NEW YORK—Jeep’s refreshed Wrangler lineup features a cheaper variant of the Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
The brand new variant, unveiled right here on the New York Worldwide Auto Present, known as the Sport S 4xe. Pricing and pictures are nonetheless below wraps; they’re going to be revealed at a “later date,” a Jeep spokesperson tells PCMag. The Sport S will seem as a fifth mannequin within the lineup beneath, earlier than the present most cost-effective mannequin, the $54,735 Willys 4xe.
The present 2024 Wrangler is available in 4 powertrains; three are gas-powered and the fourth is the 4xe plug-in hybrid. “With the plug-in 4xe enjoying a lead function within the lineup, the brand new Wrangler takes the very best and makes it higher,” says Jim Morrison, head of Jeep model North America.
The Ohio-based automaker has been softer on its electrification plans than manufacturers like GM, which has dedicated to 100% electrification by 2035. Jeep plans to have 50% of its gross sales from electrical fashions by 2030, and plans to supply its first totally electrical fashions in 2024.
The 4xe PHEV acts as a bridge to that electrical future and is “America’s best-selling PHEV,” in accordance with Jeep. All present fashions, plus the Sport S 4xe, will get a brand new 12.3-inch sprint display screen, facet curtain airbags, and windshield-integrated stealth antenna.
Being a plug-in hybrid, the 4xe lineup costs its battery through an exterior port, making it extra like an EV than a standard hybrid. The 2024 4xe lineup will preserve the identical 21 miles of all-electric vary and 49MPGe (mixed fuel and electrical gas effectivity). Since there are a number of PHEVs available on the market with a cheaper price and extra electrical vary (many over 30 miles), that is an space we might prefer to see Jeep enhance for the brand new mannequin yr.
Nonetheless, Jeep did enhance the charging pace and effectiveness of regenerative braking, Jim Morrison, head of Jeep Model North America, tells PCMag. The 4xe, like most different PHEVs, helps degree 1 and degree 2 charging however not quick charging at public DC stations.
Jeep additionally added a small new electrification characteristic: the Jeep 4xe Energy Field. This set of 4, 120-volt retailers with 30 amps of whole output permit the battery pack to energy exterior units. This mild bi-directional charging functionality mirrors different EVs, lots of which have retailers with extra energy—sufficient to supply backup help for houses and buildings, in some circumstances.
Whereas the Wrangler 4xe may not be probably the most electrified mannequin doable, it has different enjoyable options that entice clients. The Wrangler 4xe is among the many 4 Wrangler powertrains with 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.
Rubicon 4xe gives superior efficiency upgrades for off-roading and towing. It has a 100:1 crawl ratio to assist conquer steep inclines and rugged terrain, an 8,000-pound capability Warn winch, and a rear axle modification to permit for tire upsizing and towing as much as 5,000 kilos.
