In a lot of ways, the Jeep Wrangler is like it’s always been for 2025. It’s still a convertible, still a 4×4, and still sure to be a fan favorite. But the newest Wrangler lineup continues the model’s modernization kick by ditching a feature it’s never been without: manual crank windows.
I was just as surprised as you the first time I read it. Jeep noted in a press release Tuesday that power windows and power locks are now standard across the Wrangler range, joining a couple of other new features like a ’41 exterior paint color that’s military olive drab-inspired and something called Active Cab Ventilation. Those are sort of whatever, especially when you consider the Wrangler was one of the last models with hand-crank windows—period.
This decision was likely made to simplify manufacturing because let’s be real, almost every new Jeep had power windows anyway. Sure, it was nice for the relatively few people who wanted to spec their four-wheeler with manual locks and windows, but offering those utilitarian features complicates the production process. Jeep has to build these suckers at scale and to do that for less money, it has to shed the features it deems unnecessary.
I’m sure a lot of folks will be sad that Jeep feels manual windows and locks are no longer needed. “I always liked Jeeps because they’re simple,” they’ll lament. “This is just another electrical part that’ll fail after 100,000 miles.” And you know what? Maybe they’re right. But there are plenty of other newfangled parts for you to worry about before you go decrying the standardization of… simple electrical switches. By that logic, we should have all been grumpy about anti-lock brakes.
If it provides any solace, Jeep still sells the Wrangler with a manual transmission in the model year of our Lord 2025. In fact, the row-your-own six-speed is now the only gearbox option for Wranglers with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. On one side of the coin, that’s a plus for traditionalists who want a manual; on the other, it’s a telltale sign that most new Wranglers will have the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder.
The times, they are a changin’.
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