- Jeep this week unveiled an 85th Anniversary Edition Wrangler with plaid seats.
- The company says other birthday models will follow this year.
Jeep has seen many fads come and go in its 85 years. The company’s favorites? Surprisingly, plaid and Berber carpet.
The company this week released a special 2026 Jeep Wrangler 85th Anniversary Edition featuring retro design cues, including plaid seats and Berber floor mats. A “comparably equipped” Gladiator is also coming, although Jeep has not yet shown images of the truck version.
This is the third of 12 special-edition models that Jeep plans to release over the course of a year. It follows the Wrangler Moab 392 revealed in November and last month’s Wrangler Whitecap.
It can be hard to fix an exact birth date for Jeep because the company traces its heritage to a military vehicle that took several years and several companies to develop. However, the company traces its origins to 1941, when the U.S. Army purchased its first fleet of Jeeps. The first commercial sales came in 1945.
In those 85 years, Jeep has been as woven into American outdoorsmanship as plaid. So, the look is fitting.
The 85th anniversary Wrangler wears its plaid on seat inserts, on the instrument panel, and on the mid-bolster. Berber floor mats, a seat badge marked 85th, and an 85th shifter medallion complete the look inside.
Outside, they ride on 17-inch painted steel oxide wheels, feature bronze tow hooks, and wear 85th anniversary badges and decals in Agave Blue.
You Don’t Pay Much of a Premium for the Special Edition
- The celebratory models aren’t much more expensive than the models they’re based on.
The Wrangler anniversary model will start at $48,295, including a $1,995 destination charge. The Gladiator version will start at $47,815. They’re based on the Sport S models with the Convenience Group and optional Alpine audio, and are barely more expensive than those models – just $710 higher for the Wrangler and $1,005 for the Gladiator.
They are available for order now, and they may be the first in a stable of anniversary models. Jeep says, “Additional Jeep brand vehicles are set to introduce 85th Anniversary special-edition models in the coming months.”
We’re glad to hear it. If there’s any Jeep product that would look iconic in plaid, it’s the Grand Wagoneer. We can’t speak for you, but the classic Wrangler in our imaginations is a military vehicle. The Wagoneer of our dreams has wood sides and plaid upholstery.
