Much like they’ve done with removing the company name from the front end because “the seven-slot grille is the logo,” Jeep has concocted an advertisement for its all-new JL Wrangler that says it all by not really saying much. Take one brand-new two-door Rubicon, show it splashing through deep water and climbing the correspondingly wet ledges, and voila – advertising simplicity at its finest. No music, no visible people, no distractions; just a Jeep doing its thing, and showing off in the process.
As much a commentary on the JL Rubicon as a vehicle as it is on broad, sweeping statements made by car commercials as a whole, the Super Bowl spot takes aim at other automakers’ “all talk, no show” advertisements and in the process does so in its own way. The brand instead uses the Wrangler’s ability to tackle a decently difficult off-road obstacle to remind viewers of the company’s own so-called “manifesto,” which is accurate to an extent being that the company’s reputation is built on the mantra of unparalleled off-road capability. This is somewhat interesting (or is it ironic?) in that many of the JL’s changes over the JK it replaces are direct improvements to its street-friendliness; attention to NVH, creature comforts, and live-ability, as Kamil found out recently.
Still, it’s readily apparent that Jeep wants buyers to know that the Wrangler remains the company’s halo car, and that they still pride themselves on four-wheel-drive prowess above all else. It’s a good spot, and there’s no questioning that the Wrangler, especially in Rubicon guise, is an immensely competent wheeler with its locking diffs and electronically-disconnecting swaybars (among other slew of toys). That said, the driver definitely had some excess speed going into the water and in climbing the upper tier of the ledge, more so than I’d hit any of the aforementioned obstacles with, but it certainly looks good on camera. Take a look for yourself in the video above.