Why get a 4XE?

[JLSmitty]

Not a big fan of electric vehicles.............Not as eco-friendly as I once thought.

Careless Lithium Mining
Excess Water consumption to produce lithium batteries
Laws governing owner maintenance are lacking
Lithium battery fire hazzard. We still do not have a way to put these fires out quickly and safely.

Check out Morris, IL -too many discarded Lithium batteries are catching fire in warehouses, at sea, and during transportation.

While your point does have some merit, I along with many others did not buy the 4XE because it is eco-friendly. It was actually cheaper for me to get a very nice ride with the things I wanted than buying the non-hybrid version because of the tax credit. Because of my driving habits and electric rates, I also save money monthly but that is not the case for everyone. The price, features, the power, and continued cost savings are why I bought mine, not because it is eco-friendly

Sponsored

 

[Jerpy]

I would also add highly customizable and ability to go pretty much anywhere off-road if you find yourself in a jam.

 

[N8213]

I was all about the Wrangler 4XE. I've always wanted a Jeep but I've wanted a lot of things and haven't acted on many. On paper the Wrangler 4XE is PERFECT for me as a second, around town vehicle. The gas going stale would have been my biggest issue ... if it wasn't for the serious and yet to be solved problems they've been having with them. The first is the random and sudden total shutdowns at highway speeds. The second is F.O.R.M. It's called "Fuel Oil Refresh Mode." This is when the Jeep forces the gas engine continuously on because it somehow knows (I'm not sure if it's sensors, calculations or both) too much fuel is getting into the oil. It does it for fuel too if you go too long without adding any. This is an issue with all hybrid engines that can't reach a hot enough oil temperature to burn off the fuel but it's affecting the Jeeps a whole lot more. Some cold climate owners have been stuck in FORM for several WEEKS in a row and never can satisfy the computers enough to get out of it. Of course they're getting ZERO electric miles while this is happening. They've found some work-arounds but they're not great (change the oil very often or lie to the computer telling it you did just change the oil). Either of those two "fixes," then only gets them a week or so of normal operation before the dreaded FORM returns! There are other issues as well but those are the two biggies.

Good grief- read the manual. FORM is for when you have been running mainly electric and there is risk of the fuel getting stale or the oil not circulating enough -it makes the engine run to burn some gas and heat up the oil. Nothing to do with oil getting into the gas.

Either drive in form, which is awesome, or add 4 gallons of gas to stop the cycle.

Side benefit of the 4XE - much reduced maintenance. I'm at 12K miles and have not done the first oil change due to how much running we do in electric mode.

 

[K9Jeeper]

The main benefit is this: If you love Wrangler Unlimiteds with a good amount of options and can benefit from the $7500 tax credit or plan to lease, then there’s really no better deal for you out there in the Wrangler world.
It really is a bargain vs non 4XE builds. But compared to other vehicles? Not at all. It’s still very high priced and the $48-$55K you’re still going to be at after the tax credit can buy you a heck of a lot of things out there that are super nice

 

[MDawg]

Here are my reasons, in no particular order:

• Tax credit. - I leased mine and got to apply the tax credit as cap reduction. I'm paying less than $300/mo which is way less than what my monthly would've been for finance. I'm probably going to end up purchasing at the end, so this may not end up being too much of a benefit.
• Torque - Compared to the standard 6-cyl, all of my friends who own Wranglers agree that there's a noticeable increase in torque.
• MPG - I do most of my driving locally during the week with longer drives on weekends. With a Level 2 charger, I rarely use gas on weekdays. My overall MPG in the past year is over 40 MPG.
• Electric Motor - I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy driving in electric mode, especially on trails. It's not ton of power, but it's responsive and enough to get me where I need to most of the time. I like it so much, I'd seriously consider getting the all-electric Wrangler whenever Jeep releases it.
• Parking - The least expected benefit has to be parking. Some of the best parking in CA are reserved for handicapped and EVs. I've been able to park right in front of stores, malls, Disneyland, often with free charging!
• Cool factor - My wife and I pulled into valet parking at a fancy restaurant. At the end of the night, the valet brought out my 4xe and told me it was the favorite car he drove that night. And this was a restaurant with Ferraris and Bentleys parked up front.

But I'm sure you'll find your own reasons once you've owned it for a while.

" Cool factor - My wife and I pulled into valet parking at a fancy restaurant. At the end of the night, the valet brought out my 4xe and told me it was the favorite car he drove that night. And this was a restaurant with Ferraris and Bentleys parked up front "

I'm not sure that is a pro. I NEVER want to hear a valet tell me that my car was the favorite one they drove tonight (queue Ferris Bueller scene), lol.

 

[IrishJeeper]

Good grief- read the manual.
Either drive in form, which is awesome, or add 4 gallons of gas

If ONLY that solved the problem. Reading the manual (and following the suggestion) doesn't tell the computer that it's time to come out of FORM.

That problem aside, the 4xe has been a great jeep. I agree that the 4xe was cheaper than a gas jeep. As in, I got all the features that I wanted for $$$ less than a gasser. I also love the way it drives as compared to the other jeeps I've driven.

 

[jameslavis]

i had a 2.0 2019 JLU and loved it. 4xe makes a ton of sense with gas prices. there isn’t a single reason why not to get one. the gas savings alone are almost a car payment.

 

[Bowhunter23]

Seat space was a huge concern for me as well as I have a tendency to pack mine up to the roof on camping/hunting/fishing trips. I went and looked at a few in person before I made my decision. Definitely less space with the batteries so it is definitely something you should look at first-hand to see if it will work for you. To me this is the only negative with the 4xe (not counting potential reliability issues that are still yet to be seen).
Now the reason I still pulled the trigger. Currently in a Sport and while I love it, I wish I had gone Rubicon from the start. I started looking at going to 35s and lockers so while I was going to be in it, would also regear. I just couldn't justify dropping that $$$ into the Sport with the D30 front so started looking at a new Rubicon. The 4.10s would be better with 35s from the start but then the cost of a new Rubi really hurt. So the $7500 tax credit would make up for the price difference. While 4.56s would be better with 35s, the 4xe's extra HP and torque should help the 4.10s in performance.
Bonus, I also have an 18 mile one-way drive to work and have charging at work so I should be able to drive all week on electric only. I placed my order early January for a Rubicon 4xe. Been built since 2/15 and still waiting on a truck from Toledo to deliver mine so I can't speak to real-world experience yet.
But ultimately I wanted a Rubicon and the tax credit of the 4xe and what should amount to about $150/month in gas savings was really what made that attainable for me. Fingers crossed I don't get one with a bad battery heater/cooler or have constant FOAM issues. I'm not 100% sold on the hybrid yet. I'll keep my little paid off Kia while I have this 4xe or at least until it's proven itself. If it was going to be my only vehicle, with all the issues I've read/seen, I'd wait at least another year. My $0.02.

 

[MerPinXEss]

That makes no sense.

As you said, none of it makes sense...but all are fun, here is a list of some of the favorites :
Accelerating a brick to 60 in 5.5 sec...also stepping on the accelerator at 60 and suddenly realising that 100mph in a brick is a bad idea...
Silently driving by horses on the beach...
Tossing a tow strap to a friend in the sand and towing them all the way back to the pavement

 

[N8213]

If ONLY that solved the problem. Reading the manual (and following the suggestion) doesn't tell the computer that it's time to come out of FORM.

That problem aside, the 4xe has been a great jeep. I agree that the 4xe was cheaper than a gas jeep. As in, I got all the features that I wanted for $$$ less than a gasser. I also love the way it drives as compared to the other jeeps I've driven.

I wish I could activate FORM on demand - its basically "sport" mode!

 

[MerPinXEss]

I wish I could activate FORM on demand - its basically "sport" mode!

FORM on demand = eSave, switch to recharge in the setting screen, also if you engage max regen it engine brakes like a sportscar

 

[IrishJeeper]

I wish I could activate FORM on demand - its basically "sport" mode!

Don't need to activate FORM, just put it in gas mode.

 

[IrishJeeper]

also if you engage max regen it engine brakes like a sportscar

This ^. I personally love that feature. I miss it in my other vehicles.

 

[WXman]

No haters please. What are the upsides? The two downsides for me are that the rear seats don't fold as flat as I would like for my dog crate and it will only go 25 miles or less on a charge.

To me the tax credit thing is a moot point because the sticker price is so much higher. Plus, if you lease there's a potential that you may not get the tax credit because on paper the Jeep isn't yours.

So I look at it like this:

The 4xe would be acceptable for people who commute short distances to work and back only, and there are plenty of public charging sites around your location. If you can charge it for free in the parking lot at work, or at a spot between where you work and live, then it makes sense.

Otherwise there is zero advantage. Cost per mile driven is identical to the 2.0L turbo or EcoDiesel. So there's no savings if you have to pay to charge it. Time to charge is FAR longer than time to fill at the gas station. Curb weight is much more. Cost is more. You still have to service fluids periodically. Repairs will still be the same in the future....except now you're adding the VERY expensive battery pack, wiring, and motor to the list. Payload/towing is same or worse. Interior volume is worse. Resale is going to be worse because the buyer of a used hybrid has to think about that expensive battery pack replacement that's closer to fruition now. Torque is still less than the EcoDiesel if we're talking a simple tune. Environmentally the EVs and hybrids are a nightmare due to mining and future problems over where to dispose of the battery pack. I just can't see any advantages. I really can't.

 

[Hennessey17]

if nothing else... THE TAX CREDITS...

I'm kinda kicking myself for not thinking about it at the time

Sponsored