The 2021 Jeep Wrangler is one of few SUVs that is instantly recognizable. Aside from its quirky styling, the Wrangler remains a body-on-frame off-roading SUV capable of going just about anywhere. As you’d expect, however, most of these SUVs will never even go off-road.

According to a study by iSeeCars, the Wrangler is absolutely worth buying for one major reason, even if you have no intentions of going exploring in it.

Why do so many people love the 2021 Jeep Wrangler?

There is no denying that a major aspect of the 2021 Jeep Wrangler’s appeal comes down to its styling. As far as modern SUVs go, there aren’t many boxy options available. Additionally, they’ve all begun to look relatively the same. This is what allows the Wrangler to shine.

If we’re looking at the 2021 Jeep Wrangler purely as an SUV, it doesn’t exactly impress. According to Consumer Reports the Wrangler flunked is road test. The off-roading SUV struggled in key areas such as ride quality, noise levels, braking, emergency handling, and fuel economy. To add insult to injury, Consumer Reports gave it a very low predicted reliability rating, ranking this SUV as one of the worst mid-sized SUVs available.

Despite this, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler managed to score an excellent predicted owner satisfaction rating. Since Consumer Reports surveys actual owners, it seems these key driving and reliability drawbacks aren’t enough to overcome the Wrangler’s charm. As a result, plenty of owners report being happy with their purchase. However, there is one other major reason why they should be happy.

This 1 advantage will save you thousands

Aside from offering undoubtedly quirky styling, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler is popular thanks to its affordable $28,315 base price. However if you want the best of the Wrangler you can move up the trim levels and spend over $42,635 for a Rubicon. Unlike other SUVs, you won’t mind spending big dollars on the Wrangler.

According to a study by iSeeCars, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is by far the least depreciating brand-new SUV. On average, this capable off-roader loses 30.9 percent of its value over a five-year period. This amounts to a total loss of $12,168. For context, the average depreciation rate for five-year-old vehicles is 49.1 percent. Even if you don’t go for an Unlimited model, the regular Wrangler is still a phenomenal buy. According to iSeeCars, the standard model loses around 32.8 percent.

As a result, buying the more expensive 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is actually the way to go. While there are many contributing factors to this excellent depreciation stat, it likely has to do with the styling. If you look at the U.S. car market, there aren’t very many square off-roading SUVs. As a result, if that’s what you want, you have almost no other choices. So while buying a family-oriented SUV may make sense from a usability perspective, you will lose thousands.

You should buy off-roading SUVs in general

If the 2021 Jeep Wrangler isn’t for you, you should still buy an off-roading SUV. In the same iSeeCars study, the Toyota 4Runner also topped the list of least depreciating SUVs. iSeeCars reports that the 4Runner loses 38.5 percent of its value on average of a five-year period. As a result, owning the Toyota will cost you around $16,325.

On top of that, Consumer Reports gave the 4Runner an excellent predicted reliability and owner satisfaction rating. So if you want a solid SUV that doesn’t depreciate, you’re best off looking at one that can go off-road.