stripes?
I didn’t really see it until you mentioned it and now I can’t unsee it. Looks better on one of the old 911s or the Cayenne.
Here’s a somewhat interesting article about Martini livery:
The Incredible History Of The Martini Racing Livery
Can’t believe they didn’t mention Count Rossi , although the 917 he had registered for street use was fairly conservatively painted.
“cherry on top.”
Hello, daddy, hello, mom
I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb
Hello world I’m your wild girl
I’m your ch ch ch ch ch ch ch
cherry bomb!
This is the second post in like two weeks commenting on the virtues or lack thereof for a manual in some Jeep configuration. The current six speed is trash and the 8 speed is a fantastic gearbox. Seriously, not all manuals are great and not all vehicles need them. There’s a place for manuals off road for sure, but the current Jeep iteration just needs to die. Posts like this only prolong that particular poorly built gearbox
Is there a reason it’s trash, or is it just because you say so.
The clutch isn’t designed for the torque that goes through it. As a result, it’ll occasionally self destruct and cause fires.
For pure driving feel, the clutch pedal doesn’t feel directly connected. It feels like an on/off button with no engagement at pick up.
Add to that gearing that’s too tall for smooth trail control and too short for street driving, you have one of the worst manual gearboxes I’ve ever had the mispleasure of using