Jeep’s First EV, The Recon, Steals The Wrangler’s Soul And Grand Wagoneer’s Swagger

8 minutes reading

Wednesday, 9 Sep 2026 04:01 0 7 autotech

Jeep is different from other brands. The best analogies are Harley-Davidson and Ferrari. Because these companies are so iconic, they can sell “merch” to people who will never own their actual products. And Jeep’s seven-slot grille is a brand unto itself, as much a design language as the side view of a U.S. Army Willys. Now they’re coming with the first-ever Jeep EV, and given the chatter I’ve read online, you’d think the sky is falling. Many people who don’t own Jeeps are vocal critics of the Recon without ever seeing it in person, let alone driving it. I’ve done both. The verdict? The Recon is terrific. But it has some serious competition in the form of the Rivian R2.

Go Naked!

The very best arrow in Jeep’s quiver – a weapon no rival can offer – is the ability to remove the doors of the Recon. That requires nothing but pulling a cotter pin at each door and unplugging the wiring harness (also a tool-free operation). This is exactly the setup on the Wrangler. Even if you don’t feel like removing the doors, you can get some fresh air by unfurling a cabin-length (and $1,995 option) One-Touch Sky Slider roof.

These Are One-of-One Offerings In The EV Segment

2026 Jeep Recon
Jeep
2026 Jeep Recon
Jeep
2026 Jeep Recon
TopSpeed | Michael Frank

This roll-top lid is far better than a fixed-glass panel because it exposes both rows to an open-air experience, and you can remove the glass adjacent to the hatch area as well as the backlight. Doing so feels very much like having a five-seat convertible, and whether you were off-roading as we were or cruising around town, there’s simply nothing else in this class (let alone any EV) that offers this kind of fun. The fact that you’re in something without a gas engine is also an advantage, because you can hear your surroundings, whether that’s pounding surf or just the rustle of a forest breeze. The advantage to leaving the doors on but removing the rear windows is that Jeep makes sleeves specifically for carrying that glass with you, since weather happens. Replacing the aft windows is an exceedingly simple operation, requiring turning very straightforward locking toggles.

More Muscle Than You’ll Ever Need

With a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds, 670 horsepower, and 620 pound-feet of torque, trust me, this thing flies. (Yes, testing that acceleration is part of the job.) All-wheel drive comes via dual, front-and-rear EDMs (electric-drive modules). These are capable of doling out 335 horses each, and mete out that power by constantly adjusting to available traction. Floor it at 40 mph, and you can induce a tire chirp, but even from a standstill the system is adapting to grip — or its absence.

The Recon Is Quick, But Built For Comfort

At 6,112 pounds, the Recon struggles in especially sharp corners. It’s notable that the Rivian R2 weighs 1,100 pounds less, and gets an adaptive suspension. Jeep emphasized that it wanted the multilink suspension to have great articulation for better off-road capability (see below), and it delivers. But without any adaptive ride technology as you’ll find on its Grand Wagoneer cousin, it’ll bang off its bump stops if you really hammer it through corners. The best daily use of all that propulsion will be in passing lanes on straightaways and broader sweepers, not pretending you have Porsche 911 agility simply because you have that kind of horsepower.

The Overland Edition Will Be More Civilized

Next year, the Overland edition with street tires arrives. (That will have closer to 250 miles of range per charge vs. the 222 miles of the Moab we drove.) Notably, the 33-inch Nexen tires on the Moab exhibited zero tire rumble on pavement, and credit is due to Jeep for getting that specification right. Even if Moab buyers will off-road some of the time, it’s hard to find an off-road-worthy knobby that’s quiet enough for an EV, but that’s exactly what you’ll get on the Recon.

Legit Off-Road Chops

Jeep knows their competition in this segment. Officials name-checked the Rivian R2 repeatedly. And with 9.1 inches of ground clearance and a 33.8-degree approach angle and 33.1-degree departure angle, those are far better numbers than the R2 (25 and 26, respectively). The R2’s 9.6 inches of ground clearance bests the Jeep, and Rivian offers multiple modes for off-roading, too, like Jeep’s Select-Terrain traction management system that has rock, sand, auto, and snow drive modes. But Jeep plays an ace, in addition to those better angles, by offering a locking rear differential. That proved absolutely necessary in a few scenarios where we were lifting one wheel fully into the air while navigating extreme rock-crawling terrain.

A Super Attractive, But Unfussy Cabin

Jeep’s dancing a delicate line with the Recon. One of their marketing folks discussed the Recon in the context of GMC, a brand that charges Cadillac premiums without the “shininess” of that label. Jeep, at the Grand Wagoneer tier, swims in those waters. Here, with Recon, they have to pick off a buyer who might like to drive an EV but wouldn’t get near a Tesla and maybe fears that the Rivian brand reads a bit “coastal.” As such, Jeep downplays the fact that some of the interior materials are more eco-friendly, whereas Rivian openly promotes such choices. The Recon also shows a maturing of the EV sector. Rather than elaborate high-tech controls that may mesmerize the user but are also impossible to navigate quickly, Jeep takes a back-to-basics approach, retaining volume and tuning knobs and keeping climate menus within the central display. You can also get to all your camera angles without a deep menu dive, which is critical during off-roading.

Knowing Its Customers

Jeep also added very on-brand elements, like standard hardware-store-style Torx fastener heads used to attach various interior accessories. This will enable eventual Mopar accessory swaps, but also customization by customers, which is a subtle nod to the open-source, 3D-printed parts movement that Slate Auto is pushing. And of course, well before that, Jeep owners have been avid customizers for decades, and just because this powertrain is electric, Jeep brand managers didn’t want to stifle that impulse.

Why Rivian’s R2 Is THE Recon Rival

There are a few reasons the Rivian R2 sits in Jeep’s sights. The R2 Performance boasts a 3.6-second 0-60 MPH time, and nearly as much mojo, with 656 horses. But its maximum cargo capacity of nearly 80 cubic feet bests the Recon’s 65.9 cubic feet. The Rivian can also output 11kW of shore power, which makes it an ideal off-grid energy supply for camping. The Recon’s 110-volt wall-plug-style outlet is handy for juicing a laptop or a GoPro, but it’s not enough voltage to run a home fridge during a power outage like the R2 could.

How Much Does Range Matter?

The added blow is a 330-mile range with the R2 Performance, far outdistancing the Recon’s 222 miles. Still, range is one of those metrics that probably matters less to a buyer in a $60,000-plus segment — buyers at this price point typically have other vehicles available to them. And price may not matter as much as you think. If you spec the Rivian R2 with all the niceties that come stock on the Moab edition of the Recon, you’re getting near this $68,990 (with destination) sticker.

TopSpeed’s Take

There’s an argument nobody seems to make about the Recon that Jeep can absolutely use on the sales floor: entry height. Haul yourself up into a Gladiator and then walk over and merely step into the Recon, and you’ll immediately appreciate that (since there’s no exposed drivetrain) you can have nine inches of travel without having to climb up before each drive. Also, you don’t have to hoist a toddler up into a car seat.

This is what buyers of the soft-roading Toyota bZ Woodland appreciate, too. Is that a legitimate cross-shop? Probably not. But Rivian — and soon, Scout — absolutely are. And speaking of that, don’t think Jeep is standing pat with the Recon. I’d bet that in addition to a Grand Wagoneer EREV (battery propulsion with gas-engine backup) coming soon, Stellantis is exploring a plug-in hybrid configuration for the Recon. Because that would be a significant advantage for off-roading and would increase towing capability. So it’s wiser to think of the Recon as a beta test of electrification for Jeep as the brand moves forward. And watch this space for way more to come.