- In a tradition dating back to 2012, Jeep is rolling out a Freedom special edition of the iconic Wrangler for 2020.
- The special Jeep honors the U.S. military with flag graphics and badging including “Oscar Mike” (military jargon for “on the move”) on the hood and tailgate.
- The special edition is available—of course—in red, white, or blue and costs $1200 more than the Wrangler Sport S on which it’s based.
Jeeps and the U.S. Army go together like apple pie and ice cream: they’re great separately, but they belong together. For 2020, in a tradition dating back at least to 2003, Jeep will roll out a Wrangler Freedom special edition, this time to honor (and market to) U.S. military members. Another FCA brand, Ram, has done a similar appearance package in honor of the U.S. military with the Ram Built to Serve Edition.
The Wrangler, of course, is a descendant of the original Willys Jeep, which played a massive part in World War II in both the European and Pacific theaters, where it was used extensively and appreciated deeply by U.S. troops. Once it was introduced to the civilian population at the end of the war, the Jeep brand took off, and the rest is history.
The Wrangler Freedom, based on the Wrangler Sport S, is mostly a cosmetic package with unique accents inside and out. The exterior gets a painted star-spangled banner just aft of the front fenders on the driver’s and passenger sides, a black premium Sunrider softtop roof with tinted windows, a set of side steps, and 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels finished in Satin Carbon paint and wrapped in all-terrain tires.
The exterior also gets special “Oscar Mike” badging on the rear tailgate and on the hood, where a military star is prominently displayed. “Oscar Mike,” in military lingo, translates to “on the move.” Inside, the McKinley cloth seats in black have leather bolsters and gray accent stitching, and “Oscar Mike” is embossed on the seatbacks, steering wheel, doors, seats, and front armrest.
The exterior colors available with the package are Firecracker Red, Bright White, and Ocean Blue in the first round of production, naturally. After the first production run, the Freedom Edition will be able to be paired up with the other vibrant exterior colors offered on the Wrangler: Black, Granite Crystal, Sting Gray, Billet, Punk’n, Hellayella, and Bikini. After all: freedom of choice.
The Freedom Edition isn’t special just because of the colors offered or because of the cool colors and wheels. Jeep will donate $250 to the United Service Organizations (USO) with every Wrangler Freedom edition sold. USO is a nonprofit charitable organization that provides morale and recreation services to U.S. armed forces personnel and their families. Jeep is taking another route to support veterans, too, with an offer to give away a Gladiator to a veteran; the automaker is taking video applications until November 30.
Pricing for the Wrangler Freedom Edition starts $34,190 for the two-door model and $37,690 for the four-door version, which is a $1200 premium over the regular Wrangler S. Even if you don’t buy a Freedom Edition Wrangler, you can still support our troops this Veterans Day by donating to charitable organizations like USO that are committed to helping out those who have served.