SNEAKY: 2023 Wrangler grille previewed by 20th Anniversary Rubicon Concept??

[John VonJeep]

Eagle-eyed member @hoag4147 noticed that the Rubicon 20th Anniversary Concept at 2022 EJS is wearing a unique grille.

This has me wondering if Jeep actually snuck the new grille for the 2023 restyle of the Wrangler onto this “concept.”

It certainly doesn’t look like a one-off part. No. Instead, it looks like a complicated production part that we just haven’t seen before. Notice how detailed and faceted it is. Looks absolutely production-ready to my eyes.

Is this a preview of the mid-cycle 2023 JL refresh?

It’s worth noting that Jeep has done this before, with the Quicksand Concept at EJS 2017, which previewed the upcoming JL grille before that vehicle was shown to the public.

Sneaky sneaky, or no biggie?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

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[John VonJeep]

Also remember that cooling is a constant struggle with Wranglers due to the small frontal area (caused by the fender/hood design).

The JT got bigger slats to accommodate the cooling needed for towing.

This grille looks like it could be designed to further enhance airflow to the engine, what with the rounded edges and open space even between the slats.

 

[jbcrane]

This is nicely detailed but still understated. I like it a lot. Re. cooling though... it appears it might lose the end slots on either side as they appear to be blocked off by an additional piece of trim somehow connected to the small, curved piece below the headlight...?

 

[aldo98229]

Yeah, that grille definitely looks too elaborate for just a concept. It looks production ready, too.

 

[aldo98229]

Perhaps it will be introduced on the 20A, and later rolled out to Rubicons and Saharas, replacing the current multi-part grille on those models.

 

[aldo98229]

10A gave us (1) a new winch bumper, (2) a vented hood, (3) larger decals, (4) black wheels and (5) red accents.

It’d be lame if all 20A got us was a new grille and new stickers...

 

[Oilburner]

I was wondering the same thing about the hood on the bobbed JT

 

[John VonJeep]

This is nicely detailed but still understated. I like it a lot. Re. cooling though... it appears it might lose the end slots on either side as they appear to be blocked off by an additional piece of trim somehow connected to the small, curved piece below the headlight...?

Perhaps, but everything in red is effectively a large open space with this new grille. No bars breaking up the airflow, as with the current design. That seems like a lot of airflow. Perhaps the blanked off areas needed to be blanked because of what sits behind them?

 

[sigsegv]

It has a couple inches less ventilation in the vertical direction, though. I wonder if it's a wash.

The youtube video on the 20th anniversary rubicon has some more clear shots

I'm not sure how this will look without the bumper hoop. It looks a little like the jeep is wearing snorkeling goggles.

 

[John VonJeep]

Need to get @pixeldecals to make a replica of this sticker!

 

[oceanblue2019]

More cooling for twin turbo 3.0L Tornado??

 

[John VonJeep]

It certainly changes the look.

 

[weeitsmikelee]

Ahh leaning more towards current grille with this side by side.

 

[AFD]

Ahh leaning more towards current grille with this side by side.

Yeah, I don't hate the new grille, but side-by-side, the current JL grille looks a lot better/cleaner. Maybe if they painted it to color match the body it would look a little nicer?

 

[zw470]

I like the overall look of the grill but it definitely needs to extend all the way down to the bumper.

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