Edmunds Jeep 4xe Review | A More Efficient Wrangler?

[Dryver]

OMG, plug it in Every. Single. Day.

Tragedy!!

Throw away your smart phones, what pieces of junk they turned out to be!

I'm at 23.8 lifetime mpg, and slowly rising. I drove the first 3000 miles like a maniac on vacation and traveling.

Now that we have been using it at home as a daily driver, plugging in, you know, Every. Single. Night. we are operating 80% or better on battery.

One tank of gas lasts a couple of weeks even though we drive it 7 days a week.

EPA ratings are bunk.

Real world mpg, this thing rocks, and beats every Wrangler before it.

I keep getting my lifetime to high 30's then end up taking a long trip and it brings it back down, but I'm at about 26 right now.

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[ThirtyOne]

Amazing a professional misunderstands the 4Xe so badly.

would he say the same things about a 5.7 Wrangler? Because that’s what this is. Fuel efficiency is just a side benefit. If you figure in the incentives the cost is well worth it for the performance.

 

[Ratiogear]

Amazing a professional misunderstands the 4Xe so badly.

would he say the same things about a 5.7 Wrangler? Because that’s what this is. Fuel efficiency is just a side benefit. If you figure in the incentives the cost is well worth it for the performance.

I hate how they all misrepresent the cost as well, but that's kind of jeep's fault.

The 4xe engine itself is about the same cost as a diesel (in fact, if you kit out a rubicon with premium audio+ecodiesel+led lighting, it's 400$ more than a 4xe rubicon) which means it's about 7500 less than an ecodiesel after rebate. But instead they act as if you have to "make up" for the increased price with your mileage, when that's not even part of the question.

Anyone buying this to "makeup" for the extra cost with gas mileage savings is definitely in for a bad time. They keep framing it as a question of "can the gas savings make up for the increased price" but they don't need to because it's more cost efficient. If you don't want the added features (audio+lighting) then don't buy it. You don't go buy the lord of the rings box set if you only want to watch fellowship.

 

[LarryB]

I don't understand the point of the 4XE, I get about 20mpg in my 21 JLUR and 17-18 in my 15JKsport and neither one carries the extra weight of the 4XE....I also don't live in a city where I would commute with it.

I think you would need to be under the range for your daily commute + a bit of shopping for it to start to make financial sense. I doubt you can fully justify the premium in price by the fuel savings, though, and if you plan on keeping it until it dies, that battery replacement will be steep in 10-12 years.

 

[michail]

The word "efficient" needs to be banned from all 4xe talks. It's not any more efficient than any other wrangler and creates an unrealistic expectation. There are some Regen gains to be had but for the most part the energy needed to move the shape and capabilities around is going to be similar by weight.

I do enjoy the smooth, quiet drive and have over 1000 miles since my last fill up.

The joy of driving top off in silence can't be underestimated!

 

[OINC]

The word "efficient" needs to be banned from all 4xe talks. It's not any more efficient than any other wrangler and creates an unrealistic expectation. There are some Regen gains to be had but for the most part the energy needed to move the shape and capabilities around is going to be similar by weight.

I do enjoy the smooth, quiet drive and have over 1000 miles since my last fill up.

The joy of driving top off in silence can't be underestimated!

It can be more gas-efficient than a non-4xe, but it is definitely not an overall energy-efficient vehicle, you're 1000% right about that. It's still a brick with an engine and wheels (and a heavy battery), after all.

For fun I took a look at several Tesla window stickers -- they're rated at 20s-low 30s kWh/100mi. The 4xe is rated at 68kWh/100mi. That's... hilarious.

 

[HungryHound]

I honest-to-God don't know how Jeep sells the JLUR 2.0 with the identical vehicle sitting beside it with more horsepower and torque for $4,000 less after tax credit. You'd have to be a hard-core anti-EV redneck to pass up the 4xe in that situation.

 

[2021Nacho]

Do either of those have 375hp, 470lbs-ft of torque and a 0-60 time of 6 seconds?

It's a Jeep, I don't need it to go from 0-60 in 6 seconds....if I want to do that I'll get the GTO out

 

[DiscoJL]

Well it's good to have speed in any vehicle, and I certainly wouldn't drive a car that takes 10+second getting up to freeway speed. And yes, I have my Challenger SPWB for speed but I'd still have a Wrangler with more power and that was 4xe for me.
Also, Jeep agrees and that's why they eventually released 392.
And power in Jeep isn't always for 0-60. It's there because often times people that go off-road adds tons of equipment that adds weight. Metal bumpers, metal fenders, roof rack, RTT, winch, recovery gears, and bunch of rotopax with gas and water, you are easily adding hundreds of pound.
3.6 will struggle more compared to 4xe with all that added weight especially going up a mountain or even a moderately difficult trail.

 

[JGlanton]

I honest-to-God don't know how Jeep sells the JLUR 2.0 with the identical vehicle sitting beside it with more horsepower and torque for $4,000 less after tax credit. You'd have to be a hard-core anti-EV redneck to pass up the 4xe in that situation.

I'm not an anti-EV redneck and I'm getting the 2.0. Its not going to be a commuter car, its going to be a travel, touring, off-road adventure car. I have no use for the extra weight, worse mileage and reduced range of the 4xe. And the 2.0 is plenty fast. I drove a '21 JLUR 2.0 for 800 miles, including mountains, offroad desert and canyon driving, and averaged 23 mpg. The only benefit the 4xe would have given me is a better parking spot at the inn.

 

[HungryHound]

I'm not an anti-EV redneck and I'm getting the 2.0. Its not going to be a commuter car, its going to be a travel, touring, off-road adventure car. I have no use for the extra weight, worse mileage and reduced range of the 4xe. And the 2.0 is plenty fast. I drove a '21 JLUR 2.0 for 800 miles, including mountains, offroad desert and canyon driving, and averaged 23 mpg. The only benefit the 4xe would have given me is a better parking spot at the inn.

Valid points. I'm usually a little power-hungry with my vehicles so more power the better a la Tim Taylor. There definitely is a range difference on long trips.

 

[alpha1847]

It's a Jeep, I don't need it to go from 0-60 in 6 seconds....if I want to do that I'll get the GTO out

That's fine, but many will pay a premium for performance. The 4xe is much closer to the performance of the 392 (which weighs almost the same with it's V8 and is $20k more, by the way) than the 2.0t or 3.6. So, the 4xe gives many benefits.

 

[Gorilla83]

I honest-to-God don't know how Jeep sells the JLUR 2.0 with the identical vehicle sitting beside it with more horsepower and torque for $4,000 less after tax credit. You'd have to be a hard-core anti-EV redneck to pass up the 4xe in that situation.

Same thinking I had! I also applied the same logic when contemplating trading in my '19 Moab....if I can move into a Jeep 2 model years newer with more options (Rubicon, SOT, advanced safety, steel bumpers, tow group) for roughly 3500 out of pocket after credit...why NOT?!

 

[CodyDog]

We live in the world of many haters and bashers. If you don't actually own or have driven a particular vehicle over a good period of time....I will not have much respect for your opinion. Having a Jeep Wrangler, other than a 4XE, does not make you a qualified critic on the 4XE. Most reviews do not take in account real world driving, ownership, etc.

and another thing....Stupid comments like "I don't get it" are just a way to stir the sh*t.

So if you don't get it, let me tell you why I get it.

1) Horse Power
2) Torque
3) Great ability to pass cars on mountain freeways. This equates to safety in more than one way.
4) Extremely efficient for 25 miles. Yes, that's what I get on my EV mode when I'm local.
5) Less gas If drive local.
6) Blue tow hooks (Yeah, I like them)
7) 1 inch higher than other Rubicons
8) Did I say quick?
9) $7,500 tax rebate

Notice HP and torque are on the type of my list.

Not my first jeep either. Had two prior so that makes my opinion better than the critics that don't own or drive a 4XE.

 

[Windshieldfarmer]

That's fine, but many will pay a premium for performance. The 4xe is much closer to the performance of the 392 (which weighs almost the same with it's V8 and is $20k more, by the way) than the 2.0t or 3.6. So, the 4xe gives many benefits.

I like EVs but the 4xe weighs 700 lbs more than the regular 2.0. Off-road that extra mass not helpful. Also, once the battery is depleted it will be far slower than a regular 2.0. Not sure how the hybrid system works so maybe some power is retained in the battery for full throttle reserves….

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