Seven trims and a pile of packages, and the one in the middle is the one that is finished for the sand the day it leaves the lot. Here is what each rung of the ladder buys you on the sand, the exact point where the money stops mattering here, and, further down, every version in one checklist.
The opinions on this page come from Beach4x4, our rental company in Kill Devil Hills, whose 4x4s run the Carova beach every day of the season. The Beach Test Drive is our drive-before-you-buy program: a new vehicle, this beach, nobody selling. Planned for summer 2027.
2026 four-door starting prices before the $1,995 destination charge, from Jeep’s site on October 25, 2026. Jeep’s 2027 prices were not settled when we looked.
The base, the sweet spot and the rock crawler
Every Wrangler feels like a Wrangler: upright, close to the glass, the surface coming up through the wheel. What the trims change is how much of the beach you can ignore. Highway 12 below is North Carolina Highway 12, the two-lane road up the Outer Banks; the drive from Kitty Hawk to the Corolla beach ramp is about 45 minutes of it.
Sport
The base
$39,0402026 four-door, before destination
Part-time Command-Trac 4x4, solid Dana axles, the 3.6-liter V6 with a manual or an automatic, a soft top, all-season tires, and a Trail Rated badge it earns. Comforts are thin; the Sport S, $2,400 up, adds most of them.
Aired down, a Sport goes everywhere a Rubicon goes on this beach. The all-season tires are the weak spot in the softest sand; the all-terrains are a cheap option on the Sport S and worth it.
The Wrangler ride, undiluted: the steering wanders a little, the top drums at 55, and the manual makes the trip up Highway 12 feel like a drive instead of a commute.
The driver who wants the Jeep, the top off and the beach, and will put the difference into a weekend here instead.
Willys
The sweet spot
$45,6352026 four-door, before destination
33-inch mud-terrains, a rear locker, rock rails, LED lights, the heavy-duty electrical group, and the Sport S comforts. It is 33-inch tires and a rear locker, like the Rubicon, without the Rubicon’s front locker, 4:1 transfer case and price; the Willys’ 33s are mud-terrains where the Rubicon’s are all-terrains.
The 33s aired down float through the soft stuff, and the rear locker is the backup for the one spot that bites. Nothing to add before the ramp.
Jeep’s Xtreme 35 package on the Willys: 35-inch BFGoodrich KO2s on 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, a 1.5-inch lift, 4.56 axles and 12.9 inches of ground clearance; $4,495 on the 2024, and Jeep’s build tool has this year’s price. On this sand, what you feel is the 35s aired down and the extra inch and a half under the frame; the gears you’d notice on the highway, where the engine turns a little faster.
The mud-terrains hum on Highway 12 and the ride is the Wrangler ride. Forty-five minutes each way is the honest test of whether you’d mind it every day.
The driver who wants a Jeep that is finished for the beach the day it leaves the lot.
Rubicon
The rock crawler
$50,5352026 four-door, before destination
Rock-Trac with the 4:1 low range, lockers front and rear, the electronic sway-bar disconnect, 33-inch BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrains, rock rails and 4.10 gears. The Rubicon X, at $61,230, adds the 35s, leather and a body-color hardtop.
On this beach the Rubicon does what the Willys does: 33s aired down, the rear locker for the one bad spot. The front locker, the 4:1 and the disconnect wait for rocks it never sees here.
The KO2s are quieter than the Willys’ mud-terrains, and the ride is the Wrangler ride. The disconnect does nothing on pavement.
The driver who wheels rocks at home too, or wants the Jeep with every box checked. For the beach alone, the Willys does the same job for $4,900 less.
What the money buys you on this beach
Carova is soft sand, packed sand, ruts and 45 minutes of two-lane each way. That is the whole test. Here is which Wrangler money shows up in it.
What you’d feel
The 33-inch tires, every rut. The rear locker, once a summer. The all-terrains over the all-seasons in the first hundred feet of soft sand. Power windows and air conditioning, all day.
What you wouldn’t
The front locker and the 4:1 transfer case; those are for rocks. The sway-bar disconnect; sand doesn’t flex you. 35s over 33s, beyond a little more float the 33s didn’t need.
What the Sahara buys
Body-color fenders, a nicer interior, the 2.0-liter turbo and the automatic as standard, and 18-inch wheels with the least sidewall on the ladder. No locker. It is the Wrangler for people who mostly drive on pavement, and it still comes up the beach.
Every Wrangler, bottom to top
Starting price, the off-road gear that matters here, and our take. Trims and prices change every model year; the note under the table says which year and when we looked.
| Trim | Starts at | Off-road gear | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | $39,040 | Part-time 4x4, solid axles, all-season tires, no locker | The baseGoes everywhere here; thin on comforts |
| Sport S | $41,440 | Sport with power windows and locks and the option list opened up | The base most people buy |
| Willys | $45,635 | 33-inch mud-terrains, rear locker, rock rails, LED lights, Off-Road+ mode | Sweet spotFinished for the sand as it comes |
| Willys with the Xtreme package | Willys + the package ($4,495 on the 2024) | 35-inch KO2s on 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, 1.5-inch lift, 4.56 axles, 12.9 in. clearance | The Rubicon X’s 35s on the Willys; for the look and the clearance |
| Sahara | $48,910 | 18-inch wheels on all-season or all-terrain tires, turbo and automatic standard, no locker | The pavement Wrangler |
| Rubicon | $50,535 | Rock-Trac 4:1, lockers front and rear, sway-bar disconnect, 33-inch KO2s | The rock crawler$4,900 over the Willys for a front locker you won’t use here |
| Rubicon X | $61,230 | Rubicon on 35s, with leather | The Rubicon for people who want the look finished |
| Moab 392 | $79,995 | 470-hp V8, full-time 4x4, 35s, lockers front and rear | The loudest Jeep on the beach |
2026 model year, four-door starting prices before the $1,995 destination charge, from Jeep’s site on October 25, 2026; two-doors start lower (a Sport from $36,035). Equipment by trim from Mopar Insiders’ 2026 buyer’s guide. The Willys 392, a limited edition at $69,995, pairs the V8 with 35-inch KO2s, a rear locker and the Willys look; it is in the checklist below.
Watch a review, not ours
Two videos, two sets of opinions, neither of them ours. They are here because they are the best we found; we make nothing from either.
The couple behind WAYALIFE ordered a four-door Rubicon sight unseen, before any dealer had a JL on the lot. This is its first drive, up to Lake Tahoe, and their first impressions of the Wrangler that is still on sale today.
Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited first drive and first impressions. WAYALIFE, on YouTube. Model year shown: 2018, the first year of the generation sold today. Plays from YouTube when you press play; YouTube’s terms and cookies apply then.
Cross Jeep in Louisville walks a 2026 Sport S and a Willys side by side, which is the whole decision for most people buying a Wrangler for this beach.
Jeep Wrangler Sport S vs. Willys: which Wrangler should you buy in 2026? Cross Chrysler Jeep Fiat, on YouTube. Model year shown: 2026. Plays from YouTube when you press play; YouTube’s terms and cookies apply then.
Every Wrangler version in one checklist
Jeep sells the Wrangler in seven trims plus the special editions, two body styles, two V8 versions and more packages than a dealer lot can hold. Here is all of it on one sheet: the hardware first, the tops second, then the packages and editions worth knowing. 2026 model year, starting prices before the $1,995 destination charge, from Jeep’s site on October 25, 2026; equipment by trim from Mopar Insiders’ 2026 buyer’s guide. The plug-in 4xe ended with the 2025 model year, so it is not on the sheet.
Every Wrangler has four-wheel drive with a low range and an automatic on the option list. A dash under Full-time 4x4 means part-time: two-wheel drive on the pavement, four on the sand, which is all this beach asks. Full-time is a convenience on wet or patchy pavement, not a sand feature. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
| Version | Four-door, starts at | Engine, as it comes | Manual | Full-time 4x4 | 4:1 low range | Rear locker | Front locker | Sway-bar disconnect | Tires, as it comes | 35s (Xtreme package)9 | Rock rails | On this beach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sporttwo or four doors | $39,040$36,035 two-door | 3.6 V6, manual | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | 31.5-in. all-seasons (245/75R17) | — | — | Goes everywhere here aired down; the all-seasons are the weak spot |
| Sport Stwo or four doors | $41,440$39,685 two-door | 3.6 V6, manual | ✓ | — | — | —1 | — | — | 31.5-in. all-seasons (245/75R17)3 | ○2 | ○4 | The base most people buy; check the all-terrain box |
| Willystwo or four doors | $45,635$43,755 two-door | 3.6 V6, manual | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | — | 33-in. mud-terrains | ○2 | ✓ | The sweet spot; finished for the sand as it comes |
| Saharafour doors only | $48,910four-door only | 2.0 turbo, automatic | ○5 | — | — | — | — | — | 32-in. all-seasons or all-terrains, 18s | — | ○ | The pavement Wrangler; fine up the beach |
| Rubicontwo or four doors | $50,535$46,410 two-door | 3.6 V6, manual | ✓ | †6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 33-in. KO2 all-terrains | ○2 | ✓ | The Willys plus rock gear you’ll leave switched off |
| Rubicon Xtwo or four doors | $61,230$56,560 two-door | 3.6 V6, automatic7 | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 35-in. KO2s | ✓ | ✓ | The Rubicon finished, 35s included |
| Halo models: fun to read about, not what this beach needs | ||||||||||||
| Willys 392four doors only; limited run | $69,995four-door only | 6.4 V8, automatic | — | ✓8 | — | ✓ | — | — | 35-in. KO2s | ✓ | ✓ | The Willys recipe with 470 horsepower |
| Moab 392four doors only | $79,995four-door only | 6.4 V8, automatic | — | ✓8 | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 35-in. KO2s | ✓ | ✓ | The loudest Jeep on the beach |
- No locker option on a Sport S by itself. The Sport S with the locker, the mud-terrains and the rails is the Willys; if you want the locker, buy the Willys.
- The Xtreme package, Xtreme 35 on Jeep’s order sheet: 35-inch KO2s, beadlock-capable wheels, a 1.5-inch lift and 4.56 gears. See Packages below.
- All-terrains in the same size are a cheap option on the Sport S, and the one option that matters most in soft sand.
- Two-door Sport S only, in a package.
- The six-speed manual comes with the 3.6 V6, an option on the Sahara.
- Rock-Trac, part-time with the 4:1 low range, is standard. Mopar Insiders lists a full-time Rock-Trac as a package item; Jeep’s online builder has not been showing it, so ask.
- Four-door Rubicon X: the 3.6 with the automatic. Two-door: the 2.0 turbo. No manual; the Xtreme package it includes requires those.
- Selec-Trac full-time with a 2.72:1 low range, so no 4:1.
- The 35s on the Rubicon X and the 392s ride on 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, the same wheel the Xtreme package brings.
Tops, by version
Most Wranglers come with the Sunrider soft top; the Rubicon X and the Moab 392 come with a body-color hardtop instead. The rest is the hardtop in black or body color, the power top that slides open over both rows, and the group that gives you both tops.
| Version | Soft top | Freedom Top hardtop | Body-color hardtop | Sky One-Touch power top | Dual Top Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sporttwo or four doors | ✓ | ○ | — | — | — |
| Sport Stwo or four doors | ✓ | ○ | — | ○a | ○a |
| Willystwo or four doors | ✓b | ○b | — | ○a | ○a |
| Saharafour doors only | ✓ | — | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| Rubicontwo or four doors | ✓ | ○ | ○c | ○a | ○a |
| Rubicon Xtwo or four doors | † | — | ✓ | † | † |
| Halo models: fun to read about, not what this beach needs | |||||
| Willys 392four doors only; limited run | Jeep’s guide does not list the tops for this one; ask the dealer. | ||||
| Moab 392four doors only | — | — | ✓ | ○ | ○ |
- Four-door only.
- Jeep’s order guide treats the Willys as a Sport S package, so it takes the Sport S tops: soft top standard, the Freedom Top hardtop available, and the power top and the Dual Top Group on the four-door.
- Body-color hardtop is a package on the Rubicon.
The Rubicon X and both 392s come with the body-color hardtop; the Rubicon X’s soft top and power top, and the Willys 392’s tops, are not spelled out in Jeep’s guide, so ask. Sky One-Touch and the Dual Top Group are four-door only.
Packages worth knowing
The option sheet is long. These are the six that change how a Wrangler feels on this beach or on Highway 12, with our take under each.
- The Xtreme packageSport S, Willys and Rubicon: optional. Rubicon X and Moab 392: included. Jeep’s order sheet calls it Xtreme 35.
35-inch BFGoodrich KO2s on 17-by-8 beadlock-capable wheels, a 1.5-inch lift with its own shocks, 4.56 axle gears and a reinforced swing gate. It was $4,495 on the 2024; Jeep’s build tool has this year’s price.
On the sand you feel the 35s aired down and the inch and a half under the frame. Nice. Not needed; the Willys’ 33s do the same beach.
- Sky One-Touch power topFour-door Sport S, Willys, Sahara, Rubicon and Moab 392: optional.
A power canvas roof that slides open over both rows at the push of a button, with the hardtop’s rear glass and quarter panels staying put.
The best beach option on the list if you will not take the whole top off. Open at the ramp, closed for the rain squall, no panels in the garage.
- Dual Top GroupFour-door Sport S, Willys, Sahara, Rubicon and Moab 392: optional.
Both tops: the Freedom Top hardtop and the Sunrider soft top, swapped in your driveway.
Hardtop for a March drive down Highway 12, soft top for July.
- Freedom Top hardtopSport, Sport S, Willys and Rubicon: optional, in black. Sahara: body-color, optional. Rubicon: body-color in a package.
Three panels: two over the front seats that lift off by hand, one big rear section.
Quieter at 55 on Highway 12 than the soft top. The two front panels come off at the beach in a minute.
- All-terrain tires on the Sport SSport S: optional, cheap. Sahara: a no-cost choice on its 18s.
The same 31.5-inch size (245/75R17) as the all-seasons, in an all-terrain tread.
The option that matters most in soft sand on a Sport S or a Sahara. Check the box.
- Steel bumpers and a winchRubicon: the Capability Group, optional. Rubicon X and Willys 392: steel bumpers standard. Two-door Willys: available.
Front and rear steel bumpers; on the Rubicon the group adds an 8,000-pound Warn winch, which the Moab 392 offers too.
A winch on this beach is for the other guy, stuck in the soft stretch past the last house. Good to have, not needed.
Special editions
Paint, graphics and seats on top of a trim you already know from the tables above. None of them changes what the Jeep does on the sand except where noted.
| Edition | Built on | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willys 392 | Its own version, four doors | $69,995 to start | The Willys look with the 470-horsepower V8, 35-inch KO2s, a rear locker, steel bumpers and full-time four-wheel drive. A limited run in Jeep’s Twelve 4 Twelve series; orders opened in March 2026. |
| Moab 392 | Its own version, four doors | $79,995 to start | The first Twelve 4 Twelve release: the V8 with lockers front and rear, 35s, the sway-bar disconnect and a body-color hardtop. |
| Whitecap | Sahara and Rubicon; a $495 version on the Rubicon X | +$2,690 Sahara, +$3,185 Rubicon | Bright White hardtop and grille, body-color fenders, white 1941 stripes. The beach-themed Jeep, by name. |
| Rockslide | Sahara and Rubicon | +$695 | Anvil gray hardtop and grille, blue graphics and blue cloth seats; the Sahara version adds steel rock rails. |
| Rewind | Willys | $48,435 to start, $2,800 over the Willys | Retro multi-color graphics, gold-accented wheels and tow hooks, Nappa leather, on the Willys’ tires, rails and rear locker. |
| America250 | Its own version, four doors | $47,035 to start | A 2026 edition Jeep lists at this price without spelling out what it adds; ask the dealer. |
| 85th Anniversary | Sport S | $47,240 to start | Plaid seat inserts, Steel Oxide wheels, bronze tow hooks, heated seats and wheel, Alpine audio; all-terrains at no charge. |
The beach checklist
What the Carova sand asks of a Wrangler, and what it does not.
- You need
✓Four-wheel drive with a low range. Every Wrangler has it.
✓Tires you can air down to 18 to 20 psi, and a gauge and a compressor in the back so you can air back up at the ramp before Highway 12. Any of these tires will do it; the all-terrains and mud-terrains do it better.
✓The Currituck County beach parking permit in season, to stop or park on the sand; the Currituck 4x4 beach guide has the dates.
- Nice to have
○A rear locker, for the one soft spot a summer that bites. Willys and up.
○33-inch tires. More sidewall to air down, more float.
○A top that opens at the ramp: the soft top, the power top, or the two front hardtop panels.
- Skip for sand
—The front locker, the 4:1 low range and the sway-bar disconnect. Rock gear; it stays switched off here.
—35s over 33s. A little more footprint aired down, which the 33s do not need here. Buy them for the look.
—The V8, except in your ears. The beach limit is 35 miles an hour, 15 within 300 feet of any person.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need lockers for this beach?
No. Four-wheel drive, tires aired down to 18 to 20 psi and a little momentum get a stock 4x4 up and down Carova every day. A rear locker is a nice backup in the softest spots. Front lockers, 37-inch tires and desert-racing shocks are built for places that aren’t this one.
Is the top trim better on sand?
Usually not in any way you’d feel at beach speed, which is 35 miles an hour and 15 near people. The top trims buy horsepower, 35-inch or 37-inch tires and shocks tuned for speed over rough ground. What you’d feel here is the ride on Highway 12, the seat, and whether the tires float, and the sweet-spot trim has all three.
Can I try one on this beach before I buy?
Yes. The Beach Test Drive, our drive-before-you-buy program planned for summer 2027, puts shoppers in new Broncos, Wranglers, Gladiators, Silverados and Rams for five and a half hours on the Carova sand, the whole family along and no salesperson. Until then, Beach4x4, our rental company in Kill Devil Hills, rents 4x4s for this beach by the day or the week.
Why the Willys and not the Rubicon?
On sand the Rubicon’s extra hardware stays switched off: the front locker, the 4:1 low range and the sway-bar disconnect are for rocks. The Willys has 33-inch tires and a rear locker like the Rubicon, costs about $4,900 less, and has done this beach for us every day for years. If you also wheel rocks at home, buy the Rubicon.
Is the Willys worth it over a Sport S?
The four-door Willys is $4,195 over a four-door Sport S. For that you get the rear locker, 33-inch mud-terrains in place of 31.5-inch all-seasons, rock rails, Jeep’s Off-Road+ mode and the heavy-duty electrical group. A Sport S with the all-terrain box checked does this beach; the Willys does it with margin to spare. If the beach is a once-a-summer trip, the Sport S with all-terrains is enough. If you will be on the sand every week, the Willys is the better buy.
Which Wrangler versions come with a locker?
A rear locker is standard on the Willys, Rubicon, Rubicon X, Willys 392 and Moab 392; the Rubicon, Rubicon X and Moab 392 add a front locker. The Sport, Sport S and Sahara have none; there is no locker option on a Sport S, because the Sport S with the locker, the mud-terrains and the rails is the Willys.
Is the Xtreme package worth it for beach driving?
Jeep’s Xtreme 35 package, on the Willys and the Rubicon: 35-inch KO2s, beadlock-capable wheels, a 1.5-inch lift and 4.56 gears. On the sand you feel the bigger tires aired down and the extra clearance, and it looks the part. The Willys’ 33s do the same beach, so buy it for the look and the clearance, not because Carova needs it.
Can I get a two-door Wrangler for the beach?
Yes. The Sport, Sport S, Willys, Rubicon and Rubicon X all come as two-doors, starting about $1,800 to $4,700 under the four-door. The Sahara and both 392s are four-door only. On the sand a two-door is a little lighter and turns tighter; the back seat is the trade.
Sources
- Jeep, 2026 Wrangler trims and starting prices (checked October 25, 2026)
- Mopar Insiders, 2026 Jeep Wrangler buyer’s guide
- Autoblog, the 2026 Wrangler Willys 392
- Edmunds, 2026 Wrangler Willys 392
- Fontana Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, the 2026 Wrangler Willys trim
- InsideEVs, the plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe ends with the 2025 model year (January 2026)
- Autoblog, 2026 Jeep Wrangler vs. 2026 Ford Bronco (January 12, 2026)
Prices on this page are the makers’ published starting prices on the dates shown and change with every model year. Dealers in The Beach Test Drive program sell to its drivers at the factory invoice, which is a different number; that program explains it. Opinions on how each trim feels are ours, drawn from the published equipment lists and from running four-wheel drives on this beach.
Related: Which 4x4 for the beach? All the comparisons · The Beach Test Drive, summer 2027 · The Jeep Wrangler on Outer Banks beaches · Best tires for sand · How to air down · Beach driving setup