Jeep Wrangler 4xe Hybrid Revealed With 50 MPG-E, 375 Horsepower/470 LB-FT Torque!

[Bren]

Can it recharge itself under gas power only?

This was a big question of mine too. Would be great to use my battery getting out of the city, let the gas engine recharge the battery, and then have EV power available on the trail or at the campsite. Press release mentions a toggle between "Battery Save" and "Battery Charge" modes, so here's hoping.

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[Bren]

While I agree with the principle of this, let's not neglect the size of the batteries in question. The Tesla has up to a 100kW battery. The 4xe has 17kW. So, the cost to replace the 4xe battery, while not insignificant, should be substantially less than replacing the battery from a BEV with a 100kW battery.

Also battery costs continue to decline. By the time these need a battery, the costs should be lower, and/or the battery that's replacing the old one would be even more capable. There's some precedent for this, the OG Tesla Roadsters offer an upgrade to a new battery with significantly more range, essentially modernizing the car. Some BMW i3 owners have also done this, replaced the gen 1 battery with gen 2 and gaining 50 extra miles.

It doesn't concern me that much. Especially given the tax credit.

 

[Young04]

If the Pacifica Hybrid pricing is any indication... The hybrid model costs about $5-6k more than the comparable base models. That difference diminishes as you climb the trim ladder. The limited models are the same starting price for either power train. However, the devil is in the details with options. For instance, you can't get the stow and go seats in the hybrid because the batteries are in the space where the seats would stow.

Also, watch out for stupid cost cutting measures on the 4xe. If FCA does the same thing they did in the Pacifica, the hybrid will be missing some options when compared to comparable non-hybrid trims. Examples: no LED headlights, less ambient lighting, no memory seats. FCA has been slowly adding these back over the years.

Issue though is that the Pachy Hybrid and gas models make roughly the same power. The Wrangler 4xe makes a lot more. I'm guessing 5K more than the diesel...

 

[RubiTuesday]

Yeah, basically the opposite use case as the diesel whose emissions control systems do not like frequent short trips.

 

[Bren]

Okay, has anyone though about what the cost is going to be after your warranty runs out? Better empty every pocket!

How is this different than a normal Jeep?

 

[cjaama]

Issue though is that the Pachy Hybrid and gas models make roughly the same power. The Wrangler 4xe makes a lot more. I'm guessing 5K more than the diesel...

So, $11k over an IC Wrangler? I don't think so. I know you own one, but why "Pachy"?

 

[Bren]

That's a good point.

Having never owned one of these types, how does mileage rack up on the odometer? Is there an odometer for the battery, or does mileage incur on the vehicle separate from the ICE?

One odometer. Some vehicles track how many of those miles were electric in the onboard computer, and also how many battery "cycles" the vehicle went through, which a future buyer can take into consideration but when it comes to "official" mileage its still one number.

 

[cjaama]

While I agree with the principle of this, let's not neglect the size of the batteries in question. The Tesla has up to a 100kW battery. The 4xe has 17kW. So, the cost to replace the 4xe battery, while not insignificant, should be substantially less than replacing the battery from a BEV with a 100kW battery.

The battery is warrantied for 10 years or 100kmi/150kmi in the Pacifica. I see no reason to believe it would be different for the Wrangler.
"The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is backed by a 5-year/60,000-mile Basic Limited Warranty. Beyond that, the High Voltage Battery Limited Warranty is good for 10-year/150,000 miles in zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) states and 10-year/100,000 miles in non-ZEV states. Currently, the 14 ZEV states include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington."

 

[Bren]

Im reading different things on the release

They said in the video by the end of the year but articles like this are saying next year?

December in the US, other markets early 2021

 

[RubiTuesday]

Yeah, if I was in the same situation now as I was when buying the 2018 JLUR I'd go for this PHEV in a heart beat.

Simply because I could get to work on all E, plug in at work for free, then get home on all E.

Fun fact from our Pacfica Hybrid: You must use gasoline - or the car will force you to use it. What?!? During COVID, our driving habits allowed us to exclusively use the electric range for several weeks we used no gas. Then, up pops a message that says something like "Oil and Fuel Refresh mode." This forces the ICE to run all the time in order to cycle your engine oil and prevent your fuel from going stale. The message goes away when it detects that you've added fuel (some sources say that you must get the low fuel light first - I haven't tested it).

https://www.pacificaforums.com/thre...e enters Fuel,fuel level warning is activated.

 

[Bren]

Glad they found a way to make my Jeep heavier and take out storage space.

Other than that, I will look at it when it comes out before I totally write it off.

I don't think any storage space is compromised, unless you were carrying groceries in your sub frame. It does say rear seat is redesigned.

 

[Bren]

Fun fact from our Pacfica Hybrid: You must use gasoline - or the car will force you to use it. What?!? During COVID, our driving habits allowed us to exclusively use the electric range for several weeks we used no gas. Then, up pops a message that says something like "Oil and Fuel Refresh mode." This forces the ICE to run all the time in order to cycle your engine oil and prevent your fuel from going stale. The message goes away when it detects that you've added fuel (some sources say that you must get the low fuel light first - I haven't tested it).

https://www.pacificaforums.com/threads/oil-refresh-mode-analysis-and-solutions.30330/#:~:text=If the vehicle enters Fuel,fuel level warning is activated.

BMW i3 does this too. It's called "maintenance mode". Gas gets old and needs to be cycled through.

 

[Bren]

I did not follow electric tax credit closely, shouldn't them being phased out by now?

Every manufacturer gets 200,000. Tesla and GM have burned through all of theirs. Everyone else still has some. FCA has a lot, given they haven't sold many electric units.

 

[Young04]

So, $11k over an IC Wrangler? I don't think so. I know you own one, but why "Pachy"?

That's bad typing/writing by me. It should be PacHy (PACifica Hybrid). Not capitalizing the "H" was a typo. But I wrote Pachy Hybrid so that's redundant.

I hope I'm wrong about the pricing. But FCA, like everyone else, is in the business of making money. People that want the benefits of the 4xe (which I think are greater than the diesel) are going to be expected to pay more than the diesel.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Probably not. The batteries appear to be located above the water fording depth anyway.

How is this different than a normal Jeep?

JEEP = Just Empty Every Pocket

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