Car and Driver trashes the 4xe

[multicam]

I’m really not sure why you’re contorting yourself to justify the author’s disingenuous reporting. And it IS disingenuous — the fact is that the entry level 2.0T and the entry level 4xe are not directly comparable simply because they are optioned so differently. He conveniently omits that fact entirely!

All the author had to do was to say something along the lines of “The base Sahara 4xe is $X more than the base Sahara 2.0T, but when the 2.0T is similarly equipped to the 4xe the difference drops to $Y. The Rubicon is similar at $A base, but $B similarly equipped.“. That would have been factual, accurate, and given readers the complete picture.

Yes, 100% correct- this is standard practice in auto journalism (or at least it should be). I don’t really care about C&D or the 4xE but this is pretty basic stuff.

Sponsored

 

[wranglerbro]

Typical C&D article written with bias.

If this dude was getting 16mpg, then he was driving it like a bat out of hell.

 

[csjlu]

I'm confused. Do you think that the 4xe Rubi isn't available with cloth seats?

Perhaps before you post about particle physics you could, I dunno, open up the 4xe build page and check whether or not cloth seats are available.

Might be a good idea. YMMV, though.

I meant Sahara vs. Sahara 4xe. My mistake, but same argument applies. it is a forced upgrade on the Sahara 4xe. And I was on the build page, which is what informed my post….you can choose whatever seating material you like as long as it’s leather, which is a deal killer for me. I fumbled which trim I was looking at, my apologies, was being careless.

 

[Sjbiss]

From the article. While technically correct, this is a misleading statement. For low speed driving (which is virtually all city driving) it’s torque that matters, not horsepower. That instant torque curve of an electric motor allows for quick acceleration from stop to city cruising speed.

100% agree. I use all electric for most of my driving and the 4xe has way more acceleration and is much better to drive than my JK with the 3.6l

 

[Sjbiss]

Like anything else though, it completely depends upon the use case.

For me (working from home with a few errands during the week & local trails on the weekends) the 4xe will be incredibly efficient. Especially since I’ll be installing my own Level 2 charger day one and be able to charge after each trip. I’ll be in pure electric mode for most of my weekday driving.

Agreed. Depends on your use case. I can drive 75% electric for normal daily driving based upon my needs.

 

[Sjbiss]

Proving what point? I mean, you can simply look at the discussion on price. It's incredibly disingenuous since it doesn't compare an apples-to-apples Wrangler. I've read C&D for 25+ years. Love the publication; this is just bad journalism.

I priced a gas vs hybrid Rubicon with the exact same options. 4xe was 3-4k more but actually came out less with the $7500 federal and $1100 state tax incentives. To say it is $10k+ more is not factually accurate.

 

[Deleted member 68761]

Don't kill the messenger:
https://www.caranddriver.com/review...rangler-unlimited-rubicon-4xe-by-the-numbers/

 

[yngrshr]

I priced a gas vs hybrid Rubicon with the exact same options. 4xe was 3-4k more but actually came out less with the $7500 federal and $1100 state tax incentives. To say it is $10k+ more is not factually accurate.

 

[aldo98229]

100% agree. I use all electric for most of my driving and the 4xe has way more acceleration and is much better to drive than my JK with the 3.6l

Well, the last part is true of any JL.

 

[Dryver]

I'm not a fan of climbing or descending rocks and 40º slopes with an extra 800 lbs under a back seat and a 4 banger overheating, long after a battery and two useless electric motors have quit.

I don't mind that extra 800 lbs under my back seat in such situations as it gives it a lower center of gravity, and thus a better chance of not rolling.

The battery and electric motor never actually quit. They just become supplemental instead of the primary motive force.

 

[S2k Chris]

Like anything else though, it completely depends upon the use case.

For me (working from home with a few errands during the week & local trails on the weekends) the 4xe will be incredibly efficient. Especially since I’ll be installing my own Level 2 charger day one and be able to charge after each trip. I’ll be in pure electric mode for most of my weekday driving.

Same here. I have no illusions that the 4xe doesn’t work for everyone, but i think it will work for me (mine should be here next week). I don’t have a problem with anyone who says “it doesn’t work for me”, but I do think it’s not fair to say “It doesn’t work for me so it’s stupid/bad/whatever”. I think there are lots of Wrangler owners who spend most of their time close to home, and this would work well for them. I can’t see buying any Wrangler (except maybe a diesel) for regular driving, but YMMV.

 

[Low_Spark]

I think what you are seeing with the reaction to the 4xe in Car and Driver, and frankly parts of this forum, is anxiety and desperately clinging to the petrol past. Change is scary and hard, but it is one of the few constants. Is the 4xe the future? No, but it's a bridge to a more sustainable future, and some people will never be able to cross it. This is a perfect microcosm of our society, people will hate and fight the change because it's not for them, either they don't understand it, or they see themselves being left behind by it.

From Henry Ford in 1922:
"Whatever we may regret about it, the old world as we knew it can never come back. It can never be the same again. Even if every human being on the globe devoted himself to reconstructing the old world as it was, it could not be done."

https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/fear-of-change

 

[JGlanton]

I think what you are seeing with the reaction to the 4xe in Car and Driver, and frankly parts of this forum, is anxiety and desperately clinging to the petrol past.

OMG! Now THAT reads like a desperate ad hominem attack on people who have a different point of view. Lowbrow post of the day.

 

[Low_Spark]

OMG! Now THAT reads like a desperate ad hominem attack on people who have a different point of view. Lowbrow post of the day.

Its not an attack, I welcome different view points when they are intelligently expressed and articulated. I'm talking about the flippantly dismissive half assed troll jobs like the C&D article, if that triggers you I'm sure there's a rock you can go crawl under.

 

[aldo98229]

I don’t hate 4Xe. I even took a close look at it. I was that intrigued.

I already shared my comments on 4Xe on other threads.

IMO, 4Xe is a compromised solution that works very well for a small group of buyers. None of whom are likely to read Car and Driver.

If you belong to that small group, get one, collect the nice tax credit and enjoy the Jeep.

Sponsored