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.
Source: Jeep
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.
Source: Jeep
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).
Source: Jeep
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.
Source: Jeep
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.
Source: Jeep
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