Enter the Jeep Wrangler Dragon

JEEP has added a limited edition Asian-themed 'Dragon' variant to the very top of its hardcore Wrangler line-up.

The Dragon gets a bodykit over the four-door Unlimited Overland on which it based, plus some interior highlights, and is available now from $51,000 plus on-road costs.

This makes it the dearest Wrangler available in Australia, coming in at $2000 more than the top-spec Rubicon Unlimited automatic.

Available only in a black exterior colour, the Dragon features styling flourishes such as a spare wheel cover with a Dragon motif, charcoal metallic Dragon logos covering the bonnet, front fender front and rear doors and B-pillars on the passenger side of the vehicle.

The grille and headlight surrounds are finished in bronze 'satin gloss', as are the front and rear Jeep badges.

Other external additions include a Mopar fuel filler door with bronze bolts, a body coloured three-piece hard-top, black sunrider soft-top and 18-inch alloy wheels finished in bronze satin gloss.

Jeep has continued the theme in the cabin with black Nappa leather interior trim with contrasting bronze stitching and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with bronze spokes, while the front seats feature a laser-etched embossed dragon pattern.

The dragon pattern also appears on the floor mat in the cargo area and the aforementioned bronze colour is featured on the door grab handles As with the Unlimited Overland it is based on, the Dragon comes standard with Jeep's 'Uconnect' Bluetooth phone and sat-nav system and a reversing camera.

Power comes from the same 209kW/347Nm 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol engine matched with a standard five-speed automatic transmission and the Dragon rides on dual-purpose Bridgestone 255/70R18 Dueler BSW all-terrain tyres.

Fiat Chrysler Australia CEO and president Veronica Johns said the attention-grabbing styling of the limited edition model is likely to appeal to buyers looking to stand out from the crowd.

“The Dragon edition takes the key strengths of Wrangler and takes them in a bold new styling direction for a selective, individualist buyer,” she said.

“This limited edition model announces itself with unique style whether in the city or on tough off road trails.” Jeep updated the Wrangler range in March last year with a new petrol engine and five-speed auto ensuring reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Earlier this year, Jeep launched a very limited edition 10th anniversary edition of the Wrangler Rubicon, with just 30 examples of the hard-core variant available to Australian buyers.

The Wrangler went on sale in 1996 with a complete overhaul in 2007 and while Jeep is keeping its plans for the next-generation version under wraps, some reports have suggested it will surface sometime in either 2015 or 2016.

Jeep has sold 2462 Wranglers in Australia to the end of October this year compared to 2156 in the same period last year, marking a 14 per cent jump for the iconic 4x4.