Jeep Introduces New 6.4-liter V-8 Wrangler Rubicon 392 Concept

[DanW]

FCA is adding the 392 HEMI most likely in an attempt to cast a “halo” on the entire Wrangler lineup and, in doing so, protect Wrangler sales against Bronco’s assault.

As such, the 392 will likely (1) indeed cost and arm and a leg, and (2) sell in small numbers. But the image it will project from the top down to the rest of the lineup will pay by itself multiple times by helping keep Wrangler as the king of the trails.

This is a similar strategy to that Dodge uses with Hellcats, BMW with M and Audi with RS models. When one considers the relatively low cost of fitting a 392 into a JL/JT versus the image a 392 Wrangler will give Jeep, it is a no-brainer.

Winner. Someone actually understands automotive marketing 101.

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[Kyanche]

I wonder how they were suddenly able to overcome the crash safety performance issues that they had earlier mentioned being the reason why they weren't selling a JL with a HEMI. (wish I could find a source, but I know I read it before!)

Maybe they're preparing for a mid-cycle refresh that includes structural changes to accommodate it?

I know one thing for sure, lol. I bought my JL too soon! The V6 is likable, but the V8 is lovable. The V6 is such a gutless wonder when it comes to torque, and it sounds like crap compared to a HEMI.

And then there's the Bronco. The new bronco == say goodbye to the wranglers having high resale value. I have a feeling the used JLs are going to lose value as quickly as a Chevy Impala or BMW 3 series would now.

 

[DanW]

Okay, but if Jeep has to defend itself with a 392 that has a questionable existence and can't do that on it's own through heritage and years of literally destroying the competition (Hummer, FJ, etc...), they're not exactly expressing a lot of confidence here.

Lol, they did not do that out of lack of confidence. They did it because it was easy to do and steal some thunder from Ford´s big day. It is competition. They are taking care of their brand. The folks at FCA know a thing or two about that. Jeep is more successful than ever and they manage Ferarri, as well. They´ve done quite well with those to iconic brands. Better than anyone owning Jeep before them, for sure.

 

[DanW]

I wonder how they were suddenly able to overcome the crash safety performance issues that they had earlier mentioned being the reason why they weren't selling a JL with a HEMI. (wish I could find a source, but I know I read it before!)

Maybe they're preparing for a mid-cycle refresh that includes structural changes to accommodate it?

I know one thing for sure, lol. I bought my JL too soon! The V6 is likable, but the V8 is lovable. The V6 is such a gutless wonder when it comes to torque, and it sounds like crap compared to a HEMI.

And then there's the Bronco. The new bronco == say goodbye to the wranglers having high resale value. I have a feeling the used JLs are going to lose value as quickly as a Chevy Impala or BMW 3 series would now.

Jeep can´t make enough Wranglers to satisfy demand right now? Wrangler has not only survived competition, but it has also survived recessions when others couldn´t. All the while, through good and bad times, its resale value has remained very high, with little fluctuation over a period of decades. I went by my dealership to pick up a sway bar drop link a couple weeks ago. They had zero new Wranglers. Zero. They are a high volume dealer and I have never seen that before, and I´ve known this dealership group since 1993. And the few used ones they had were hardly less money than brand new ones.

I think the Bronco is going to do very well because there is a growing market for these kinds of adventure vehicles and there are plenty of Ford fans who couldn´t bring themselves to buy a Jeep product. On the other hand, don´t expect Jeep customers to leave. They are among the most brand loyal in the industry, across more models than just Wrangler. They´ve historically been that way, too, so it is nothing new. The question will be if the Bronco can sustain enough long term sales to be viable. Time will tell. Jeep, however, won´t go anywhere.

 

[DanW]

I wonder how they were suddenly able to overcome the crash safety performance issues that they had earlier mentioned being the reason why they weren't selling a JL with a HEMI. (wish I could find a source, but I know I read it before!)

Maybe they're preparing for a mid-cycle refresh that includes structural changes to accommodate it?

I know one thing for sure, lol. I bought my JL too soon! The V6 is likable, but the V8 is lovable. The V6 is such a gutless wonder when it comes to torque, and it sounds like crap compared to a HEMI.

And then there's the Bronco. The new bronco == say goodbye to the wranglers having high resale value. I have a feeling the used JLs are going to lose value as quickly as a Chevy Impala or BMW 3 series would now.

I read that too, but I am not sure it ever came from FCA. I´m not sure they ever commented on it. But it did make some sense. Maybe it wasn´t worth the expense to engineer it until competition rolled into the landscape. I´d imagine they kept this in their back pocket a long time, for just such an occasion.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

2/3's of a JEEP forum lol....

I apologize if I sound negative...but I find it funny how many people are saying how much better the Jeep is and how Bronco is dead before it's even out of the stable. anyway...

Anyone suggesting that is kidding themselves. If you told me 5-10 years ago we'd get this Bronco, I would have never believed you. It appears to be THAT good that it's poised to take on the King of the Ring for the last...25+ years(?). Every other manufacturer that tried failed. That's not to say that there wasn't innovation, but they weren't able to best, or even sustain.

That said: there are A LOT of people on here who apparently don't get marketing, or the segment that the Wrangler/ Bronco fits into, because they're all declaring Bronco as the KO winner, when it hasn't even left the show room yet- which is equally farcical.

I think the Bronco is going to do very well because there is a growing market for these kinds of adventure vehicles and there are plenty of Ford fans who couldn´t bring themselves to buy a Jeep product. On the other hand, don´t expect Jeep customers to leave. They are among the most brand loyal in the industry, across more models than just Wrangler. They´ve historically been that way, too, so it is nothing new. The question will be if the Bronco can sustain enough long term sales to be viable. Time will tell. Jeep, however, won´t go anywhere.

Exactly.

 

[Clutch1984]

The good thing is this may push Toyota to make a removable top 4runner or FJ again and they could blow Jeep and Ford out of the water if they did it right.

 

[Notorious]

may push Toyota to make if they did it right.

Three front windshield wipers again?

 

[DanW]

The good thing is this may push Toyota to make a removable top 4runner or FJ again and they could blow Jeep and Ford out of the water if they did it right.

Interesting, considering their last attempt did pretty much the opposite. It was a nice truck, but it was ungainly, had attrocious back seat visibility, and while ok as a trail 4x4, it didn´t do well when the terrain became very difficult. It had very little articulation and couldn´t keep tires on the ground, causing it to struggle for traction.

Overall, it was a good solid truck, but just didn´t have the ability to challenge the Wrangler. It was so off the mark that I´m not convinced it was even aiming for the things that make the Wrangler unique. Bronco, on the other hand, clearly benchmarked the Wrangler.

For those worried about the king of the hills, remember this. If the Wrangler wasn´t so damned good at what it was designed to do, Ford wouldn´t have spent the vast resources they´ve spent to try to compete with it. What I´m seeing and reading so far tells me they will be very closely matched but the Wrangler will maintain more extreme potential simply due to the solid front axle.

Still, good on Ford. This thing looks for real. MUCH better than anything Toyota has even imagined to date. I am skeptical that Toyota could pull it off. Their forte is building outstanding overlanding vehicles. Not so much extreme off-roaders, not to mention the fun factor parts like soft tops and removable doors.

 

[Kyanche]

Interesting, considering their last attempt did pretty much the opposite. It was a nice truck, but it was ungainly, had attrocious back seat visibility, and while ok as a trail 4x4, it didn´t do well when the terrain became very difficult. It had very little articulation and couldn´t keep tires on the ground, causing it to struggle for traction.

The FJ Cruiser was sold in the US from 2010 until 2014. In 2010, SUVs were doing so poorly that GM discontinued Hummer. The timing was really bad. It's weird that they apparently still make them and sell them in other countries, though.

With the popularity of "overlanding" and desert racing and whatever other not-slow-rock-crawling-in-a-forest things that really caught on in the last few years, I'm surprised they haven't brought it back. If they called it the FJ TRD Pro, it'd probably have my coworkers lining up to buy it - well, those who aren't buying a Bronco. And given how many Baja-modded F150s my coworkers have, I'm sure they will.

I never did understand why someone would want "turd pro" on the side of their lifted station wagon but.. err.. anyway..

 

[DaveNH]

I read that too, but I am not sure it ever came from FCA. I´m not sure they ever commented on it. But it did make some sense. Maybe it wasn´t worth the expense to engineer it until competition rolled into the landscape. I´d imagine they kept this in their back pocket a long time, for just such an occasion.

It came from Tim Kuniskis in an interview with Australian media.

https://jalopnik.com/the-707-hp-hellcat-engine-is-too-dangerous-for-the-jeep-1833919628

Now I guess technically he was asked about the Hellcat rather than a Hemi in general.

So perhaps it's the supercharger that takes up too much extra space?

 

[D60]

{snip}

Still, good on Ford. This thing looks for real. MUCH better than anything Toyota has even imagined to date. I am skeptical that Toyota could pull it off. Their forte is building outstanding overlanding vehicles. Not so much extreme off-roaders, not to mention the fun factor parts like soft tops and removable doors.

I feel like the Toyota corporate culture is just so practical that to build something like a Wrangler with removable tops, soft tops, removable doors, 4:1 low range etc would just seem EXTREME to them.

I see the Wrangler as a toy --- a fun play thing. The 4Runner is more of a "practical" SUV meant to haul people and gear and have a play date once a month.

I'd argue the FJ Cruiser supports my point -- I think Toyota felt they were really letting loose and getting WILD AND CRAZY with that one. WHHOOOOOO!
-Give it ugly toon town styling, check
-Give it an interior clad in plastic everywhere, check
-Give it windows like you paid for the cheapest room on a cruise ship, check
-Give it a rear locker, WE'RE GETTIN' CRAZY NOW!!!

 

[FunWagon]

I am most excited about the HALF DOORS and removable rear glass window!!! And possibility of 37 inch tires from the factory.

I would finally be able to replace my JK Rubicon with half doors on 37s.

Although looking closely at the half doors, they don’t look production ready as there are no holes to insert upper half of doors as the JKs have. Also I wonder if upper door halves would not be soft like the JKs that are designed to match soft tops. These upper door halves would need to match the hard rear surround windows and hard body colored surround frame. Also the rear glass window looks like it was simply bolted off if you zoom in on the picture.

 

[Notorious]

Still, good on Ford. This thing looks for real.

Three locking diffs is serious business. Just want to pick your brain (anyone else’s as well) for a second - do you think the 4dr will sell more than the 2dr?

The 2dr seems enormous.

 

[DanW]

I feel like the Toyota corporate culture is just so practical that to build something like a Wrangler with removable tops, soft tops, removable doors, 4:1 low range etc would just seem EXTREME to them.

I see the Wrangler as a toy --- a fun play thing. The 4Runner is more of a "practical" SUV meant to haul people and gear and have a play date once a month.

I'd argue the FJ Cruiser supports my point -- I think Toyota felt they were really letting loose and getting WILD AND CRAZY with that one. WHHOOOOOO!
-Give it ugly toon town styling, check
-Give it an interior clad in plastic everywhere, check
-Give it windows like you paid for the cheapest room on a cruise ship, check
-Give it a rear locker, WE'RE GETTIN' CRAZY NOW!!!

I think you are spot on with Toyota's culture and perspective. Spot on. Exactly why I think they can't/won't do it.

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