2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon First Test—Maximizing Our PHEV Fun

We share our readers' enthusiasm for plug-in hybrids that enable some peaceful, quiet electric driving while eliminating range- and charging-anxieties. Jeep's Wrangler 4xe has been America's top-selling PHEV for two years now, and with some enhancements made for 2024, we figured the time was right to get one in and live with it to fully explore its charms and quirks.

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EV-Like Acceleration (With the Engine On)

When you drop the hammer in this rig, its turbo four-banger and two faithful electric sidekick motors cause this Wrangler to rear back and lunge forward almost like the good ol' pushrod Hemi 392. We got our best results by selecting 4Hi Auto and engaging the Off-Road+ mode, which disables traction control. At 5.6 seconds to 60 mph and 14.2 seconds through the quarter at 96.5 mph, it's about a second behind the Wrangler 392, but using 4WD instead of 2WD means this 2024 4xe was a full second quicker through the quarter and hits the mile-a-minute mark 1.2 seconds ahead of our last Wrangler 4xe.

Pretty Pokey as an EV

Trigger the Electric button located between Hybrid and E-Save) down by your left knee, then take care to restrict your right foot to about 75 percent of the accelerator's travel, and you'll glide around town or up the Rubicon Trail in blessed (near) silence. It's devilishly hard to measure max electric acceleration without triggering the engine, but our test team managed to log a 0-60-mph time of 17.0 seconds en route to a 20.6-second, 64.4-mph quarter mile. That sounds glacial, but we merged easily with traffic and never felt "in the way." (You might be surprised how little of this vehicle's peak performance you will utilize in daily traffic.)

We plugged in every night at home and every time the office charger was free. With a full battery, the Wrangler 4xe in electric mode usually predicted 21-25 miles of range and generally delivered at least 18 in winter temps, while never feeling lethargic. Well, except for one day when, for no apparent reason (plenty of battery power, we'd been driving for quite some time in dry, sunny weather with the cabin warmed, etc. ), the engine-on threshold suddenly dropped to 25 percent throttle. After cycling the ignition, full e-power returned.

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Awesome Screens

Stellantis is an industry leader in providing copious info worth viewing on its infotainment screens (now rendered in high-def on a 12.3-inch display), from SRT Performance Pages to the first factory application of Trails Offroad. The Vehicle/E-Hybrid screen options include a power-flow diagram enhanced by a live digital indication of the instantaneous kilowatts being provided by the engine or battery and consumed by the climate control or battery (during regen-braking or engine-charging). It told us the E-Save generator mode directs about 8 kW into the battery on flat, level ground at 45 mph (peak Level 2 charging is 7.2 kW, so it's probably matching that rate). Hit the brakes or lift in "max regen" mode, and that number soars to 40 or more kW. Note that charging while driving is not the environmentally conscious way to top up the battery pack, but between E-Save's battery-preservation and generator modes, you should always be able to arrive at a trailhead ready to enjoy miles of quiet four-wheeling. History pages show two weeks of daily bar charts summarizing energy regenerated (we mustered quite a tall 15 kWh column on the testing day) and miles driven on both gas and electric power (we had a tall amber gas column on testing day, surrounded by largely blue days). These screens can help determined drivers optimize their battery usage—especially in winter.

Guilt-Free Remote Starts

Remote-starting a combustion car to warm the interior isn't even legal in many countries, but when you warm up the cabin (and battery) in an electrified vehicle, the local air can remain utterly unfouled. This is best done while plugged in, but we warmed a 40-degree cabin to a cozy 70 on battery power before a short trip, and only consumed 5 percent of its energy. Note that, as with most EVs, you can schedule daily cabin preheating for up to 15 minutes (hopefully while plugged in). That's handy if you depart at the same time every day. The electric cabin heater is powerful and fast acting. One morning with no pre-conditioning, using the seat and steering-wheel heaters, we warmed up in just a few miles—possibly faster than in a gas-burner. Pro tip: Set a slightly higher temperature with a low fan speed, with the mode set to feet and vent registers. Gently warming the hands and face makes you feel warmer faster, taking a smaller bite out of the battery.

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Power Boxing

One of the biggest upgrades for 2024 is the capability of bidirectional charging on certain models, which benefits customers by way of a box with four 120-volt outlets that plugs into the charge port (so it only works when parked). The Power Box is capable of exporting 30 amps of power, so long as neither of the duplex outlets draws more than 15 amps. We tested this with a 12.5-amp space heater plugged in to one side and an 11-amp chainsaw plugged into the other. It all worked great until we stalled the chainsaw blade, temporarily spiking the current draw. But plugged in alone, my air compressor didn't work, because start-up current is 20 amps. The manual says that Power Box current will fire the engine when the battery runs low, but that's only in "generator mode," which must be activated by pressing the "Max Regen" button, so it switched off when the battery voltage dropped to its minimum point. A couple other times when the breaker tripped, unplugging the Power Box for 10 seconds per the manual's instructions failed to reset it. Pro tip: The owner's manual does not contain the words "Power Box"; instead, search "Off-Board Power Panel." This gizmo now comes standard on Sahara, Rubicon and High Altitude 4xe models.

Factory Winch—Enables Recovery, Dulls Handling

Another much-anticipated feature added for 2024 is the availability of a factory-installed 8,000-pound Warn Winch (a $1,995 option on our Rubicon X model). Factory installation brings the comfort of knowing the vehicle meets crash-testing standards with the feature, but as in other Wrangler variants we've tested with and without the winch, mounting that hefty lump way out in front compromises dynamic handling, exacerbating understeer and costing the 2024 model a full second in our figure-eight test relative to the 2021 model 4xe Rubicon we tested. It still out-paced our last Wrangler 392 (V-8s are nose-heavier, and the 392 suffered extreme traction/stability-control intervention). Another troubling finding on the figure eight: After heavy (non-ABS) braking into the turns, when lifting off the brake pedal, there was a noticeable delay before the brakes actually released.

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A Couple Caveats

Per the owner's manual, if you park where temperatures drop to -22 or rise above 131 degrees F, the vehicle may not start unless it's plugged in so that the high-voltage system can condition the battery. The manual suggests plugging the vehicle in whenever it's not in use to account for such issues, and it notes that if you plan to leave your 4xe unplugged for extended periods (a month or more), you should disengage the electric parking brake and disconnect the 12-volt battery to prevent the system from waking up every two weeks to trickle-charge the 12-volt battery. This could eventually cause both batteries to go flat, creating bigger problems.

Bottom Line

PHEVs in general are neat, and this one's ability to allow owners to tread softly and quietly through the wilderness makes it particularly attractive. If you're willing and able to plug in at home every night, it can reward you with remarkably low operating costs—especially if you schedule charging to happen when electric rates drop. And even if you don't install a Level 2 charger, the 120-volt charger can top it up overnight, or about 12 hours. Those who can't/won't plug in daily will need to justify the $7,600 base-price premium over a 2.0-liter combustion-only Rubicon by closing the performance gap with the $30,150-pricier Wrangler 392. (That's not a bad bargain, either—don't judge.)