Way down yonder in east Tennessee, there’s a Jeep event hotter than a moonshine still. A large community of Jeep enthusiasts meet for an annual event called Smoky Mountain Invasion. It’s believed to draw 20,000 Jeep vehicles and 50,000 attendees. This year, one Jeep took center stage as the 2027 Jeep Wrangler Smoky Mountain, the tenth drop in the brand’s Twelve 4 Twelve Wrangler series.
Image courtesy of Jeep
“Few places capture the spirit of the Jeep brand quite like Smoky Mountain Invasion,” says Branden Coté, Jeep brand CEO. “This event brings together thousands of members of the Jeep community who share a passion for adventure, freedom and the outdoors. The Wrangler Smoky Mountain special edition celebrates that connection, honoring the people, the place and the passion that make this gathering so special, while delivering the legendary capability, open-air freedom and personalization that define every Jeep Wrangler.”
This special edition features trim-specific Smoky Mountain hood decals inspired by “the rugged peaks and winding trails of its namesake.” Other exterior features include 17-inch smoky black wheels, Gloss Black seven-slot grille, color-matched hardtop, and fender flares.
Image courtesy of Jeep
I reckon the full black example here is a nice hat tip to the area’s large black bear population. The National Park Service estimates that Great Smoky Mountains National Park has about two black bears every square mile (hide your picnic baskets!), so is it any wonder that a mama bear and her cub appear atop the gearshift knob? It is surrounded by Black Ferndale cloth bucket seats with Terracotta accent stitching and metallic Blaze Orange accents – they’re heated so your tuchus will be nice and warm during cold conditions. Additionally, each power-adjustable front seat features a textured pattern that looks like diamond plate, plus the head rests are embossed with a 1941 Willys parachute graphic — a graphic that also appears on a special rear swing gate plaque in front of a “star-filled Smoky Mountain night sky.” The rest of the interior is finished with anodized carbon trim rings that feature a smoky finish.
The Wrangler Smoky Mountain already comes standard with 33-inch tires, though customers can choose to upgrade to 35-inch BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrain tires. Underneath you’ll find the familiar steel rock rails, Dana 44 front and rear axles, locking rear differential, 4.10 axle ratio, and trailer hitch that you’d expect from Jeep.
Image courtesy of Jeep
The 2027 Jeep Wrangler Smoky Mountain special edition is exclusively available on four-door Wranglers with 2.0L and 3.6L engines with automatic transmissions. Sadly, this package will not be available on Wranglers with a manual transmission.
As someone with family who lives within Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, I can say it almost makes too much sense for Jeep to make a vehicle based on this region. In addition to the trail-heavy environment, breathtaking views, and the aforementioned annual Jeep hoedown, one can feel a sense of community whether you’re standing in Knoxville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, or Gatlinburg. It reminds me of the type of community that comes with owning a Jeep (or so I’m told).
Image courtesy of Jeep
Interested in adding this Smoky Mountain Jeep Wrangler to your driveway? It will cost you $80 more than a four-door Wrangler equipped with the Willys trim package (for context, a four-door version would run you about $48,230). Still interested? You can place an order right here — and be sure to send us postcards from the next Jeep Jamboree.
