In 1990, development of a successor to the YJ began in Chrysler's "Jeep-Truck Engineering Pre-Program" department under Bob Sheaves and TJ program director, Craig Winn.

Mules based on the YJ were built from 1990 to 1993, when formal approval was given for the TJ development program at a $260 million budget.

In late 1992, Michael Santoro's TJ proposal was chosen by Tom Gale, Lee Iacocca, and executive management.

In May 1993, now with engineering and supplier input, Santoro's final Wrangler production design was frozen at 32 months ahead of initial assembly.

[citation needed] Instead of leaf springs, this updated Wrangler featured a modern coil-spring suspension, front and rear, based on that of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, for better ride and handling, and a return to the classic CJ's round headlamps.

The interior seats also changed design, going from a rounder model to one with a distinct separation between back and headrest areas.

A right hand drive version of the TJ was available for export markets, and was also offered for sale to U.S. rural route postal carriers.

For the 2005 model year, Jeep released the Rubicon Unlimited, combining the same wheelbase of the standard Unlimited, but sharing the drivetrain of its shorter Rubicon sibling including such features as front and rear Dana 44 axles with the Rock-Trac NV241 four-wheel-drive system, diamond plate rocker guards, 245/75R16 Goodyear MT/R tires, a six-speed manual or the optional 4 speed automatic transmission, as well as some minor comfort and convenience features not available on other Wrangler models.

The new model incorporated a number of significant changes – both in regard to its predecessor, as well as compared to its Wrangler basis.

Perhaps the most obvious change is the addition of dual passenger doors, making the Storm II the first five-door Jeep Wrangler derivative.

Under the hood, a new 2.4L "Power-Tech" Inline Four-Cylinder (I4) gas engine from the Jeep Liberty KJ producing 147 horsepower and 165 lb.

ft. of torque replaced the 2.5L Inline Four-Cylinder (I4) gas engine that was shared with the Jeep Cherokee (XJ).