Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Jeep’s plug-in hybrid Wrangler will silently prowl the great outdoors

By

Jeep is more often associated with go-anywhere off-roaders than with fuel-sipping hybrids, but it wants to prove these two types of vehicles aren’t mutually exclusive with a gasoline-electric variant of the Wrangler. Called 4xe, it will be capable of driving on electricity alone for short distances when it arrives in the coming months.

Giving the Wrangler electric motors and a battery pack allowed Jeep to turn it into a different kind of off-roader than fans are used to. With a full charge, the Wrangler can explore the great outdoors in almost complete silence; the only noise comes from the tires. And, an electric motor delivers its full torque output as soon as the driver presses the accelerator pedal, so crawling over boulders, logs, or anything else that’s in the way is relatively easy.

Related

Jeep hasn’t revealed technical specifications yet, so it’s too early to tell how long the Wrangler will be able to keep its gasoline-burning engine off for. Unverified rumors claim the 4xe will receive an evolution of the plug-in hybrid powertrain found in the Chrysler Pacifica, however. If that’s the case, the system will consist of a 3.6-liter V6, a compact battery pack, and a pair of electric motors. For context, the Pacifica has a 32-mile electric range.

Jeep® | Do Not Disturb

Visually, not a lot will differentiate the 4xe from the non-electrified Wrangler. Eagle-eyed car-spotters will note engineers put the charging port at the base of the windshield, and stylists added blue accents all around to denote the hybrid powertrain. Inside, it’s reasonable to assume the driver will face a plug-in-specific instrument cluster.

Jeep hasn’t said when it will introduce the Wrangler 4xe, but it’s expected to arrive in showrooms in time for the 2021 model year, meaning it will break cover during the second half of 2020. It won’t be cheap, hybrid cars rarely are, but some buyers will be eligible to claim a one-time tax credit from the federal government.

At the other end of the spectrum, the company strongly suggested it’s going to drop a mighty, 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with a 450-horsepower output into the Wrangler. The range is going to grow in two drastically different directions.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Lamborghini is reinventing itself with the Revuelto plug-in hybrid
The Lamborghini Revuelto plug-in hybrid supercar.

The auto industry in a time of transition centered around electrification and connectivity. Even Lamborghini, long the wild child of the auto industry, has to take these trends into consideration. But Lamborghini always does things its own way.
The Lamborghini Revuelto is the replacement for the Aventador supercar, and the latest in a long line of V12-engined dream machines that includes the legendary Miura, Countach, Diablo, and Murciélago. But the Revuelto is a plug-in hybrid — Lamborghini's first — and includes more tech than ever, marking a big step for the brand in the same direction the rest of the industry is taking.
The Revuelto carries on the Lamborghini tradition of stunning supercars, but under the skin, it's more than just a collection of tech buzzwords, Lamborghini CTO Rouven Mohr emphasized in an interview during the car's North American debut in New York City. From the design of the plug-in hybrid powertrain to the hidden aerodynamic elements in the Revuelto's Instagram-worthy styling, Mohr explained how engineers are preserving the essence of Lamborghini in this high-tech age.

Fashionably late
Lamborghini was a trendsetter with the Miura and Countach, but this time it's fashionably late to the party. Plug-in hybrid supercars arrived in a big way roughly a decade ago when the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder all appeared virtually simultaneously. McLaren recently returned to plug-in hybrid technology with its Artura, while the all-electric Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista have completely abandoned combustion engines.
Lamborghini isn't ready to go all-electric, but after dabbling in electrification with the Sián FKP-37 and Countach LPI 800-4 hybrids, company brass did feel the time was right for a plug-in hybrid. Three electric motors — one powering each front wheel, and a third attached to the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission — enable limited electric driving, with energy stored in a 3.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack. It's all in keeping with the times.
"The social environment has changed," Mohr said, noting stricter emissions regulations and the persistent concern that European customers will eventually need some form of electric mode to access city centers. Technological improvements, such as more energy-dense batteries, as well as Lamborghini's schedule for replacing models also made this the right time to launch a plug-in hybrid, Mohr added.
It keeps the sound that makes Lamborghinis as dramatic to hear as they are to look at.

Read more
9 longest-range plug-in hybrids: get the best of both worlds
2020 Polestar 1

All-electric cars are here and becoming increasingly available, but not everyone is ready to make the jump to an EV. After all, while EVs are cheaper to run and maintain, they also require you spend the time and effort to charge them — and on longer drives, that can be a bit of a pain. That’s exactly where plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) come in.

Plug-in hybrids offer the best of both worlds. They have an electric motor and a battery to allow you to drive without using any gas, and they have an engine and gas tank to allow you to drive using gas. The result? Often, you can get around town and to work and back without using any gasoline — only engaging the gas engine when you’re driving longer distances. That means that you don’t have to stop and charge when you don’t want to.

Read more
Why you should consider a plug-in hybrid in 2023
2020 audi q5 tfsi e first drive review phev 19

EVs are all the rage — and it makes sense. Electric vehicles allow you to avoid high gas prices and feel good about not impacting the environment as much, plus they’re usually sleek, stylish, and fast.

But in 2023, owning an EV isn’t for everyone. After all, charging stations, while improving, still aren’t as common as they should be -- and depending on your car, they sometimes aren’t all that fast. If you’re worried about those issues, there’s an alternative — a plug-in hybrid (also known as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or PHEV). These are cars that essentially offer the best of both worlds: A battery and electric motor for quick, clean trips around town, and a gas engine for longer road trips.
What makes a PHEV so great?

Read more