The 2024 Jeep Wrangler will offer a lower-priced version of its popular 4xe plug-in hybrid model while top-of-the-line models add even more capability.

Those and other updates — including a big towing capacity boost to 5,000 pounds — buff up the legendary SUV’s resume as the Ford Bronco heats up competition for the crown among true off-roaders. Meanwhile, a new Sport S 4xe model will lower the cost of entry for the Wrangler PHEV. Prices will be announced closer to when the 2024 model goes on sale.

Jeep unveiled the 21024 Wrangler at the New York auto show.

Arriving in dealerships later this year, the 2024 Wrangler also adds features to its Willys (pronounced “Willis”) model, a shout-out to the original WWII Jeep with more ground clearance, bigger wheels and better traction.

Jeep also added a number of standard and available safety features:

• Curtain airbags.

• Structural improvements for side impact performance.

• Collision alert.

• Adaptive cruise control.

• Blind spot and cross traffic alerts.

• Rear parking sensors.

Other changes include:

• Standard 8,000-pound Warn winch on Rubicon.

• Standard 12.3-inch touch screen.

• Four 120-volt outlets for external devices in optional 4xe Power Box.

• Available 100:1 crawl ratio.

• Available power front seats.

More off-road goodies

While Jeep purists may sneer at niceties like power seats, they’ll salivate for the Wrangler’s first factory installed full-float rear axle. The rugged design enables the new 5,000-lb max towing.

Jeep took the Rubicon a step higher with an even more capable Rubicon X, adding:

• Rock-Trac full-tie transfer case.

• Integrated off-road camera.

• Steel bumpers.

• Beadlock-capable wheels with 35-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires.

The Willys has:

• Standard Tru-Lok rear locker.

• Steel rock rails.

• Towing and heavy-duty electrical packages.

• 33-inch tires.

• 4xe PHEV model.

Other changes for 2024 include a revised version of Jeep’s seven-slot grille, a “stealth” antenna integrated into the windshield, new wheel designs and soft-touch surfaces on the instrument panel.

After years when the Wrangler was the only mass-market SUV with serious off-road capabilities, Ford changed the competitive landscape with the reborn Bronco in 2021. Thanks to the new competition, expect Jeep to keep adding to the Wrangler’s features and capability.

Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2024 Jeep Wrangler cuts price of 4xe PHEV, adds off-road features