Does a 4xe make sense for me?

[Yolobaggins]

Previous Wrangler owner here. Had a 2019 and loved it for the most part but decided it wasn't a family vehicle for my new child and wife (at the time).

However, wife now has at the family vehicle, 3 row SUV and now I am in the market for another vehicle, looking at Wrangler and Gladiator

So this vehicle will be my toy, so why not go back to a Wrangler

I am questioning however if the 4xe would be worth it

I work from home so I will not be using this as a daily driver but for shorter trips around town (stores, errands, quick trips, for fun, etc). It will be much lower mileage than the 3 row SUV has that can fit 3 car seats and will be used for longer trips, baby pick up, etc.

Was wondering if I could get owner thoughts?

Thanks!

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[lindaspins]

It's great for gas-free local driving, handling is surprisingly civilized on the highway, and it checks all my boxes for offroad control.
Also, it makes me break out in a stupid grin when I hit the accelerator.
Have you driven one yet?

 

[diesel_dave]

If you don't drive much, then the economic benefits probably won't ever pay for the higher upfront cost. But if that doesn't matter to you, then it is a very powerful drivetrain and it is nice to scoot around town in EV mode. If you live somewhere very cold there are additional caveats.

 

[NC31]

If you are thinking of leasing then the 4Xe could actually be a better deal than similarly-equipped ICE. Otherwise it doesn't look like you will drive enough to really benefit.

 

[Bzinsky]

Previous Wrangler owner here. Had a 2019 and loved it for the most part but decided it wasn't a family vehicle for my new child and wife (at the time).

However, wife now has at the family vehicle, 3 row SUV and now I am in the market for another vehicle, looking at Wrangler and Gladiator

So this vehicle will be my toy, so why not go back to a Wrangler

I am questioning however if the 4xe would be worth it

I work from home so I will not be using this as a daily driver but for shorter trips around town (stores, errands, quick trips, for fun, etc). It will be much lower mileage than the 3 row SUV has that can fit 3 car seats and will be used for longer trips, baby pick up, etc.

Was wondering if I could get owner thoughts?

Thanks!

4xe owner here, basically in same situation. I also buy cars with a lot of math, I want the most vehicle I can get for the least amount of money, and this does not involve the purchase price. It involves interest, depreciation, fuel, insurance, repairs, maintenance, etc etc., because thats what a vehicle really costs in the end.

If the mileage is low, I would consider the 392 over the 4xe.

392 is a far superior vehicle to the 4xe, but they have hugely different cost per mile to drive. If you aren’t going to put a lot of miles on it, 392 is the way.

if you don’t really care about hp and never drive fast, 4xe in electric mode is very nice.

Under 35mph is where EV mode is ideal, beyond that it’s lacking some power.

Also when off roading, I think I would take EV mode over a 392 in a lot of situations if I had a magic wand. Depends what your doing. Offroading in silence is something that doesn’t get talked about much but it’s so cool.

 

[martoaj]

If you are thinking of leasing then the 4Xe could actually be a better deal than similarly-equipped ICE. Otherwise it doesn't look like you will drive enough to really benefit.

Bingo. If you're gonna buy or lease in the very near term while the 4xe still qualifies for US tax incentives, the 4xe is more than likely going to be cheaper than even a much-lower-MSRP ICE version, to say nothing of a similarly spec'd Sahara or Rubicon.

Jeep's residual values and money factors aren't quite as crazy-good as they were in 2021 and early 2022, but they're often good enough that when paired with the tax break, the 4xe is much cheaper overall. Jeep is still heavily incentivizing 4xe purchases with their lease programs.

If you can get a 4xe for even money or less than an ICE model, your use case fits it. But I wouldn't ever pay more for the 4xe over a regular ICE model; the gas savings just don't make that big of a difference.

 

[NC31]

Bingo. If you're gonna buy or lease in the very near term while the 4xe still qualifies for US tax incentives, the 4xe is more than likely going to be cheaper than even a much-lower-MSRP ICE version, to say nothing of a similarly spec'd Sahara or Rubicon.

Jeep's residual values and money factors aren't quite as crazy-good as they were in 2021 and early 2022, but they're often good enough that when paired with the tax break, the 4xe is much cheaper overall.

If you can get a 4xe for even money or less than an ICE model, your use case fits it. But I wouldn't ever pay more for the 4xe over a regular ICE model; the gas savings just don't make that big of a difference.

Only thing I would add is it not just the gas savings. It does drive different with a lot more push off the line. So drive it to see if it something you like. I agree I wouldn't pay more for it myself but it might be worth it for others.

 

[ChadP]

We own one and enjoy it. Wife doesn't work, so it gets used less than once a day. I love the extra power the batteries bring to the table.

 

[jlw33]

4xe owner here, basically in same situation. I also buy cars with a lot of math, I want the most vehicle I can get for the least amount of money, and this does not involve the purchase price. It involves interest, depreciation, fuel, insurance, repairs, maintenance, etc etc., because thats what a vehicle really costs in the end.

If the mileage is low, I would consider the 392 over the 4xe.

392 is a far superior vehicle to the 4xe, but they have hugely different cost per mile to drive. If you aren’t going to put a lot of miles on it, 392 is the way.

if you don’t really care about hp and never drive fast, 4xe in electric mode is very nice.

Under 35mph is where EV mode is ideal, beyond that it’s lacking some power.

Also when off roading, I think I would take EV mode over a 392 in a lot of situations if I had a magic wand. Depends what your doing. Offroading in silence is something that doesn’t get talked about much but it’s so cool.

Interested in seeing any math you ran comparing 392 vs. 4xe

 

[Bzinsky]

Interested in seeing any math you ran comparing 392 vs. 4xe

I did for 4xe, 392 is off the cuff. I had 4xe figured out to the nickle.

4xe tanked in value, 392 holding strong. 392 lack of depreciation likely offsets fuel cost. This assumes you can find the 392 8% off like the brokers on leasehackr.

It depends on where you drive it and how often. 15k miles a year in NJ, fuel alone in the 392 is like $6k a year. Monstrous expense just for fuel.

 

[Oceanic]

You need to define "worth it."

If you are just talking dollars and cents, the 4xE probably doesn't add up unless you plan on a highly optioned ICE variant- the Sahara carries a lot of option baggage I personally found unnecessary; I just wanted the powertrain. The Rubi package is also not worth it for your use-case unless you are looking to make a statement. But if you are in the market for a 'bells and whistles' vehicle, then the tax credit (depending on its present status) makes the 4xE attractive.

Fuel costs will obviously be lower if you get an at-home charging setup; your use scenario frankly sounds like you would almost never burn gas at all. This, along with regenerative braking, is going to drop long-term maintenance costs by a lot, but the payoff from that will take a long time to accrue.

The 4xE *does* bring a lot of power in hybrid mode, and even the all-electric drivetrain is surprisingly quick for anything other than highway driving, much more so than horsepower numbers alone suggest. You definitely feel the instant torque of the electric motor. If you are looking for a vehicle that's fun to drive, I greatly enjoy mine.

It also is basically the sole non-ICE vehicle on the market that does Jeep-like things (EDIT- Rivian's trucks are also legit). I've hauled multiple kayaks and bicycles with mine over unimproved logging and oil well roads without a second thought. The Sahara is not a great truly off-road machine, but in Florida where I live, nothing is- the swamps here will stop anything that's not a purpose-built buggy in about fifty yards. It did prove its worth after hurricane Ian, when I had to ford a lot of deep water to access a relative's damaged house. Tesla's "SUV", in comparison, is just a fat station wagon, and the Toyota RAV4 PHEV doesn't amount to much either.

The elephant in the room in this decision, which no one seems to have mentioned, is the aspect of environmental concerns. Particularly when you don't routinely do long-distance driving, direct emissions of CO2 from the 4xE blow any other Jeep (or any realistic competitor) clear off the map. If that's something that matters to you, it's a big value-add (even if the 4xE is a pretty lousy PHEV based on specs). I realize there are emissions associated with electric power generation (these vary a lot based on where you live) but if you worry about this stuff and want to try to improve it, the 4xE has some pretty good karma, without making you drive a Prius.

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