Forty years since a Wrangler wore the Laredo name. Jeep ended that in 2027.
The Jeep Wrangler Laredo is number nine in a run of twelve special-edition Wranglers tied to Jeep’s 85th anniversary. $1,995 over a Willys with the Xtreme 35 package, starting around $48,000. Cowboy hats on the vents, bronze tow hooks, tan soft top. Orders open later this month.
Why the Laredo Name Matters
The Laredo name started on the CJ-5 in the early 1980s. The CJ was Jeep’s compact off-roader — military DNA, sold to civilians from 1945, accumulated four decades of reputation among buyers who used them rather than parked them.
Laredo on the CJ meant better materials and more exterior finish — the premium spec for buyers who wanted capability without a bare interior. When the CJ became the Wrangler in 1987, Laredo carried over. Then it quietly left.
The Jeep Wrangler Laredo name then disappeared. The exact year varies by source, but the Laredo name left the Wrangler lineup before most current Wrangler buyers had a driving licence. That absence is part of what makes the revival interesting — it is not a name that most shoppers in 2027 will recognise from their own ownership history. It is a heritage reference, aimed at enthusiasts who follow Jeep’s lineage and at buyers who want something that signals awareness of that history.
Jeep pinned the Jeep Wrangler Laredo to the city itself — Laredo, Texas, on the Rio Grande. Sand colours, bronze, western lettering. The reference is geographic and deliberate.
What the Twelve 4 Twelve Campaign Actually Is
The Jeep Wrangler Laredo exists within a specific structure. It is not a standalone release — it is number nine in a twelve-edition series called Twelve 4 Twelve.
Jeep designed the campaign around the brand’s 85th anniversary, releasing one special-edition Wrangler per month across the year. The name comes from a WWII military tactic — airdropping Jeep vehicles by parachute to troops in terrain too difficult for conventional delivery. Compact enough to drop, rugged enough to survive it. That history is foundational to how Jeep talks about itself.
Each edition in the Twelve 4 Twelve series takes a different angle. The Jeep Wrangler Laredo goes deep on its visual theme — consistent from the hood graphics to the vent covers rather than one badge on the tailgate and nothing else.
Eight Jeep Wrangler Laredo-era editions before this one. Three more to come. Jeep has not announced what those remaining editions will be, which is presumably intentional — the monthly release structure creates reason to keep paying attention.
The Base Vehicle — Wrangler Willys With Xtreme 35
Before the Laredo styling gets applied, the Jeep Wrangler Laredo starts as a Wrangler Willys with the Xtreme 35 package. Understanding what that means is important for evaluating what the $1,995 Laredo premium actually buys.
The Willys trim — named after Willys-Overland, the company behind the original military Jeep — is where the Jeep Wrangler Laredo starts. Upgraded suspension, skid plates, off-road hardware that the base Sport does not have.
The Xtreme 35 package adds 17-inch wheels and 35-inch BFGoodrich KO2 tyres — serious all-terrain rubber used by people who actually go off-road, not just parked in suburban driveways. Performance brakes, wheel flares, higher rear axle ratio for low-speed torque. Real hardware, not cosmetics.
No Xtreme 35, no Jeep Wrangler Laredo. The package is mandatory. 285-horsepower 3.6-litre V6 from the standard Wrangler — engine unchanged.
The Jeep Wrangler Laredo is a genuinely capable off-road vehicle before anyone touches the styling. The $48,000 starting price is buying real hardware alongside the cowboy hats on the vents.
Exterior — Everything the Desert Southwest Looks Like
The Jeep Wrangler Laredo’s exterior design is committed to its theme in a way that leaves no ambiguity about what Jeep was going for.
Retro graphics follow the hood’s contour — not a flat sticker, something that moves with the bodywork. Large enough to read from distance. Matching stripe runs down the fenders and side panels.
Along the curved edges of the hood, the word “Laredo” appears in rugged capital letters. The font choice is intentional — not a modern sans-serif but something with weight and texture that reads as western without being a parody of it.
Bronze runs throughout the exterior details. Tow hooks in bronze. Badging in bronze. The 17-inch wheels from the Xtreme 35 package carry the same finish, which ties the functional hardware to the decorative elements in a way that makes the overall appearance feel considered rather than assembled from separate parts.
The roof is a tan soft top. The grille is sand-coloured rather than the standard black. “4WD” at the rear in a lasso-style font. Of everything on the outside of the Jeep Wrangler Laredo, this one commits hardest to the theme.
The Jeep Wrangler Laredo comes in five colours: Bright White, Diamond Black Crystal Pearlcoat, Forged Blue Metallic, Granite Crystal Metallic, and Molten Red Pearlcoat. The tan soft top and sand grille pair with all five, though the visual logic is strongest against the lighter body colours.
Interior — The Theme Goes All the Way Through
The cabin of the Jeep Wrangler Laredo does not pull back from the exterior’s direction.
Air vent covers get cowboy hat graphics. It is the detail that will generate the most divided reaction from buyers — either the right kind of specific and fun, or too on-the-nose depending on individual preference. Jeep committed to it.
Seats are bison brown nappa leather with Mayan Gold stitching. Both colour choices reinforce the desert Southwest palette rather than reaching for a contrast colour. The stitching is visible but not aggressive — it accents the seat surfaces rather than dominating them.
A custom badge on the centre console carries the Direct Connection by Roush branding — this is a Jeep-specific badge for this edition rather than a generic trim badge. On the rear swing gate, a plaque displays a map of Laredo, Texas. It is a small detail in terms of physical size but a significant one in terms of what it signals about how seriously Jeep took the geographic reference. The plaque is not a stock graphic — it is specific to this trim and specific to the city.
Floor mats round out the interior changes. They carry the same branding and colour language as the rest of the interior rather than being a generic add-on.
Who This Is For
The Jeep Wrangler Laredo makes most sense for a buyer who already knows they want a Wrangler Willys with the Xtreme 35 package. At that point, the Laredo trim costs $1,995 more and adds everything described above — the graphics, the bronze work, the leather, the themed interior details. On a vehicle starting at approximately $46,000 before the Laredo trim, $1,995 is a modest premium for the level of differentiation involved.
A buyer who would not otherwise get the Xtreme 35 package is in a different position. They are paying for the Xtreme 35 hardware as a mandatory cost of entry — 35-inch tyres, performance brakes, higher rear axle ratio — before the $1,995 Laredo premium applies. Whether the total package makes sense depends on whether the Xtreme 35 capability was on the shopping list in the first place.
The limited-edition nature of the Twelve 4 Twelve series also matters to some buyers. These are not permanent additions to the Wrangler lineup. When Jeep has released all twelve editions, the series ends. When the twelve editions are done, the Jeep Wrangler Laredo is done. No next year’s version. Buyers who want one have this window.
Price and How to Order
$1,995 on top of a Willys Xtreme 35, which sits around $46,000. Total Jeep Wrangler Laredo starting price: approximately $48,000. Two-door and four-door both available. Orders open later this month through Jeep dealers.
FAQs
Is the Jeep Wrangler Laredo a new model?
No — limited-edition trim, ninth of twelve in Jeep’s 85th anniversary series.
What does the Jeep Wrangler Laredo cost?
$1,995 over a Willys Xtreme 35. Starts around $48,000.
Do you have to get the Xtreme 35 package with the Jeep Wrangler Laredo?
Yes. The Xtreme 35 is required — 35-inch BFGoodrich KO2 tyres, bronze 17-inch wheels, performance brakes, wheel flares, and a higher rear axle ratio all come with it.
When do orders open for the Jeep Wrangler Laredo?
Later this month.
Is the Jeep Wrangler Laredo available in two-door and four-door?
Both.
What engine does the Jeep Wrangler Laredo use?
3.6-litre V6, 285 horsepower. Stock Willys engine.
What is the Twelve 4 Twelve series?
Jeep’s 85th anniversary project — one special-edition Wrangler per month for twelve months. Jeep Wrangler Laredo is month nine.
What is inside the Jeep Wrangler Laredo?
Bison brown nappa leather, Mayan Gold stitching, cowboy hat vent covers, custom console badge, Laredo Texas map plaque on the swing gate.
What colours does the Jeep Wrangler Laredo come in?
Bright White, Diamond Black Crystal Pearlcoat, Forged Blue Metallic, Granite Crystal Metallic, and Molten Red Pearlcoat — all with a tan soft top and sand-coloured grille.
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