My first reactions from 4xe Wrangler test drive!

[jonahgetz]

Jeep claims same fjording capabilities. Admittedly I made my first trek into water over a foot deep just this past year in the "mild hybrid" which also has a water tight battery tub. The V6 JKU and previous jeeps never went over a foot deep. Normally if I was going that far into the back country I took my SR5 or F150 (both are gone now). Given how much crawling I have done in Jeeps over the years, I could go another five years and never get more than a foot deep in water. With the 4xe, I can still get way deep in the back country without worry.

Funny part is I didn't even think about how deep I was until someone said "isn't that the new hybrid one?". Maybe the deep water offers better battery cooling? We won't know for sure until a few people try it. ;-)

That all seems very interesting. I can’t imagine a vehicle with large amounts of batteries being able to go in the water, but I was essentially picturing the undercarriage of a Tesla or Prius. Until battery power gets better or engineers figure out a better way for it to self charge in order to keep the battery compact and away from the water prone areas, I don’t see how this would work. I’m still intrigued to see one in person, I still wouldn’t want to be the one trying it in the water.

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[Sean L]

The battery must not be very large then. It must have a very short range. I apologize I haven’t been following the news on electric wrangler. I just assume if it’s electric there has to be a place to store significant amounts of batteries, unless the range on a charge is lackluster.

Its a plug in hybrid, electric range of 25ish miles and then the gas engine starts.

 

[yngrshr]

My guess is $8000 US

I would almost guarantee that it won't be above the maximum tax credit ($7,500).

The Pacifica is in the $6K range with a similar set-up.

I would bet around $6,500.

 

[Young04]

How are you going to take an electric Wrangler with tons of batteries in the undercarriage water fording? I’m not trying to hate I’m just seriously confused. Unless this Jeep is made for that portion of Wrangler owners that don’t off-road, which I’ve never understood. An electric Grand Cherokee, I get it. An electric Wrangler, has no use to me.

Battery's sealed.

 

[N75]

I would almost guarantee that it won't be above the maximum tax credit ($7,500).

The Pacifica is in the $6K range with a similar set-up.

I would bet around $6,500.

Then add the $2000 required automatic transmission, I'm sure they'll use up at least the $7500 tax credit amount. It is a premium engine option with the most power of all other combinations so I expect they'll put a premium price tag on it.

 

[Harleexl]

Thanks for posting your experience! How did you get the esteemed privilege to test it?

Pretty exciting

It's an employee lease vehicle.

 

[Harleexl]

Is it silent when in electric only mode? Like if you were out on the trail, doors and top off, crawling along at 8 mph, would the only sound be the crunching of twigs and a faint electric motor whine? Because that’s the biggest appeal to me.

Not that I’ll be getting one because I like my jeeps in two-door, manual transmission flavor, but it would be neat to see someone else out there wheeling along silently.

edit: I should clarify the reason I’m asking. There have been proposals to force auto manufacturers to make electric vehicles create artificial noise so you can’t catch pedestrians off guard as easily.

Under maybe 25mph, there is a faint whirring sound my son compared to a UFO sound, but it's hard to describe. From inside the vehicle with the windows down it's only faintly audible and very unobtrusive.

 

[Harleexl]

How about the power? Have you stomped on it yet? It should be the quickest wrangler Jeep has ever released!

For a Wrangler, yes it's fast! Even rolling at/from freeway speed, it accelerates really quickly. It feels great, with a smooth strong pull for as fast as I dared to push it on public roads.

 

[Dan M.]

Under maybe 25mph, there is a faint whirring sound my son compared to a UFO sound, but it's hard to describe. From inside the vehicle with the windows down it's only faintly audible and very unobtrusive.

A friend of mine has a RAV4 Prime that also sounds like a spaceship at slow speeds. I'm thinking that is intentional as an auditory warning a car is near by.

 

[scramboleer]

A friend of mine has a RAV4 Prime that also sounds like a spaceship at slow speeds. I'm thinking that is intentional as an auditory warning a car is near by.

Yes, it's a requirement in Europe and a future requirement in the US (it keeps getting delayed). In the meantime in the US, OEMs are putting the noise on the EVs to reduce possible liability.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/1/2...ise-low-speeds-european-union-rules-2019-2021

 

[JandS]

I'm not a tax attorney and I'm not trying to bust anybody's bubble, but this is oversimplification of tax code 179. There are very strict guidelines which include more than just being a business owner and purchasing a 6000 pound vehicle. For instance, the vehicle has to be titled in your business name, not your name. It also has to be in use 50% of the time for the business as opposed to personal use. These two factors alone can limit the majority of small business owners use of the deduction.
One thing that I wonder about is advertising. If you could put a wrap on the vehicle or some kind of mobile signage, that might move the vehicle into 100% business use, but I don't know for sure. As for getting a loan in the name of your business, your business has to have fit credit rating, which is much more difficult than an individual's fit credit rating. Maybe someone can answer these questions for business owners who would like to take advantage of this opportunity, but need more information.

Buy on Dec 29th. Use for business 100% until midnight Dec 31st. 100% business use.

Or you can lie like most folks do. The IRS has no way to verify.

 

[Harleexl]

Thanks for posting! Do you still have it? Can you take a picture of how the upper portion of the rear seat folds? How about pictures underneath to look at routing of wires and coolant lines? On the two large, circular analog gauges in the dash cluster - what are they? Tach, Speedo, power output vs. charge?

 

[Jehovasfitness]

bummed at how the seats look/fit when "folded" down ... not ideal for dog owners for sure

 

[KDX]

The 45.8mpg is the gas mileage in (for lack of a better term) hybrid mode? Or does that mileage drop off when the battery is depleted to the point where you can no longer drive in pure EV?

 

[yngrshr]

Then add the $2000 required automatic transmission, I'm sure they'll use up at least the $7500 tax credit amount. It is a premium engine option with the most power of all other combinations so I expect they'll put a premium price tag on it.

No. I am talking about all in. The engine and transmission, all in, will be below $7500. I'd almost guarantee that. Jeep isn't dumb. They lose the talking point about savings if they eat up the full tax credit since so many people out there won't qualify for the full one.

I can't think of any PHEVs with a $7,500+ upcharge over their non-hybrid siblings. The Pacifica should be used as the model, here. A FCA vehicle and not at all a $7,500 upcharge.

Remember. Jeep WANTS to sell these. They need to sell these for CAFE standards. There will definitely be a premium, but I would just be utterly shocked to see it priced above the tax credit. I don't see how that helps sell the vehicle for Jeep.

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