Hitting the trail is a bad enough ordeal for nature, so why make it worse by spewing exhaust at them, right? That said, here’s a better way of enjoying the great outdoors in a 4 by 4 with one less blow to the environment: the all-new 2026 Jeep Recon. And no, it is not second or third gen. After much waiting, the Jeep Recon EV concept that debuted in 2022 is finally an official automobile money can buy.
I know, right? It’s hell of a wait for loyalists, but it’d be worth it for this big guy is “the only fully electric Trail Rated SUV” delivering rugged capability in a fully electrified form. Under the hood, the purpose-designed electric architecture boasts authentic 4xe capability, and has, at your disposal, 650 horses and 640 lb-ft (868 Nm) of instant torque.
That’s enough torque to turn mild terrain into politely rearranged landscaping. And with a 0-60 mph sprint of 3.6 seconds, the Recon EV moves like a Wrangler that just got scolded.
Built from scratch as an electric bruiser, the Recon uses Stellantis’ front and rear electric drive modules, each at 250 kW, to deliver true electric 4×4 traction. None of that “FWD-most-of-the-time” nonsense. It is full EV grunt, all the time, shaped by Jeep’s Selec-Terrain management system with modes for Auto, Sport, Snow, Sand, and Rock. Rock mode turns the Recon into a slow-crawl showoff with torque control so clean you’d think the trail was politely moving out of the way.
The Moab trim takes it even further with a 15:1 rear final drive ratio, an electronic locking rear differential, and 33-inch tires, giving you 9.1 inches (231 mm) of ground clearance. Approach, departure, and breakover angles are 33.8, 33.1, and 23.3 degrees, respectively—very respectable numbers for an SUV that also happens to have removable doors and glass. Yes, removable glass. Jeep clearly wants the Recon to be your open-air escape pod.
Design-wise, this thing is Jeep DNA all the way. Upright posture, squared corners, a seven-slot grille—except now the grille glows. The face looks like a Wrangler got invited to a sci-fi convention and came back with illuminated rings and U-shaped running lights. Every panel looks chiselled, but not “mall-crawler” chiselled. More like “I can climb that ridge, and I will.”
The removable doors require zero tools, because Jeep knows people aren’t about to carry a socket set to Starbucks. Same for the Sky One-Touch powertop. Hit a switch, and it opens up the cabin like a convertible that went off-road and never came back.
The inside feels like Jeep raided both a hiking store and a tech startup. You get a big passenger grab handle (of course), scuff-resistant surfaces, modular storage, and a two-tier center console designed to swallow gear instead of hope. Up to 65.9 cu ft (1,867 liters) of cargo space with seats folded, plus a frunk big enough for a carry-on suitcase—this is the kind of practicality that helps justify the purchase to spouses.
Screens? Jeep went wild. You get more than 26 inches of combined display area, including a 12.3-inch cluster and a massive 14.5-inch center touchscreen. New digital HVAC controls maintain a clean dashboard, while physical knobs keep you from rage-tapping the screen on bumpy terrain.
Uconnect 5 runs the show with Amazon Alexa, Dynamic Range Mapping, BEV status pages, and the new Trails Offroad app—pitch, roll, trail data, all in one place. Think of it as a digital trail buddy that doesn’t complain about snacks or mosquitoes.
The cabin uses recycled materials throughout, and the Joshua Tree tan interior in the Moab trim channels that “I touch sandstone on weekends” personality. The Capri non-leather surfaces look good and keep things ethical. Even the carpets and mats pitch in on the sustainability theme.
Jeep also includes a premium Alpine system as standard, cleverly relocating the speakers away from the removable doors. So your playlist won’t drift into the forest when you take the doors off.
The 2026 Jeep Recon starts at US$65,000.
Anyhoo, if you ever wanted a Wrangler-like trail machine that won’t asphyxiate wildlife while flexing instant torque, this is it. The Recon EV is here, and it is very ready to electrify the peace out of your next adventure.
Images: Jeep.
