Photo: Jeep
The first-ever Wrangler with a plug-in hybrid powertrain is now available to configure, and it’s not cheap. $48,240 excluding destination charge for the four-door Sahara trim level makes the 4xe noticeably more expensive than the Sahara Unlimited V6 with a manual, which starts at $39,505.
Exclusively offered with four doors, the plug-in hybrid model is also available as a Rubicon and High Altitude. Playing with the configurator also reveals only one color at no additional cost, Uconnect 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment with built-in satellite navigation, and plenty of roof options. The Sky One-Touch Power Top is the most expensive of the lot at $4k.
All three versions of the 4xe feature a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with direct injection, the TorqueFlite 8P75PH automatic transmission, and a 17-kWh battery pack that powers two electric motors. The liquid-cooled eTorque motor-generator unit mounts at the front of the engine, and it replaces the alternator. Located at the very front of the transmission case, the second and more powerful electric motor is key for all-electric driving.
Maximum system output is rated at 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) of torque, which is more than adequate for a body-on-frame SUV of this footprint. There is, however, a more impressive alternative in the guise of the gas-guzzling 392 HEMI that offers the same amount of torque and 470 horsepower from 6.4 liters of displacement and natural aspiration.
Care to guess why did the higher-ups and engineers decide on four cylinders and a turbocharger instead of a more exciting powerplant? “We are committed to making Jeep the greenest SUV brand,” explains head honcho Christian Meunier, “and the Wrangler 4xe is part of that goal.”
Manufactured in Toledo, Ohio alongside lesser versions of the Wrangler, the plug-in hybrid powertrain needs six seconds to hit 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) with the bone-stock 275/55 by 20-inch all-season tires. All-electric range is rated at 25 miles or 40 kilometers, which isn’t too shabby for a curb weight of more than 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms).
All three versions of the 4xe feature a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with direct injection, the TorqueFlite 8P75PH automatic transmission, and a 17-kWh battery pack that powers two electric motors. The liquid-cooled eTorque motor-generator unit mounts at the front of the engine, and it replaces the alternator. Located at the very front of the transmission case, the second and more powerful electric motor is key for all-electric driving.
Maximum system output is rated at 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) of torque, which is more than adequate for a body-on-frame SUV of this footprint. There is, however, a more impressive alternative in the guise of the gas-guzzling 392 HEMI that offers the same amount of torque and 470 horsepower from 6.4 liters of displacement and natural aspiration.
Care to guess why did the higher-ups and engineers decide on four cylinders and a turbocharger instead of a more exciting powerplant? “We are committed to making Jeep the greenest SUV brand,” explains head honcho Christian Meunier, “and the Wrangler 4xe is part of that goal.”
Manufactured in Toledo, Ohio alongside lesser versions of the Wrangler, the plug-in hybrid powertrain needs six seconds to hit 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) with the bone-stock 275/55 by 20-inch all-season tires. All-electric range is rated at 25 miles or 40 kilometers, which isn’t too shabby for a curb weight of more than 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms).
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