This generation of Jeep’s iconic off-road SUV marked the third major chapter in the modern Wrangler line, arriving for the 2007 model year. Jeep’s own history materials identify the Wrangler (JK) as the 2007–2018 Wrangler generation, and note that it brought both the two-door Wrangler and the four-door Wrangler Unlimited into the lineup as part of an all-new era for the nameplate. The JK was a significant step in the model’s evolution because it kept the classic open-air, body-on-frame Wrangler formula while adopting a more spacious, more refined package than its predecessor.
The JK is especially important in Wrangler history because it introduced the first factory four-door Wrangler Unlimited in the modern era, broadening the vehicle’s appeal beyond the traditional short-wheelbase enthusiast market. Jeep positioned it as a more versatile interpretation of the brand’s core off-road identity, combining trail-focused capability with greater everyday usability and passenger comfort. Over its run, the JK became one of the most recognizable Wranglers ever sold and helped define the model’s popularity with both longtime Jeep loyalists and new buyers.
Production ended after the 2018 model year, when the Wrangler was replaced by the next-generation JL. The JK therefore represents a single, continuous production period from 2007 through 2018, rather than a revived or interrupted nameplate.