Doors Off: Open-Air Cruisers
This week’s introduction of the Jeep Recon increases by one the count of new vehicles in which a person can remove the doors. Once exclusively part of the “It’s a Jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand” lifestyle, being able to cruise doors-free is a remarkably unique feature in a highly litigious America.
[Images: Ford, Jeep]
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The mighty Wrangler has been the poster child for such hooliganism for years, of course, stretching all the way back to CJ days when most people simply called it a ‘Jeep’. Some of the great unwashed still do. Over the years, the process for removing a Wrangler’s doors has arguably gotten easier, shifting from fussy and damage prone solid pins to Torx-50 bolts unfastened with a special tool kit included with every model. Same goes for the Gladiator.
A new, and largely unreported, change for the 2026 model year makes the process even easier. Rather than fuss with two T50 bolts on each door, the new process simply involves flicking a toggle-type lever on part of the hinge facing inside the cab.
One still needs to unplug an electrical connector and unhook a fabric check strap, of course, but the need to haul out a set of tools to remove the doors for a bit of free wheeling fun has vanished.
Blame, or thank, competition. When the new Ford Bronco arrived on the scene as a direct competitor to the Wrangler, it did so with a like-minded ability to remove its roof and doors. Ford arguably built a better mousetrap with its removal system than Jeep.
Which, we strongly suspect, is the reason Jeep went back to its own drawing board for the 2026 model year. A rising tide lifts all boats, and so forth - or at least drags people into other showrooms.
