End of an era: The last car with crank windows just said goodbye

Compared to the original Jeep — you know, the military vehicle — the 2025 Wrangler JL is a spaceship, even though by modern standards it’s a very old-school vehicle when compared to, say, the Ford Bronco or Toyota 4Runner. But father time, or, at least, father progress, is starting to catch up with the Wrangler, which is finally losing its manual crank-handle windows (as does the 2025 Gladiator, the Wrangler’s de-facto pickup sibling). The good news for anyone yearning for yesteryear is that the manual six-speed transmission is still around, even though for 2025 it becomes the only transmission choice for the Wrangler’s standard V-6 engine. Want an automatic? You’re automatically upgraded to the Jeep’s optional turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4.
It’s probably a bit of a reach to say that the Wrangler JL is a stone-age vehicle. It features a modern five-link suspension system, electronic lockers and nearly as much technology as those two aforementioned competitors do. The new JL also comes as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powerplant, something that the 4Runner is only just getting with its i-Force Max hybrid engine — just without the plug-in option — while the Bronco still doesn’t have an electrified version, yet. Oh, and there’s its newly standard 12.3-inch touchscreen that can magic-whiz-bang connect wirelessly to your smartphone.
And yet, the Wrangler’s continued use of live axles front and rear, doors that can easily be removed and generally simple layout give it that old-school feeling that made the standard crank windows not seem so out of place.
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Alas, time moves on. The Jeep’s previously optional power windows and door locks are now standard fare. Whatever cost increase these represent on Jeep’s end are probably more than made up for by the streamlined trim structure and reduced build complexity — no more producing different doors for different Wranglers. And, fortunately, it won’t make taking the doors off any harder, really. As with all power-window, power-door-lock Wranglers until now, you need only unclip an electrical connector in addition to the usual unbolting process for the hinges.
The other good news for those who like to have everything in their control is that the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 will now come coupled exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. The automatic transmission option for that engine has been dropped, meaning those who want a computer doing their shifting will need to opt for the turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 engine; the pair costs $2,500 on every trim level save the Sahara, where it’s standard, and the plug-in hybrid 4xe and Wrangler 392 models, where the gas-only 2.0-liter isn’t available (because, you know, one has the plug-in version of the 2.0-liter and the other gets a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8, both of which retain their eight-speed automatics).
A reminder that the 4xe blends the 2.0-liter and an electric motor to deliver 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, but you won’t be able to get it in the stripped-out Sport trim. The 4xe starts at the Sport S and will be available for every trim after — except the Rubicon 392, of course — including the new High Altitude that will become available later this year. It also gains an exclusive Black/Mantis Green interior color.
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Finally, a new color for 2025 is available known as “’41,” an olive drab green from the Jeep ’41 Concept of the 2022 Easter Jeep Safari. It’s a perfect way to celebrate its GP heritage with a proper, factory-applied military-style green body color and joins the seven other body colors of Anvil, Black, Bright White, Fathom Blue, Firecracker Red, Granite Crystal and Hydro Blue.
Photos by MotorTrend Staff and Manufacturer