Jeep sets $18,765 base price on redesigned Wrangler

Erin Robinson | Automotive News | DETROIT -- The Chrysler group said today that the redesigned 2007 Jeep Wrangler has a base sticker price of $18,765, including shipping, a move that shaves $285 off the base price of the 2006 model.

Also, the 2007 model marks the debut of the four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. The Chrysler group said the new model has a base price of $20,410, including shipping.

Dealers will get the redesigned Wrangler within the next two weeks, a Jeep spokesman said.

Major changes for the redesigned SUV include the replacement of a base four-cylinder engine with a 3.8-liter V-6 and the addition of stability control and four-wheel, antilock disc brakes as standard equipment. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, with a four-speed automatic optional.

The Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited will be marketed in three trim levels: X, Sahara and Rubicon. Each is available with rear-wheel or four-wheel drivetrains.

Through the first seven months of this year, Wrangler sales are down 17.2 percent from the same period last year, to 43,200 units.