First Drive: The 2027 Jeep Recon Delivers On The Electric Wrangler PromiseAutoblogChase BierenkovenWed, September 9, 2026 at 4:01 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleAutoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Spiritually, I think the new Jeep Recon is the brand's first real stab at an electric-only Wrangler alternative. Jeep will say that nothing approaches the Wrangler, that the SUV is its own thing, et cetera. Those things are true, but when the doors come off and the windows come out, comparisons are inevitable.Here's another Wrangler comparison, and one that resonates throughout the Recon. Those of us who love old cars often attribute "charm" to objective flaws. Doesn't run right? Well, at least that engine's got character! The Recon has "charm," too, just like the Wrangler, and just like the XJ-generation Cherokee that Jeep says inspired the new model. As I learned on my test drive of the Recon in California, that line between charm and flaw is a thin one Jeep is really good at walking.At Its Jeepest: The Recon Can Hang Off-RoadChase BierenkovenView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementRain was the prevailing weather condition during our drive of the Recon, and it forced a change in Jeep's off-road segment. With the longer portion rained out, Jeep modified it, limiting my time in the Recon to this water crossing and a downhill rock-crawling segment, though from what I heard, we didn't miss much more off-road action.Predictably, the Recon nailed both. It'd be a real problem if it couldn't. The Recon's electric four-wheel drive system did a good job navigating these obstacles and clambered through the two-foot-deep crossing without so much as a stutter.Jeep says the Recon has more than 33 degrees of both approach and departure angles, and points out that's more than Rivian's R2, a comparison it may not want to invite. Despite that potentially dangerous reminder that the Rivian R2 exists, the Jeep feels much more out-of-the-box capable than something like the R2, at least from the very limited time we were given with the SUV. I'd like to be able to say more, but the course was shorter than ten minutes.No matter how short the off-road segment was, the power impressed. With 670 horsepower and 620 lb.-ft. of torque, the Recon is faster than most sports cars, hitting 60 in a claimed 3.6 seconds. Range, though, suffers at the hands of all this power and four-wheel-drive capability, with an estimated 240 miles on tap. This is particularly disappointing compared to similar four-wheel-drive rivals, like the 300+ miles found in the Rivian R2. Simply put, the Recon needs more battery than its chassis can hold.A Jeep Both On And Off-RoadChase BierenkovenView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementWe spent far more time on the road, where the Wrangler parallels continue. First, the bad. Like the abysmal Wagoneer S, Jeep still hasn't quite figured out how to make its EVs creep along between 0-5 mph well. On the off-road segment, I struggled to modulate the throttle well, lurching to and fro across the rocks. Fiddling with the regen and the dedicated Creep button, which makes the car roll along like a traditional car, didn't yield an improvement.The Jeep's suspension is also a low point. Despite its strong clearance (9.1 inches in the lifted Moab trim), the Recon's suspension is not on par with something like the R2. Whereas the Rivian's suspension feels magic, the Recon's almost always has secondary motion to it. Meaning: if you hit a rock, there's the initial compression and rebound from the impact, followed again by another compression and rebound.Chase BierenkovenView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleHowever, the Recon was quiet at normal highway speeds, was easy to see out of and park, and the tech worked just fine. Despite the overly bouncy suspension, the Recon is at least comfortable to drive when you're not pushing its limits on the trail. Moreover, the seats held up well across a long day of driving.Some Jeep Tricks Will Distract You From The Recon's FlawsChase BierenkovenHere is where we get to the "charm versus flaws" argument. The Jeep doesn't ride great, certainly not like some other EVs. But do those other EVs have sick detaching windows and doors? Heck no. This process is simple, user-friendly, and is perhaps the Recon's biggest selling point. All you have to do is unplug the wiring harness, lift the pin up, and pull the door off the hinge. Windows are even easier, with a push and a quarter turn being all you need to remove the rear glass at the quarter windows and on the tailgate.Chase BierenkovenView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementThe whole Jeep Thing is about a little whimsy, even if it comes at the cost of some objective upsides owners might expect in a more road-oriented car, like a composed and quiet ride. The Recon isn't cheap, at $66,995 MSRP for the Moab trim, and its interior is definitely a little "Jeep." There's some really cheap plastic in the interior, especially on the upper door cards and the dash ahead of the wheel.Chase BierenkovenView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleThe sound system is more of the same: audiophiles won't love this Alpine system, and I'd hate to hear what the base sound system is like. But again, these things are less important if you can offer the average buyer a little fun in exchange for nailing that stuff. The Recon's one-touch panoramic convertible roof is nearly $2,000, but worth every penny. It's unbelievably fun to off-road with no doors, windows, or roof, and you'll forget about some of the Recon's other problems given enough time rolling down the trail like this.Final Thoughts: The Jeep Experience Demands CompromiseChase BierenkovenView the 2 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Recon checks all the boxes Jeep fans will want it to check: the off-road capability is almost certainly there, the SUV's doors come off, and I had fun when there was as much outside air inside the cab as possible. Start to expect the Recon to act like the rest of these midsize electric SUVs, and things fray at the edges. In the end, you've got to be a kind of person to drive a Jeep, and the newest Recon is no exception. It's about as "Jeep" as EVs get, and I like that.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Sep 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Reviews section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.