I suspect it has to do with the unlockable jeep skins. Back in the day, racing games didn't have vehicle damage for a while after it became possible graphically to show it because if devs got the lisence to use real cars, the manufacturers wanted to showcase only the pristine state of their models. Over the years, many car manufacturers who've become accustomed to these deals have learned that allowing vehicle damage makes for better games and a net benefit to their brand. However, not all companies have learned this. For example, American Truck Simulator doesn't show vehicle damage becasue the big-rig truck companies who give permission to use their vehicle models won't allow it. I suspect the Ranger vehicles can't be destroyed like in JPOG because Jeep (not a brand with much experience being featured in video games) wanted to showcase the new 2018 JL Wrangler model as unlockable skins and like any car manufacturer who doesn't understand video games, they refused to let their babies be seen in a state of disrepair... even though it's Jeep.
I'll also note that the tour cars in JPOG, while obviously made to look like the SUVs from the movie, were not (iirc) officially "Ford Explorers". Like with the GTA series, the devs of JPOG made an adequate look alike to skirt around needing permission to use the real model from the manufacturer. In contrast, the unlockable skins for the JWE Ranger buggy say specifically "2018 Jeep Wrangler" and "1993 Jeep Wrangler".