Ordered a 4Xe …. was that smart?

[Donp]

New to this forum. Thanks for all the info here.

We have owned Jeeps for over 30 years and have had great experiences, reliability and fun with them. We currently own a 21 Gladiator Mojave and an 18 Rubicon 2 door. Ordered a 22 4Xe Rubicon a few weeks ago to replace the 18. After reading all the threads on this forum I’m wondering if we made a mistake. Dead batteries, 3-5 months to replace them, FORM issues, lack of support from the dealer and the company, questionable ability to find the problems by the dealer, etc, etc. I’m wondering if Jeep really was “ready for prime time” by releasing this model and now the monkey is on us to deal with all the teething issues. We do a lot of traveling, including coast to coast trips. I’m now hesitant to see this as our travel vehicle. I guess time will tell.

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[lindaspins]

The vast majority are fine. Problems always float to the top on public forums.
That said, talk you your dealership about what experiences they're having. Many parts are in short supply with long wait times and many shops are understaffedbut that's true for every vehicle right now.

We've had our 4xe since November and are still delighted with it.

 

[Donp]

The vast majority are fine. Problems always float to the top on public forums.
That said, talk you your dealership about what experiences they're having. Many parts are in short supply with long wait times and many shops are understaffedbut that's true for every vehicle right now.

We've had our 4xe since November and are still delighted with it.

Whew! That’s great to hear. It’s a fully loaded Rubi at MSRP so we have a lot invested. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Ratiogear]

People are more likely to actively make posts about issues than they are to jerk eachother off over how great their purchase was/is. I love my 4xe and have had no 4xe-specific issues, just general wrangler stuff.

That being said, the 4xe isn't the configuration I would choose for a road trip vehicle. This one shines if you do less than ~50mi per day. If you plan on a lot of long trips, the ecodiesel may be the better option for you.

For a road trip, you'll do like 40-60 miles in hybrid with ~30-50mpg. Then your battery is dead, and you'll be pulling 17-19mpg for the rest of the trip, with a smaller overall tank of gas, and 700lbs of dead weight in the batteries and extra motors.

 

[mllcb42]

Then your battery is dead, and you'll be pulling 17-19mpg for the rest of the trip, with a smaller overall tank of gas, and 700lbs of dead weight in the batteries and extra motors.

Except that's not what happens. Yes, the mpg is reduced, but the electric motors still assist and give you full power anytime you want. They don't turn into a boat anchor.

Many people get more like 25mpg when the battery is "depleted" as well. (There are also people that get the 16-17 range you're talking about).

 

[RafaelK]

New to this forum. Thanks for all the info here.

We have owned Jeeps for over 30 years and have had great experiences, reliability and fun with them. We currently own a 21 Gladiator Mojave and an 18 Rubicon 2 door. Ordered a 22 4Xe Rubicon a few weeks ago to replace the 18. After reading all the threads on this forum I’m wondering if we made a mistake. Dead batteries, 3-5 months to replace them, FORM issues, lack of support from the dealer and the company, questionable ability to find the problems by the dealer, etc, etc. I’m wondering if Jeep really was “ready for prime time” by releasing this model and now the monkey is on us to deal with all the teething issues. We do a lot of traveling, including coast to coast trips. I’m now hesitant to see this as our travel vehicle. I guess time will tell.

I had mine since last April, just a year now. About 10k miles on it and I do not have 4xe specific issues. The only issue I had was death wobble and the dealer fixed it by changing the stabilizer. This happens to many wranglers regardless of the engine. I will see how long that fix holds. I am not sure if this particular model is more prone to issues than other Wranglers. I would say it is similar quality. Read issues with the diesels and you will see if you made the right choice. Good luck.

 

[Ratiogear]

Except that's not what happens. Yes, the mpg is reduced, but the electric motors still assist and give you full power anytime you want. They don't turn into a boat anchor.

Many people get more like 25mpg when the battery is "depleted" as well. (There are also people that get the 16-17 range you're talking about).

If you are traveling highway for extended periods of time (ie, coast to coast road trips as mentioned in the OP), the 15% remaining battery is not going to be recharging via hybrid or providing you with improved mpg.

The motors and batteries are not assisting with power if you are on cruise control going 70 for 100mi or more. Therefore, they are dead weight for the majority of your road trip. On the other hand, long trips is where the ecodiesel shines.

The 4xe is not a perfect vehicle, and I wouldn't talk someone into it for long trips. That's the opposite of its best use-case.

 

[mllcb42]

If you are traveling highway for extended periods of time (ie, coast to coast road trips as mentioned in the OP), the 15% remaining battery is not going to be recharging via hybrid or providing you with improved mpg.

The motors and batteries are not assisting with power if you are on cruise control going 70 for 100mi or more. Therefore, they are dead weight for the majority of your road trip. On the other hand, long trips is where the ecodiesel shines.

The 4xe is not a perfect vehicle, and I wouldn't talk someone into it for long trips. That's the opposite of its best use-case.

I was watching the hybrid screen today in mine, while on the highway with cruise control set as it charged and discharged with traffic flow.

Yes, if you're on flat land crossing Texas without a vehicle in sight, you may not see it charge and discharge.

 

[mikegil]

If you are traveling highway for extended periods of time (ie, coast to coast road trips as mentioned in the OP), the 15% remaining battery is not going to be recharging via hybrid or providing you with improved mpg.

The motors and batteries are not assisting with power if you are on cruise control going 70 for 100mi or more. Therefore, they are dead weight for the majority of your road trip. On the other hand, long trips is where the ecodiesel shines.

The 4xe is not a perfect vehicle, and I wouldn't talk someone into it for long trips. That's the opposite of its best use-case.

You know I hear this time and time again and I just can’t help wondering why? You’re right about some of what you say: the 4xe doesn’t particularly shine on long road trips and the range on the Eco diesel is much longer…but, a) the range on the 4xe is way longer than that of most normal people’s bladder’s (allowing that there are some ‘camels’ out there) so the ‘extra’ stops don’t add up to much, and the Eco diesel just *isn’t* more economic to run. Forget about the fact it costs far more to acquire (no Federal or State discounts for that puppy) for a minute, it’s gpm rating *is* higher, but it’s not that high and not high enough that it isn’t wiped out by the disproportionate cost of diesel. There is just no realistic scenario in which you pay less for an Eco diesel over any lengthy period when you factor both acquisition cost and fuel costs even if all you do is long distance trips. Given that most people also do a fair amount of short distance trips, the 4xe will win every time. Now there are good reasons why you might not want a 4xe (reduced total load, unknown reliability figures, fear of the future value given the uncertainty of the technology, etc. etc.) and of these would make a good argument for other power trains (for example the Eco diesel), but economy just isn’t one of them…I don’t understand why people keep leading with it?

The OP’s question about reliability is a reasonable one and there are scary stories to be heard…some has to be expected with a new release of a new technology, but 2 years in we are working through the kinks and my dealer tells me they aren’t seeing particularly large numbers of issues, it’s just when they do they’re harder to find because they’re less familiar with the tech. The FORM thing isn’t really a ‘thing’ it’s just the computer trying to protect your engine combined with new owners not really knowing how to adjust to a PHEV (let it run the gas down occaisionally and don’t try to keep it topped up all the time). I been in the EV world for a few years now but I had to unlearn quite a bit and ’unassume’ even more…even if you understand why it even has a 12v battery when it has a gigantic 400v monster in there, you’d think that it would last forever, or at the very least longer than a regular ICE vehicles - nope, it will need changing every 3 years because it doesn’t get the huge amperage draw from the starter every day which, it turns out, helps clean the ‘crud’ off the plates that otherwise builds up. Little stuff like that you learn over time - it’s not all perfume and roses - but generally it‘s a great step forward and chances are you’ll love it! I mean it’s a Jeep Wrangler so you know you’re going to have a fair amount of ‘it’s a Jeep thing’ going on right - you knew that when you bought it - but, hey, you can also drive over stuff! ;-)

 

[Mgg253]

You’ll love it! No 4xe specific problems here, only common Jeep ‘Easter eggs’. Death wobble and paint issue. 6600 miles and counting, very capable!

 

[Naylia]

Squeaky one-touch top but no other issues here!

 

[Getmadboy]

No issues with my 4xe Sahara thus far. I picked it up from the dealer on 5/11/2021, has about 8500 miles on the odo. I did a 2.5 week 3300 mile road trip in July last year with the 4xe and had zero issues. on average, the gas mileage hovered around the 21-22 mpg range and I only charged once during the trip. There was lots of mountain driving, lots of hills to climb, and a lot of stop and go (stopped frequently at various points in five different national parks), the 4xe handled the hills with ease. I had rubicon wheels and 33” Wildpeak M/T tires, probably could have gotten slightly better gas mileage with KO2’s or the stock Sahara tires.

I don’t think I’d say the 4xe is bad for long distance road-trips, but local shorter trips is definitely where it shines considering we can do them on all electric. The majority of my driving will be driving to and from work, running errands, or local trails. Because of this, the 4xe excels and is a great option for me.

 

[Getmadboy]

Another thing to consider, if you camp a lot, you could bring your level 2 charger with you and charge at an RV campsite. That’s what I’m planning on doing this year (we have a few PHEV SUVs in the family)

 

[Trini]

You're going to love the 4xe. I've lost count of the amount of compliments I get from driving this vehicle. Just today a security guard at my job stopped me to inquire why my jeep was so quiet. So many people don't know about the hybrid jeep and are amazed by it. Heads are turned daily, and every 4xe owner will tell you that they wish the range was longer. Electric mode is such a delight to drive. And no matter what others say, you will love this vehicle.

 

[Echo4papa]

10k miles. No issues until this past week. Jeep was dead two mornings in a row and had to be started with a jump pack. Everything seems fine though and I'm pretty sure my phone and the wireless Car Play adapter are to blame. Trying to confirm that now. Even this is just a minor inconvenience. Love the 4xe.

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