Liam White 
We finally got our answer to Jeep’s cryptic marketing campaign last month. It came in the form of the Xtreme Recon package for the Jeep Wrangler. The package seems like a direct response to the much more expensive Ford Bronco’s Sasquatch package. Jeep enthusiasts should honestly be thanking Ford for their response to the Wrangler. Whether the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Xtreme Recon package would have eventually come along with or without the Ford Bronco’s resurrection and accompanying Sasquatch package is unclear, but it is clear that Jeep fans can achieve factory 35-inch tires and 1.5-inch lift, all without the headache of taking things to the aftermarket. Either way, the package stokes the 4×4 SUV fire between Ford and Jeep.
Xtreme Recon Pricing
And that’s not all. The Xtreme Recon package also includes 17-inch by 8-inch beadlock capable wheels, swing gate reinforcement, a 4.56:1 axle ratio, and uniquely tuned shocks to support the lift and the fit the LT315/70R17C BF Goodrich KO2 A/T tires. Before pricing was unveiled this week at the Chicago Auto Show, we guessed that the Xtreme Recon package would bump a $43,045 base model Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Limited up near the $50,000 range, targeting the upper-range Ford Bronco Badlands competition. Our guesses were right too; the package is priced at $3,995, bringing the grand total to $47,040 for a base Wrangler Rubicon Extreme Recon package.
Competition Is Cooking For The Wrangler And Bronco
Unlike Ford however, which offers it’s Sasquatch package with 35-inch tires on every single Bronco trim from the base model to the Wildtrak, Jeep is only offering the Xtreme Recon package on two models. The Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited 3.6-liter automatic with eTorque, and the Wrangler Rubicon 392 will start receiving Xtreme Recon upgrades at the Toledo Assembly Plant in August. It almost seems like Jeep has been waiting for the ideal time to release the Xtreme Recon kit, but again, at limited availability. Regardless, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Xtreme Recon package achieves best in class ratings for approach angle, departure angle, ground clearance and water fording capability. There’s a battle to be won here, and right now Jeep seems to be winning the sales war. For now.
The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Xtreme Recon package is yet another instance of the 4×4 SUV battlegrounds being leveled between the Bronco and the Wrangler. It seems the brand competition has even carried its way into the compact crossover SUV segment. The new 2022 Jeep Compass just ignited a refreshed rivalry with the Bronco’s little brother, the popular Bronco Sport.
