The Jeep Wrangler has always been the SUV equivalent of a pair of hiking boots: loud, clunky, and uncomfortable on the sidewalk, but the benchmark for off-road once off the pavement. The 2025 Wrangler Rubicon 4xe adds an electric motor to the mix, which has some surprising benefits.
At a Glance
- Combo of turbo-four and electric motor makes sense
- It still drives like a Wrangler
- Electric bits solve some of the Wrangler’s worst issues
- Price tag is into luxury SUV territory
On paper, the 4xe makes sense. Jeep’s 2.0-liter turbo four gets paired with an electric motor and 17.3-kWh battery pack, making 375 horsepower (276 kW) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque. That’s more grunt than the V6 Wranglers of yore, and it’ll do about 25 miles (40 km) on electricity alone. Which is perfect if you want to sneak silently into the woods to, say, commune with nature; or avoid annoying your neighbors every time you head out for milk. It also means that around-town driving, generally the Wrangler’s worst use case, is now super cheap.
The Rubicon trim, as always, means serious off-road gear: locking differentials, disconnecting sway bars, beefed-up axles, skid plates, and tires that look like they’re meant to roll over Volkswagens. Add in the plug-in system’s ability to save battery for the trail, and you can crawl up rocks in near silence. At least up until you scrape the skid plate, which will announce your presence with the subtlety of a church bell.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
Driving it on the road is … well, still driving a Wrangler. The steering wanders like a distracted Labrador, the ride quality is about as refined as a pogo stick on a gravel driveway, and wind noise makes the cabin sound like you’re trapped inside a tent during a storm. The electric motor does smooth out low-speed driving, though, and the torque hit off the line makes this the quickest Wrangler short of the V8-powered 392. But don’t kid yourself, this thing is about as aerodynamic as a shoebox taped to a cinder block. Which is kind of the point of the #JeepThing, really.
The added electric parts do solve some of the Wrangler’s longest-running problems. The aforementioned around-town mileage, for example, was one of the biggest banes of the Jeep owner’s existence. Single-digit MPG returns were (and still are) the norm, causing severe wallet ouchies. The electric solves that. Out on the trail, the wait for torque to slow-crawl up a rock or through the mud was often about as simple as driving 1,000 head of cattle through New York City. Now, thanks to immediate electric torque, those cows can take care of themselves, and power delivery from the 4xe is just smooth and easy. Similar to the great output of the diesel model, but with a lot less noise.
Inside, Jeep has done a lot to make the Wrangler livable. Uconnect 5 runs through a nice big infotainment screen, and there are enough soft-touch surfaces that you won’t bruise yourself every time you hit a pothole. But this is still a cabin with drain plugs in the floor. You’re not supposed to care about interior refinement when the roof comes off and the doors can be stored in the bushes. Even with the cupholders, added storage, a grab bar, and soft seating, comfort is not the Wrangler’s strong suit. “Character,” however, it has in spades.
And then there’s the price. A Rubicon 4xe will set you back north of US$60,000 before you start adding the inevitable bolt-ons. By the time you’re done, you could’ve bought a luxury SUV with air suspension, massage seats, and road manners that don’t make you feel like you’re driving a covered wagon. But can that luxury SUV ford a river in EV mode? Not likely. It definitely wouldn’t get you cred in Moab either.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
The 2025 Wrangler Rubicon 4xe is absurd, impractical, overpriced, and an odd combination of power – which is exactly why people should love it. Because for all its quirks, it’s still a Wrangler: the only vehicle you can take the doors off, climb a mountain with, and then plug in at Whole Foods before heading home.
Product Page: 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe
