- if you're a jeep wrangler shopper and you want the openness of a half-door, with a lower opening and removable windows, it's time to head over to the 2021 wrangler configurator.
- the cost for the half doors depends on how many you need (two or four) as well as whether you choose the base or premium upper half. not all paint colors are available with the half door, either.
- the dual-door group option has been available to order since the fall, but deliveries are just now starting, as jeep forum users are quick to point out.
if you're shopping for a 2021 jeep wrangler, you can now pay more to get less. less door, anyway, which some people think means more fun.
jeep has added half doors to the configurator for the new jeep wrangler jl. true to form, jeep has kept the names for these options as byzantine as its trim designations, so for the curious, the key things to look for on the website are the terms "dual-door group," which come with either "premium uppers" or "base uppers." as jeep fans know, the term dual door is used because when you add this group option, you actually get two sets of doors: the standard pair and a set of half doors where the metal is actually lower for a larger opening and removable windows. you can swap them out any time you want.
jeep knows how to promote its half-door option, saying on the wrangler configurator site that half doors are "not as confining as full doors" (points for honesty) and that they offer "a different driving experience." for example, in case the windows get muddy or broken or otherwise obscured when driving on a trail, "half doors give you unobstructed views to ensure you are staying on course," jeep says, without mentioning that when you use a half door, you don't have windows that simply roll down.
the difference between the two kinds of half doors is that the premium style uses a fabric similar to the jeep's soft top, while the base half doors are more of a plasticky vinyl to again match the base top. the premium half doors also come with heated mirrors and speed-sensitive power locks, while the base half doors do not.
adding half doors isn't free, to be sure. the lowest-cost way to get them is on a two-door wrangler, where the base uppers cost $2350 and the premium uppers are $2550. on the four-door wrangler, the costs are either $3995 (base) or $4395 (premium) but playing around with the configurator shows that not every 2021 wrangler paint color is available with the half door option. specifically, the dual-door group is available with the following exterior colors: billet silver, black, bright white, firecracker red, granite crystal, hellayella, hydro blue, sarge green, snazzberry, and sting gray. it is not available with chief blue and nacho exterior colors.
people have been able to order the half-door option since the fall, and jl wrangler forums are full of people patiently—or impatiently—waiting for their vehicles to arrive as jeep wrangler models with the new dual-door group are only being delivered to dealers now, jeep has confirmed to car and driver.