Off-roaders aren't usually renowned for being environmentally friendly, but the Jeep Wrangler is an exception. It came as no surprise when the 2020 Jeep Wrangler EcoDiesel was declared as the most efficient Wrangler ever, with an EPA-rated fuel economy of 22/29/25 mpg city/highway/combined. But now Fiat Chrysler has discovered the redesigned Jeep Wrangler Unlimited's gasoline engine is also significantly more environmentally-friendly than its predecessor. After comparing it to the previous generation model, Fiat Chrysler found that the new Wrangler's Global Warming Potential is 15 percent lower.

According to FCA, the GWP improvement was calculated by examining factors relating to design, production, and on-road performance including the environmental impact of fuel production and delivery, material use, and fuel consumption. The assessment is based on 150,000 miles of use, while improvements are measured by contrasting anticipated C02-equivalent greenhouse-gas emissions with comparable vehicles.

In this case, FCA compared the previous-generation Wrangler Unlimited powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which is the only available engine, paired with a now-discontinued five-speed automatic transmission.

The new Wrangler's performance, on the other hand, was measured with the 270-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo engine featuring engine stop-start. According to FCA, each new Wrangler Unlimited can potentially account for a 14-metric-ton reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions, which is equivalent to the emissions of three passenger cars driven for year, C02e output from 7.7 tons of coal burned in a power-generation plant, and C02e produced when powering 2.4 average American homes for one year. FCA also claims that emissions from each 2.0-liter Wrangler Unlimited could account for the carbon sequestration that occurs in 16.5 acres of US forest over an entire year.

Also helping reduce the Wrangler Unlimited's environmental impact is a reduction of ferrous metal content by 54 percent, down from 68 percent in the previous-generation Wrangler. Non-ferrous metal content, which contributes to weight reduction and corrosion resistance, has also increased from 12 percent to 20 percent.

Further improving the Wrangler's on-road performance and fuel economy is the off-roader's TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission, helping the Wrangler achieve a 21 mpg rating by the EPA - an increase of three mpg over the previous-generation Wrangler and its five-speed automatic transmission. Jeep will continue to improve the Wrangler's efficiency with the upcoming Jeep Wrangler 4xe hybrid.