The Ford Mustang is the most similar vehicle to the Jeep Wrangler available in the U.S.

[multicam]

1. American
2. Decades of unbroken sales in the US, unlike the Camaro, FJ cruiser, Bronco
3. Similar sales numbers, though Jeep generally sells more Wranglers
4. Emblematic of the brand; probably won’t be discontinued because they’re so closely tied to brand image
5. Iconic; instantly-recognizable
6. Really good at what it does but at a cost to practicality
7. Massive aftermarket support
8. Loyal following
9. Not super practical compared to their competition (though the 4-door jeep mitigates this somewhat)
10. They don’t get the best fuel mileage in the world, but have made steady improvement as CAFE pressures the manufacturers
11. Accessible to the everyman- unlike the Corvette which does hit a lot of the points on this list
12. Convertible option
13. Manual transmission still available
14. Large price range, from base options that many people can afford to $60k-plus loaded models
15. Special editions released with regularity
16. Turbo four-cylinder engine option (but V6 discontinued for Mustang)
17. Eight cylinder engine option
18. Fairly large number sold to rental agencies
19. Frequently cross-shopped (thanks @WXman and others)
20. Old models are considered classics and have a large and lively restoration scene
21. Both have ugly-duckling 80’s versions with polarizing styling (I personally love both the Fox-body and YJ)
22. No brand emblem on the hood (except the JK ), and limited or no brand emblem on the vehicle itself - the models speak for themselves (thanks @MonkeyRider)
23. Both are a blast to drive. I know that’s subjective but I don’t think too many people would argue against that! (Credit goes to @Wanted33)
24. Chicks dig them

There are more similarities that I’m sure I’ll add over time but there’s 17 for you right off the bat. Is there any vehicle sold in the US that is closer to the Wrangler than the Mustang?

Differences:
1. One is built for off-roading, the other for straight-line fun and some corner-carving
2. One can have the doors taken off easily
3. One has a four-door option [Edit: Mach E ... ]
4. One was born to fight a war, the other was just a good idea named after a warbird (P-51 Mustang - thanks @cbrenthus)
5. One is usually lowered; the other is usually lifted (thanks @TEOTWAWKI Rubicon)

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[UKCATS]

I agree with your assessment!

 

[UKCATS]

@multicam

AFAIK Ford dropped them 6cyl option last year. Re bullet point 16

 

[WXman]

Interestingly, if you look at sales data, the vehicle people "cross shopped" most against the Jeep Wrangler is the Ford Mustang.

 

[Sean L]

I sold the Mustang to make room for the Jeep...

 

[TJ2018]

Hahahaha! The two vehicles on my list were a Mustang GT and the Rubicon. My wife said the GT was more of a midlife crisis vehicle and preferred we went the Rubi route. Who am I to argue?

 

[multicam]

I agree with your assessment!

Beautiful, both of them!

@multicam

AFAIK Ford dropped them 6cyl option last year. Re bullet point 16

No kidding! I wasn’t even aware of that. That’s interesting. I used to own a V6 so that kinda surprises me but I can’t blame Ford.

Interestingly, if you look at sales data, the vehicle people "cross shopped" most against the Jeep Wrangler is the Ford Mustang.

This is what I’m talking about!

I sold the Mustang to make room for the Jeep...

Same! Except it was to make room for my YJ back in Hawaii. Much better than a hard-top mustang on an island with a top speed of 60 mph.

Hahahaha! The two vehicles on my list were a Mustang GT and the Rubicon. My wife said the GT was more of a midlife crisis vehicle and preferred we went the Rubi route. Who am I to argue?

It’s always good when her interests line up with yours. My wife “convinced” me to get a new JLR over a used LJR because she didn’t want me wrenching on an old jeep like I did with my YJ. And like you... who am I to argue?

 

[Sean L]

Same! Except it was to make room for my YJ back in Hawaii. Much better than a hard-top mustang on an island with a top speed of 60 mph.

Yes, It would have been awesome if I could have had a Jeep when I spent a week on Oahu. But... we had a Caliber....

Not a bad car per se, but would have been better to have the Jeep. lol

 

[multicam]

Yes, It would have been awesome if I could have had a Jeep when I spent a week on Oahu. But... we had a Caliber....

Not a bad car per se, but would have been better to have the Jeep. lol

Eh, you can say it... the Caliber sucks... you might even say it’s low-caliber... Har har.

Yeah it’s nuts over there, rental agencies love to stock JKUs. Strangely though most seem to be hard tops. Must have to do with maintenance or resale costs.

 

[Sean L]

Eh, you can say it... the Caliber sucks... you might even say it’s low-caliber... Har har.

Yeah it’s nuts over there, rental agencies love to stock JKUs. Strangely though most seem to be hard tops. Must have to do with maintenance or resale costs.

well, I think the Dart was a lot better than the Caliber, but I won't say the Caliber sucks. My first car made 85 Hp so my frame of reference for small cars wasn't all that high to start with.

I'd be willing to bet a lot of people renting a Jeep with a soft top would probably not know how to operate it and tear it up.

 

[multicam]

well, I think the Dart was a lot better than the Caliber, but I won't say the Caliber sucks. My first car made 85 Hp so my frame of reference for small cars wasn't all that high to start with.

I'd be willing to bet a lot of people renting a Jeep with a soft top would probably not know how to operate it and tear it up.

Okay fair point, most cars nowadays really aren’t that bad especially compared to the rolling death traps of yesteryear. I mean I rented a bottom-of-the-barrel Nissan a while ago and besides the transmission sucking it would be totally liveable as a daily driver. We are really fortunate to live in a time where we can buy reliable, safe transportation for relatively cheap.

Yeah I was thinking that too- soft top windows would get slashed, renters would lose them, break them, scratch them... all around, it makes way more sense for a rental company to stock hard tops.

 

[Sean L]

Okay fair point, most cars nowadays really aren’t that bad especially compared to the rolling death traps of yesteryear. I mean I rented a bottom-of-the-barrel Nissan a while ago and besides the transmission sucking it would be totally liveable as a daily driver. We are really fortunate to live in a time where we can but reliable, safe transportation for relatively cheap.

Yeah I was thinking that too- soft top windows would get slashed, renters would lose them, break them, scratch them... all around, it makes way more sense for a rental company to stock hard tops.

Agreed on all points.

 

[TJ2018]

It’s always good when her interests line up with yours. My wife “convinced” me to get a new JLR over a used LJR because she didn’t want me wrenching on an old jeep like I did with my YJ. And like you... who am I to argue?

@multicam When I first saw the title I actually came in here to comment on the ludicrousness of it (in a lighthearted sort of way of course!) until I realized how accurate your premise is. The one thing I knew for sure is I did NOT want a cookie cutter vehicle that looked like every other vehicle out there (I swear the designers go from one manufacture to the next convincing us everything should look the same). Both vehicles are classics in their class and both are truly modernized without losing their identities. While I'd LOVE to have a GT in the stable, I'm afraid it just wouldn't get driven that much. Not to mention I don't have the space for another vehicle. Still trying to convince my wife to lift the garage so I can lift the Jeep... but I don't see THAT happening anytime soon...

 

[TimmH]

I sold the Mustang to make room for the Jeep...

Same, it was the Mustang or the Harley that had to go, I figured the Harley took up less space and had more value still, as well as cost much less annually for insurance.

 

[Arterius2]

Porsche 911 would be on my list too, of which that are non-American. Actually the Porsche and the Mustang would be battling it out for second spot if I were to ever own a second vehicle.

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