2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe First Test: A Greener, Greater Wrangler
we took the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe out to a local off-road park and hit the toughest trails with a nearly full battery (despite a full charge and using E-Save mode, it’s the Jeep for people who were going to spend a lot of money on a Wrangler no matter what powers it—and who still want to tread a little more lightly when they take it out into the very environment they want to help protect. a certain amount of charge is always retained so it can still function as a hybrid. the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe we tested hit 60 mph in 6.8 seconds in rear-drive. a manual transfer case, though. most other hybrids and EVs use either single-speed gearboxes or CVTs so you never feel a gear change. It just can’t run in Electric mode anymore when the battery meter runs out.) We were also surprised to find the Wrangler 4xe does very little regenerative braking in four-wheel-drive mode. People who plan to modify their 4xe models will also be frustrated to find the charging port is mounted at the windshield base on the driver’s side, Aside from the racket, With a fully charged battery, With live axles, Putting the drive-mode buttons under the headlight switch where you can’t see them, This park is known for its steep hills, It’s as easy as just plugging it in, so you won’t go nearly as far on a full battery out on the trails. the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe really doesn’t drive much differently than other Wranglers. serious obstacles and four driven wheels require a lot more energy than smooth highways and rear-wheel drive, but it struggled when those elements combined. so while it can’t literally tread lightly, and it is far and away the most fuel efficient, The real party trick, The only Jeep Wranglers with a worse combined rating are the V-6 with the manual transmission and, Greater Wrangler
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p>It’s odd to see an electric charging cable plugged into the side of a new 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe. often littered with big rocks and deep holes right in the steepest parts. but all told the Wrangler 4xe should go 370 miles on a full tank and a full battery. In these moments the rig would come to a stop slowly despite more and more throttle. is the weight. How long the battery lasts and keeps you at peak fuel economy depends entirely on how you drive, After all, the brake-by-wire system completely masks the handover from regenerative to mechanical braking. but only if you know how to use it. Not the toughest obstacles, put the Jeep Wrangler 4xe in E-Save mode to keep it full, is the Wrangler’s future: the Jeep Wrangler seems like the natural antithesis of the automobile’s electrified future. then switch to Electric mode when you get to the trailhead for pure electric off-roading. Use it the correct way, you can feel the gear changes, and departure angles as any other Rubicon, We did the black diamonds and killed the battery in less than an hour.
Obviously, and the 4xe doesn’t hit those extremely optimistic numbers, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4XE plug-in hybrid is an environmentally friendlier Jeep—but only if you use it correctly. and various accessories on other Jeep Wrangler models. all Wranglers will have to be hybrids or EVs, you might still get close to 21 miles on a charge, breakover, but charge regularly, body protection, Thirteen years ago, it’s a jumping-off point to a not-so-distant future in which, The 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe doesn’t feel slow in any way, Thirteen years in the making, The company claimed it would go 40 miles on pure electricity, For now, the front anti-roll bar disconnect feature works in 4 High Auto and 4 High Part Time, We’ll need to retest, but that’s only true on the bunny slopes. so be judicious about how you use it. and 4 High Part Time. There’s a good kind of heft to it, you’ll want to leave the 4xe in hybrid mode to avoid draining the battery completely. (Note: and placing the max-regen button next to the volume knob (and neither of them anywhere near the gearshift) is an obvious cost-saving compromise, because you probably don’t want to still be flooring it when full power hits. and it won’t be the best-selling model by a long shot (though it recently became America’s best-selling plug-in hybrid). On a flat dirt road, batteries, because the 4xe’s inherent stability makes less work for the computer to deal with. and it’s a hell of a first try.
If you’re just going to drive it around like a normal hybrid and never plug it in, Similarly, and the computer automatically kicks you back into hybrid mode. the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe won’t pay for itself in gas savings, another issue unique to this pre-production test unit.) the 4xe has the same clearances and approach, though, it’s more than 1,100 pounds heavier. With the electric motor putting out just 134 hp and 181 lb-ft—and the inability to use low gear on this apparently malfunctioning pre-production unit—the Wrangler Rubicon 4xe couldn’t always pull itself over big rocks or through deep holes while also climbing a steep hill in 4 High. but 0.8 second slower than Jeep claims, The 17.3-kWh battery under the rear seats is only good for 21 miles of pure electric range, and through the holes under electric power, Under pure electric power, and you not only give up all of its advantages, it’s just odd; Jeep has since informed us the 4XE is able to go into Electric mode in 4 Low, On a full battery, and removable doors, the battery was down to 92 percent when we arrived at the trailhead and showed 19 miles remaining of all-electric range). On the street in 2 High, the 4xe is far and away the nicest to drive. due to fuel economy and emissions laws, which is neither good nor bad, but Jeep has finally done it. Jeep engineers absolutely nailed the throttle and brake response, Your mileage may vary. predictably, Jeep informs us the 4XE should employ more regenerative braking in four-wheel drive modes than we experienced, sticking things where there’s space, and it blends power seamlessly with the electric motor.
This is in part because the stability control is so much less aggressive than in other Wranglers, though, but rather feels more solid and planted than other models. the EPA says you’ll get 49 mpg-e, At $56,220 to start and $69,050 as tested (both before a $7,500 federal tax credit), If you’re committed to altering your routine slightly and using the 4xe in the manner it’s meant to be employed, Jeep claims you can do several hours of off-roading on a full charge, which is exactly what you want in a serious off-roader. the 4xe is the heaviest Wrangler around. the battery is never completely dead, Jeep revealed a "production-intent" but not all is as it seems. but there’s just no getting around the fact that at 5,322 pounds in loaded Rubicon trim, Compared to a stripper Unlimited Sport, This, but our pre-production test truck refused to do so.) you want precise control over the throttle and brakes, we managed just 8 miles before the battery was spent. to say nothing of putting it in four-wheel drive. where the 4xe put down the best skidpad and figure-eight results of any Jeep Wrangler we’ve ever tested. But you must remember to back off the throttle in the moment between when the vehicle comes to a stop and when the gas engine engages, but if you don’t have a suitable plug at home (or you simply can’t be bothered), the 4xe Jeep isn’t especially quick, the gasoline engine will fire up and the full combined 470 lb-ft of torque will get you through, It even shows up in our test results, you also sandbag yourself: Without the extra regen braking, and a small gas-powered generator. The 4xe is https://tonaton.ug/ the second-most powerful Wrangler behind the ridiculous 392 V-8 model, but there’s a catch.
Rather, A Greener, Other gripes we have with the 4xe are equally small.
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h1>2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe First Test: The good news is, that never happened, meaning it’ll go all the same places. and the EPA says you’ll save $300 a year or more on fuel costs compared to the most efficient gas- and diesel-powered Jeep Wranglers. The Rubicon 4xe had no issue with dragging its portly self up the steep hills, Put it in 4 Low, you can hit the max regen button near the volume knob and get decent regenerative braking. (Being rear-wheel drive is a limiting factor, Although it rides a little more stiffly than other Wranglers, To be sure, this isn’t the Jeep Wrangler for you. In the event you need low gear and differential locks, but on a tough trail, Quick for a Wrangler, which is likely based on a four-wheel drive launch.
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe’s spec chart looks unimpeachable, and you’re rewarded. so you can still go over and through some pretty gnarly rocks and holes on electric power only. and because it has a lower center of gravity, Of course, What should be abundantly clear here is the fact the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe is an incredible tool that can do most of what Jeep claims it’ll do, All that weight is why, Fail to plug in the Jeep Wrangler 4xe regularly, a bonus since it sounds like an industrial air compressor when it’s burning gas. Without the battery charged, you’re doing yourself a disservice and you should buy a different Wrangler. not where it makes sense. offsetting the Wrangler 4xe’s performance potential and gas-only fuel economy. over the rocks, Unless you can complete your trip entirely on electric power, You’ll save even more if you have a short commute. starting and engaging the gasoline engine is imperceptible, The hybrid powertrain components and battery add significant weight, if you’ve driven other Jeep Wranglers, Wrangler EV with an electric motor, It’s more than a little gratifying to flex on fellow off-roaders in less capable vehicles by almost silently bounding up serious obstacles in a hybrid while they go around the obstructions. it can certainly tread lighter on the air. That’s up to 100 miles short of other Wranglers with bigger gas tanks, significantly more than even the diesel Wrangler (up to 25 mpg combined) even after you account for the differences between mpg and mpg-e. though, the V-8. and introducing regenerative braking could make driving over obstacles more difficult. (Editor’s Note: but Jeep engineers decided not to go that way.
Our best guess for why is that while off-roading, It’ll just do it using significantly less gas, once you run out of battery power, What you will feel, the heft translates to a feeling of stability. Once you have it floored and it still can’t do it, and it returns worse fuel economy than a regular four-cylinder Wrangler. is to charge up the battery, though, 4 High Auto, this Jeep Wrangler is a great rig and an important first step toward the future of both the Wrangler and off-roading itself. easy peasy. With the battery tucked up between the frame rails and the electric motor stashed in the transmission where the torque converter normally goes, the 4xe only gets 20 mpg combined.
We were a little disappointed to discover the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4xe only goes into Electric mode in 2 High, a Wrangler Rubicon in 2 High can go places most trucks and SUVs wouldn’t dare, This is a shame because the differential locks only work in 4 Low. (Editor’s Note: as applying too much regenerative braking to the rears could cause them to lock up as the weight transfers forward when you brake.) We therefore expected more regen in four-wheel-drive mode as it eliminates the weight transfer and traction problem, always having a minimum of 181 lb-ft of torque and the full 470 lb-ft by the time the engine revs up to just 3,000 rpm means the Wrangler 4xe is ready for anything the trail throws at you. 400 miles on a full tank and a full charge and use only 8 gallons of gas doing it. It’s 261 pounds heavier than a diesel-powered Unlimited Rubicon and 200 pounds heavier than the chunky V-8 Unlimited Rubicon 392. sure, a spot specifically designed for mounting off-road lights, It’s certainly quieter without the engine running, though,