Plug-in Jeep Wrangler Gets an Arrival Date

August 25th, 2020 1:42 PM

Overshadowed lately by a brace of upcoming full-size SUV stablemates, to say nothing of its reborn Ford Bronco rival, the plug-in Jeep Wrangler remains the next big introduction for the off-road brand.

Teased on and off throughout the year, the Wrangler plug-in hybrid, known officially as the Wrangler 4xe (a moniker greeting all hybridized Jeeps), has appeared with an arrival date in tow. Best to get this introduction out of the way before a busy 2021.

A tweet from Jeep Tuesday shows the Wrangler 4xe perched on the edge of a cliff, viewed from above. Its hood appears to be that of a Rubicon Recon, though the power bulge is outlined in blue: a go-to color signifying the presence of auto-motivating electricity. “Coming December 2020,” the brand claims.

This jibes with previous announcements from Jeep and Fiat Chrysler that claimed the ’21 Wrangler PHEV would be on the market by the end of the year. Jeep’s date reveal comes a few days after the release of yet another video depicting the model’s silent running mode, this one cheekily closed-captioned for the hard of hearing. There’s no engine roar, just the sound of gravel spit out from underfoot.

Expected to appear on loftier trims, the exact nature of the hybrid powertrain is not known, though Mopar Insiders claims that a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder will mate with an electric motor contained within the vehicle’s ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The manufacturer of that tranny claims the unit is capable of providing up to 31 miles of all-electric driving.

Depending on battery size and load, the Wrangler could propel itself up to 74 mph on electrons alone, ZF suggests.

Having a hybrid version of the Wrangler on the market, and a plug-in one at that, would be a feather in Jeep’s cap for however long Ford takes to bring a hybrid Bronco to market. We know there’s one on the way, but, given the fact that reservation holders aren’t expected to start receiving the first Broncos until early next year, Jeep will have won the race. In the process, earning itself some much-needed green cred.

A full reveal of the Wrangler 4xe shouldn’t be far off.

[Images: Jeep/Twitter]

#4xe #Fca #FiatChryslerAutomobiles #FutureModels #Green #Hybrid #Jeep #JeepWrangler #JeepWrangler4xe #PHEV #Wrangler #Plug-inHybrid #ProductPlanning #SUVs

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 14 comments

ToolGuy on Aug 26, 2020

Ideal stalker vehicle - I need one of these. Ooops out loud voice?

Like Reply
Old_WRX on Aug 26, 2020

It just doesn't seem right to me. But, then again, I think any off roadish vehicle should have a mt. Using a clutch in tough situations is a dying art form. Reminds me. Back in the early seventies we (my family) lived in Quito, Ecuador for two years. (If you ever get the chance, go there; it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.) One day we were out driving on a two(ish) lane cobblestone road at at least 10,000 feet. We stopped and picked up some of the local (I see we have a politically correct spell checker here; ok, then) aboriginal denizens who were waiting by the side of the road. When my father went to start up again he had a problem. We were pointed up a very steep section of the road, at that altitude the Land Rover 110 had about 50 HP, and try as he might it was impossible to get off the brake onto the throttle and get enough revs to get the thing moving. So, I reached over with my hand and held the throttle down so it could build some revs, and away we went.

Like Reply

DenverMike When was it ever a mystery? The Fairmont maybe, but only the 4-door "Futura" trim, that was distinctively upscale. The Citation and Volare didn't have competing trims, nor was there a base stripper Maxima at the time, if ever, crank windows, vinyl seats, 2-doors, etc. So it wasn't a "massacre", not even in spirit, just different market segments. It could be that the Maxima was intended to compete with those, but everything coming from Japan at the time had to take it up a notch, if not two.Thanks to the Japanese "voluntary" trade restriction, everything had extra options, if not hard loaded. The restriction limited how many vehicles were shipped, not what they retailed at. So Japanese automakers naturally raised the "price" (or stakes) without raising MSRP. What the dealers charged (gouged) was a different story.Realistically, the Maxima was going up against entry luxury sedans (except Cimarron lol), especially Euro/German, same as the Cressida. It definitely worked in Japanese automaker's favor, not to mention inspiring Lexus, Acura and Infiniti.
Ronnie Schreiber Hydrocarbon based fuels have become unreliable? More expensive at the moment but I haven't seen any lines gathering around gas stations lately, have you? I'm old enough to remember actual gasoline shortages in 1973 and 1979 (of course, since then there have been many recoverable oil deposits discovered around the world plus the introduction of fracking). Consumers Power is still supplying me with natural gas. I recently went camping and had no problem buying propane.Texas had grid problems last winter because they replaced fossil fueled power plants with wind and solar, which didn't work in the cold weather. That's the definition of unreliable.I'm an "all of the above" guy when it comes to energy: fossil fuels, hydro, wind (where it makes sense), nuclear (including funding for fusion research), and possibly solar.Environmental activists, it seems to me, have no interest in energy diversity. Based on what's happened in Sri Lanka and the push against agriculture in Europe and Canada, I think it's safe to say that some folks want most of us to live like medieval peasants to save the planet for their own private jets.
Car65688392 thankyou for the information
Car65688392 Thankyou for your valuable information
MaintenanceCosts There's no mystery anymore about how the Japanese took over the prestige spot in the US mass market (especially on the west coast) when you realize that this thing was up against the likes of the Fairmont, Citation, and Volaré. A massacre.