My 1 week review of owning a 2023 Wrangler Rubicon 4xe

[2018JLRUSellersremorse]

I saw where hot head liners offer a insulated pad that doesn’t affect the top and makes it quieter and cooler

Jus very little for quiet but a lot cooler

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[pantheman75]

In case you don’t know, the “step assist” are definitely just “assist” , very narrow, if she needs running boards /a true step they barely qualify.

We had them on our last Jeep and they were more than fine

 

[Jeeperz Kreeperz]

i hated the steering the first week as well. It’s not because it’s loose or not precise, it’s because it doesn’t naturally return to center like IFS vehicles. I eventually discovered it’s not really the jeep, it was me needing to adapt to it mentally and not just expecting it to go straight on its own. It took me about 1500 miles until I didn’t notice it at all. That’s why other jeep owners generally don’t say much about it. They all just adapted to it.

I’d have to respectfully disagree with this comment. There have been LOTS of known problems with steering on Wranglers since the JL was released (TSB for PCM flash, steering box problems, death wobble, dead spot in center, steering components not torqued to spec, etc.). There are also lots of threads on this topic on this website.

I’ve driven three JLs - one had awful steering, and two had perfectly acceptable steering. I can’t tell you how many posts you will read on this site that say: “It’s a Jeep thing. Get used to it.”, or “It has solid axles and no IFS, what do you expect?”, or “You don’t actually WANT tight steering on an off-road vehicle.” Just because it has solid axles and no IFS does NOT mean your particular Jeep does not actually have a problem.

Here’s a post where I summarized the steps I took to correct steering issues on one of my JLs: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/loose-steering-on-the-4xe.72215/post-1507528

For the OP @pantheman75 I’d suggest you do some reading, reduce your tire pressure, test drive some other JLs, then decide if it’s ’a Jeep thing’, or if it’s ‘a thing with YOUR Jeep’ ?

 

[Bzinsky]

I’d have to respectfully disagree with this comment. There have been LOTS of known problems with steering on Wranglers since the JL was released (TSB for PCM flash, steering box problems, death wobble, dead spot in center, steering components not torqued to spec, etc.). There are also lots of threads on this topic on this website.

I’ve driven three JLs - one had awful steering, and two had perfectly acceptable steering. I can’t tell you how many posts you will read on this site that say: “It’s a Jeep thing. Get used to it.”, or “It has solid axles and no IFS, what do you expect?”, or “You don’t actually WANT tight steering on an off-road vehicle.” Just because it has solid axles and no IFS does NOT mean your particular Jeep does not actually have a problem.

For the OP @pantheman75 I’d suggest you do some reading, reduce your tire pressure, test drive some other JLs, then decide if it’s ’a Jeep thing’, or if it’s ‘a thing with YOUR Jeep’ ?

Here’s a post where I summarized the steps I took to correct steering issues on one of my JLs: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/loose-steering-on-the-4xe.72215/post-1507528

we both have rubi 4xe’s with the updated steering box, we both had the same initial perception of the steering

 

[John VonJeep]

Weird looking charging station.

 

[Apexcars]

I would also recommend the longer LCAs from the Mopar lift. They make a big difference in the steering and the return to center.

 

[alex_navarro]

I’ve had mine just a couple of weeks and the steering is actually better than my JKU. Less squirrely. The thing I hate the most so far is all the noises the 4Xe makes in electric mode. The electric power steering pump is loud especially in parking garages where everything echoes. The heater/AC system is also loud as hell and sounds like shit. When the ICE is running, it masks all those noises but when off, it’s just too noisy. It’s really aggravating. I have not heard EVs make these noises. I know the jeep isn’t an EV, but it has an electric mode. Seems like cheap parts or poor engineering.

Anyhow, I installed a NEMA 14-30 plug in my garage, which supports up to 30A. I bought a Clippper Creek 16A Level 2 charger ($200) which will fully charge the car in about 5.5 hours. For me, that’s perfect. Don’t need to recharge in 2 hours for my needs and slower rate of charge is better for battery long term.

 

[Ron Texas]

Where I'm coming from is the 4Xe is a regulatory car. A 21 mile all electric range in a vehicle which will use more fuel than it's I4 ICE counterpart will not save the world, if it indeed needs saving. the 4Xe gains 800 lbs. over its I4 counterpart. It has 3 electric motors. One is from the eTorque design. The second is a replacement for the torque converter. It's part of the ZF bag of tricks. The third is higher horsepower motor integrated with the transfer case. Darn, that's complicated.

The OP reports transitions from electric to ICE are smooth. That's great because when the 4Xe was introduced Car & Driver wrote the transitions were awful. I will give the benefit of the doubt to the OP and FCA and opine the software must have been massively improved.

I don't know what the minimum battery range is for a plug in hybrid to qualify for a tax credit. In the EU it's 31 miles/50Km. The California standard is 50 miles. As of Dec 22 no production vehicle could qualify. This year a new Range Rover model is expected to qualify. It will cost over 100k. This is the world we live in with improvements in fuel economy coming at a price which is more than the gasoline saved.

You can say one does not buy a wrangler for it's fuel economy. Right now it's a personal choice. Soon it will not be. Climate obsessed regulators will command us to do our bidding.

 

[unknownsolo]

Congrats! I got mine last year (22 model) and I still have a big smile on my face every time I get in.

I got the mopar lift, borah jl wheels and 35s. I like it a lot more with 35s. I also installed the steering stabilizer but did not notice a thing other than it looks nicer. You can barely see it in the picture.

The OP reports transitions from electric to ICE are smooth. That's great because when the 4Xe was introduced Car & Driver wrote the transitions were awful. I will give the benefit of the doubt to the OP and FCA and opine the software must have been massively improved.

I'm also very impressed with the transition between ICE and electric, you almost can't tell.

 

[finn1969]

I have the 22 Sahara 4xE and I haven't had any steering issues. I now have it in Germany and drive highway alot. Maybe I got a good once. The Level II is absolutely a must. It took 14hrs on the 110v Lvl I when I had it in the US. My current 16amp takes about 4. I love my 4xe and it has met all my expectations thus far.

I'm sure you will love yours as well.

 

[Ron Texas]

I think a level 2 charger would cost me at least $2,000. The garage and electrical panel are at opposite ends of the house. Eventually all transportation will be electrified to some extent, even it it's only a mild hybrid like eTorque. Plug in hybrids get around the lack of a charging infrastructure. The trade off is a much more complicated (expensive) drive train. Subsidies in the US take out some of the excess, but I don't see the subsidies going on forever.

@unknownsolo how different is your 4Xe since going to 35's?. Did you regear? It looks tough.

 

[unknownsolo]

@unknownsolo how different is your 4Xe since going to 35's?. Did you regear? It looks tough.

It's more planted on the road. I didn't notice any difference in range. I also didn't regear. I got the lift and the odometer tire size adjustment at the dealer, and they said there is no need to regear with 35s.

 

[Ron Texas]

It's more planted on the road. I didn't notice any difference in range. I also didn't regear. I got the lift and the odometer tire size adjustment at the dealer, and they said there is no need to regear with 35s.

I noticed the AEV 35" package does not regear. They also use a 2" spacer lift along with their geometry brackets. Their use of a spacer lift has got me thinking if the benefit of a spring lift is mainly in the replacement shocks. It's probably theoretical in my case as I feel my Rubi is already high enough off the pavement.

 

[hybrid_eg]

I can appreciate my level 2 charger since sometimes i charge multiple times in a day. i.e if i run an errand that nearly drains the battery its great to have it back up to full charge in 2hrs! I hope someone eventually comes out with retro for a more dense battery pack for longer range

 

[TXWRANGLER20]

Here are my initial thoughts in no particular order:

• I live in a very hilly area, and it's no surprise the those hills absolutely kill the all electric range. It's still just enough for me to get to / from work without using gas, so I'm happy.
• I know people will disagree with this, but it's my opinion that adaptive cruise control is a MUST considering the "drag" of the regen / max regen brakes. It makes for a MUCH nicer and relaxing driving experience.
• A level 2 charger is a must. Sure, it will charge overnight using the included charger, but 12-13 hours to fully charge limits the usefulness of the electric range feature.
• The steering is sloppy and disconnected. You really need to be playing attention to what you're doing at higer speeds.
• The cloth seats are much more comfortable than the leather ones, not to mention they're warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and save you nearly $2K. (I'd actually pay $2K NOT to have the leather interior LOL.)
• I'm completely SHOCKED (no pun intended ) how smoothly the vehicle shifts between electric and ICE usage. I pretty much need to watch the RPM needle to know when it happens.
• This is a high vehicle. It's rediculous that the Rubicon doesn't offer a factory running board or rock rail with step option like some of the other models. I'll be swapping my standard rock rails for the MOPAR performance ones with a step to assist my 5'2" wife
• The Sky One Touch roof is an obscene amount of money, but is totally worth every cent. Yes, it's a little louder than a hardtop inside the vehicle, but I would describe it as "plenty quiet". At highway speeds you can easily hold normal conversations with passengers without raising your voice. The downside is not being able to use automatic washers, but spraying it off manually isn't a big deal for me where I live.
• Currently I'd say I love everything but the steering. I know my tires might be a little overinflated from the factory so I'm going to start there trying to correct it.

They will over inflate your tires at the dealer also, I'm sure it is for fuel mileage numbers.

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