I feel like if it were the limited EV range or the high price tag, I might be more interested.
That said, I'm sure that little bit of electricity can help quite a lot with fuel economy, and I totally understand that I'm not the target audience.
My wife and I were bumping along one of the many dirt roads that cross the nearby Ocala Forest.
Hey, this is kinda fun, we agreed. Just us and nature.
"Do we want a Jeep?" My wife asked.
My reply: Our old 2000 Subaru Impreza wagon could have handled all of this–and without the challenging entry and exit, lackluster highway manners and, finally, the $73,095 price tag. (Once the Jeep 4xe uses up its 21 miles of electric range, it gets about 20 mpg combined. The 25-year-old Subaru? About 21 or 22, depending on drivetrain.)
But, yes, more than 70 large for this Jeep Wrangler Willys ’41 4xe. That includes the plug-in hybrid drivetrain plus some retro touches that would make Gen. MacArthur proud, like the olive paint and steel-looking wheels.
Too much dough? A standard Wrangler Sport starts at $32,960. That gets you two doors plus the 3.6-liter V6 paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Color me intrigued.
The Wrangler Willys ’41 starts a little higher at $40,190.
You want to electrify that experience? Now add 10 grand.
Perhaps the biggest kicker, at least for naïve me: This is one of the best-selling plug-in hybrids in the U.S. That 21 miles of range might cover most daily commutes but, at least for me, it’s not going to take me to the mountains.
The Jeep did get plenty of waves, though. Sadly, however, no ducks. (Not that I’m bitter.) The giant, one-touch sunroof quickly lets in the open air. No fiddling with tops, no questions about where to store things.
The Wrangler Willys ’41 isn’t as hardcore as the Rubicon, however, as that one gets both front and rear lockers plus sway bar disconnects. It fetches about $1500 more. Your call as to where the Willys fits into the market.
Now I’m wondering: If I drop a 0 from the Jeep’s price, how much Subaru could I buy and build today? Could I stitch together a decent WRX? Maybe fit some suspension, skid plates wheels and tires?
I’m not going to climb boulders. I’d just want to get off the beaten path a bit. But for those who do want to get as far off the road as possible, some 85 years later, the Jeep still exists.
The Wrangler 4xe Willys 41 EV drivetrain seems to round out some of the rough spots on the JL/JT platform for me. My wife daily drives a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and, in comparison, the Wrangler 4xe's EV mode takes what could be considered a rugged driving experience and makes it more like a Prius–just a fast, tall Prius.
The 4xe Willys is surprisingly quick and comfortable for being a capable 4x4 and, with the package we tested, a unique-looking one. In a time when the roads are full of Jeeps, the olive-green paint and Willys 41-specific wheels really make this Wrangler stand out in a crowd.
On top of the looks, the Sky One-Touch Power-Top makes going topless much easier than the standard hard top. No need to store big fiberglass panels and worry about getting caught in the rain and having to scramble to put them back on. With the One-Touch, just like a sunroof, the top peels back, allowing you to enjoy the fresh air.
However, it’s not all positive praise. In my short time with the Wrangler, I used up the entire EV range just running errands around town in a single afternoon. To me, 21 miles of all-electric range is kind of a joke in a time when electric cars are getting 300-plus miles of range.
I know that this is just a plug-in hybrid, but I still would have expected a bit more EV range. I can still see why so many people would choose the 4xe when shopping for a Wrangler, as that bump in fuel mileage can add up over time, especially if your main travel is short trips around town.
I feel like if it were the limited EV range or the high price tag, I might be more interested.
That said, I'm sure that little bit of electricity can help quite a lot with fuel economy, and I totally understand that I'm not the target audience.
In reply to Colin Wood :
When we shopped the 4xe Wranglers and both of those reasons are why we didn't go with one even though we were looking at used cars. Did we need a Rubicon? No, but it we actually found one in budget and it is the cool version.
The Jeep is currently charging in the driveway.
This popped into my head as I just glanced outside to check the charging status light.
Okay but those rims are Dope.
I have always wanted a jeep and never pulled the trigger. I have a Willy's truck. Like a real one, not the trim level gladiator. I should really get one (but mine will be used for sure).
I also wouldn't mind the 20 mile (under ideal conditions) battery range so much if the hybrid system properly reverted to a state that also continued getting the HEV benefits after the battery-only range was exhausted... But it doesn't even do that either. It seemingly reverts to a 'gas only' mode rated for the exact same 20mpg combined as the V6, which is slightly worse than the 21mpg combined of the I4T without any hybrid system. What a joke!
Especially for that kind of money, I would expect more like the Ford Escape. Being available in ICE, HEV, and PHEV, when the PHEV runs out of battery-only range it still actually gets slightly better than the HEV economy... Which is already 30% better than the ICE economy.
Comparing the 21 miles of all-electric range to a BEV that is not carting around a full ICE powertrain is misunderstanding the point. It's a mild hybrid that allows you to plug it in if you want. That 21 miles of pure electric range is basically a free gallon of gas every day. And based on how we're racking up mileage on our daily driver, our daily average is right around 21 miles. It's easy to increase the all-electric range of a PHEV, you just put more battery in it. Which costs money and adds weight. I suspect Jeep did some math there.
Chris, look at your experience this way: you did all your running around using the EV power. Then, when you're done, you plug in at home and you start again on the next trip. With only about 15 kWh of battery, it'll charge pretty quickly. That's about 2 hours on my NEMA 14-50 plug.
You can put numbers into the plug-in hybrid calculator on fueleconomy.gov if you want to see the effect - that's a fun toy. I told it my average daily mileage was 40 miles and my annual average is 15,000. I also told it to use Florida electricity costs. It came out to just over 29 mpg on average ($1616 in gasoline at $3.15/gallon) with another $449 in electricity. This is the 100% commuter situation, that 40 miles a day is all I use the car for.
If I set my average daily to 20 miles and leave the annual at 15,000 (I like to road trip!), I'm at 38 mpg average and $670 in volts. Funnily, the total cost goes up because now 50% of my driving is beyond the electric range (those road trips).
Obviously we're not specifying a $10k hybrid option just to save money. I can tell you that my wife LOVES not having to go to the gas station. You also get the EV advantages of being able precondition the interior, I assume. Or at least, I hope you do because that's an awesome thing. You should also have more available torque when offroading which is always welcome.
Otherwise, it's a Wrangler. They're not really good at being cars despite the fact that most of them are used that way. But they're pretty solid at running trails, even if they have grown very large.
nocones said:Okay but those rims are Dope.
The rims have grown on me.
I should not read your Jeep reviews. I'm not sure you should do Jeep reviews.
nocones said:Okay but those rims are Dope.
I was thinking that as well.
Unfortunately they, like whatever the option is right now/past few years that mimics a HMMWV in color and wheel style, will get bought up by posers and the perpetual veteran-boots for cosplay reasons and I'll grow to hate them.
This is an aftermarket version, but I've seen too many kitted up the exact same way for it to not be an official version.
(A "boot" is someone that just joined the military and is way too deep into looking/acting like they are in the military, they typically grow out of it. Named because you act like you are still ij boot camp and because they typically wear their issued boots everywhere)
In reply to Mr_Asa :
I’d agree that, yes, there might be a cosplay element going on here. Who am I to judge, right?
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