[ad_1]
2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392
Class: Compact Crossover/SUV
Miles driven: 211
Fuel used: 15.7 gallons
Real-world fuel economy: 13.4 mpg
Driving mix: 70% city, 30% highway
CG Report Card | |
---|---|
Room and Comfort | B |
Power and Performance | A |
Fit and Finish | B |
Fuel Economy | D |
Value | C- |
Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide’s impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
Big & Tall Comfort | |
Big Guy | C+ |
Tall Guy | C+ |
Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. “Big” rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, “Tall” rating based on 6’6″-tall male tester. | |
Drivetrain | |
Engine Specs | 470-hp 6.4-liter |
Engine Type | V8 |
Transmission | 8-speed automatic |
Drive Wheels | 4WD |
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 13/17/14 (mpg city/highway/combined)
Fuel type: Premium gas
Base price: $73,500 (not including $1495 destination charge)
Options on test car: Firecracker Red Clear-Coat paint ($245); Trailer-Tow Package ($350); Cargo Group with Trail Rail system ($195); all-weather floor mats by Mopar ($165); Sky One-Touch power top ($2000); integrated off-road camera ($595)
Price as tested: $78,545
Quick Hits
The great: Brawny V8 supplies vigorous acceleration and one-of-a-kind high-performance attitude, off-road capability
The good: Control layout, upscale interior trim for a Wrangler, broad range of options
The not so good: Seriously thirsty for premium gasoline; luxury-brand pricing, on-road ride/handling refinement, so-so cargo volume
More Wrangler price and availability information
John Biel
One could wonder what exactly was “unlimited” about the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the 4-door version of the jeepiest of Jeeps. It might have been the passenger capacity with the addition of the second seating row. It might have been the all-terrain capability with the room take along a few more adventurers and their stuff. A cynic might say it was the sticker price.
Or it could stand for power now that there’s an available 392-cid (6.4-liter) Hemi V8 in the lineup.
In a 2021 that was supposed to be about electrification, what with the eTorque mild-hybrid system added to the Wrangler’s 3.6-liter V6 and a plug-in-hybrid 4xe version coming onboard, Jeep slipped this sledgehammer into showrooms too. It’s not the first factory-installed V8 in the off-road icon—when American Motors was Jeep’s parent, it offered its 304-cid V8 in the 1972-81 CJ, Wrangler’s ancestor. Available only on the Rubicon, the most trail-friendly Unlimited for the least friendly of trails, the 392 cranks out 470 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 470 lb-ft of torque at 4300 rpm. It’s an engine that sees a fair amount of use in Stellantis North America products, with horsepower ratings ranging from 410 (in Ram trucks) to 485 (in Dodge Charger and Challenger R/T Scat Packs). In the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, where it’s connected to an 8-speed automatic and a 3.73:1 rear axle, it is capable—Jeep says—of going from zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and covering a quarter mile in 13 seconds.
First Spin: 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L
In mud or when lumbering over trail obstacles, sometimes slow but steady wins the race, but the Rubicon 392’s extra zip should be appreciated by sand-dune-hopping drivers who want to get gone without getting bogged down. It is the first Wrangler to feature dual exhausts, and the system is fitted with dual-mode control for “quiet” or full-throat “performance” sound (the latter opens up electronically controlled valves). A “Hydro-Guide” hood scoop not only brings in cooling air for the engine but it screens out water from entering the intake in wet conditions.
First Spin: 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe
The powerteam certainly proved itself extremely strong in Consumer Guide’s urban street and highway testing, though it was equally thirsty. This reviewer averaged 13.4 mpg after driving the Rubicon 392 for 117.2 miles, 63 percent of that in city-type operation. The EPA saw this coming: It rates the Hemi Wrangler at 13 mpg in the city, 17 mpg on the highway, and 14 combined. While the engine’s generous torque makes for fast action on the street, it’s interesting to note that the new hybrid’s two electric motors and 2.0-liter 4-cylinder gas engine combine to make exactly the same amount of twist but with the promise of far better fuel economy.
[ad_2]
Source link