2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE Unlimited Sahara Review – Save Fuel, Keep the Wrangle Experience

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

The idea of a plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler intrigues me. Wranglers that run exclusively on dead-dino juice have never been terribly fuel efficient. That’s true of recent efforts, too, despite overall improvements in automotive technology/design/engineering that have helped even the thirstiest of gas guzzlers become, well, less thirsty.

So it makes sense that a Wrangler that can run at least part of the time on electrons would pique my interest. Even if the alternative powertrain underhood changes little else about the Wrangler experience.


Fast Facts

2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4XE

Powertrain
2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with electric starter/generator motor and transmission traction motor (375 horsepower @ 5,250 RPM, 470 lb-ft @ 3,000 RPM)
Transmission/Drivetrain
Eight-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive
Fuel Economy, U.S.
49 combined city/highway (EPA Rating, MPGe), 20 combined city/highway (EPA Rating, MPG)
Fuel Economy, Canada
4.8 (NRCan rating, Lₑ/100km); 11.6 city / 11.9 highway / 11.7 combined (NRCan Rating, L/100km)
Base Price
$51,525 (U.S.) / $52,783 (Canada)
As-Tested Price
$60,210 (U.S.) / $58,368 (Canada)
Disclaimer
Prices include $1,595 destination charge in the United States and $1,895 (up to $2,795 for freight, PDI, and A/C tax in Canada and, because of cross-border equipment differences, can’t be directly compared.

The plug-in hybrid system mates a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque to a starter/generator motor (44 hp, 39 lb-ft) and a transmission traction motor (134 hp/181 lb-ft) that integrates into the eight-speed automatic transmission. Total system output is 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque (if you’re flummoxed because the numbers don’t add up, don’t be – for a variety of reasons total system output usually doesn’t match the sum of its component parts).

Jeep promises an EPA-estimated MPGe of 49 and mpg of 20. That's city/highway combined, as the EPA doesn't appear to break it out under the normal city/highway/combined metric.

My test mule was a Sahara with tires that weren’t well-suited to mudding, so I didn’t off-road this Wrangler (I might’ve tried if the terrain was dry, but the folks at my favorite off-road haunt told me it had rained a lot and the trails were slick). This is fine – if you plan on going off-pavement on a frequent basis, Jeep offers the 4XE in Rubicon trim.

This Sahara was better suited to the street, but aside from the powertrain, it was hard to tell the difference between it and a gas-engined Wrangler. The torque is noticeable, of course (only the gas-sucking 392 engine, which is the polar opposite of this Wrangler’s powertrain, matches the 4XE for torque when it comes to the ’21 Wrangler lineup, with the EcoDiesel getting 28 fewer lb-ft), and there’s a welcome silence when operating in electric mode (up to 21 miles of pure electric use is available). There is one noticeable dynamic flaw – the hybrid transitions aren’t always smooth. Otherwise, the experience is mostly bog-standard Wrangler.

Meaning the ride, while much improved over the previous generations, can still be a bit “trucky”. Meaning that even with tires better suited to street duty, the handling can be wonky at times, with steering that requires fairly frequent adjusting. It’s the same story we’ve seen with just about every version of the Wrangler since the current generation launched, though the more trail-ready trims such as Rubicon fare a bit worse in the urban jungle.

Not that most Wrangler buyers care – these are the tradeoffs one makes for Jeep off-road ability and utility, and the current Wrangler remains much easier to live with and wheel around the city than the previous-gen version.

Even the interior changes little, save for the necessary gauge/info changes required by the powertrain, and buttons that allow you to pick your preferred drive mode. They are: Hybrid (default, draws power from the battery first before switching to gas as needed), electric (electric-only until the battery gets too low on charge or you need a boost from the gas engine for passing), and eSave (uses the gas engine in order to save battery charge).

Speaking of charging, I ran into no problems plugging into a Level 2, getting a full charge in just about three hours or so. Not that it would’ve mattered if I couldn’t charge – I’d just run on gas.

What vexes me about the 4XE is the use case – do you really need it? You pay a higher base price for the 4XE…so are the fuel savings, silence, and extra torque worth it?

As usual, it comes down to the individual buyer. If you can easily charge every night, especially on a fast charger, and make 21 miles or so of your commute gas-free, the extra cost may be worth it. If you’re not bothering to plug in and just using the 4XE as a regular hybrid, well, again, it may be worth it in terms of fuel savings – you’ll have to do the math yourself.

Just for reference, my tester based at over $51K and topped out just north of $60K.

Use case aside, the 4XE is a fine version of the Wrangler. I wish I’d had a chance to take it off-road to see how the instantly available torque would work on the trails, but as a street machine it worked just fine. Sure, the transitions between powertrain aren’t always smooth, but they aren’t terribly jarring, either. If you can afford the price of entry, the 4XE can be a nice little fuel-saver that allows you to still experience Wrangler life.

What’s New for 2021

2021 marks the first year that Jeep has offered a Wrangler with a 4XE powertrain.

Who Should Buy It?

The Wrangler buyer with fuel savings on the brain.

[Images © 2022 Tim Healey/TTAC]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 41 comments
  • Lorenzo Well, it was never an off-roader, much less a military vehicle, so let the people with too much money play make believe.
  • EBFlex The best gift would have been a huge bonfire of all the fak mustangs in inventory and shutting down the factory that makes them.Heck, nobody would even have to risk life and limb starting the fire, just park em close together and wait for the super environmentally friendly EV fire to commence.
  • Varezhka Of all the countries to complain about WTO rules violation, especially that related to battery business…
  • Carson D At 1:24 AM, the voyage data recorder (VDR) stopped recording the vessel’s system data, but it was able to continue taping audio. At 1:26 AM, the VDR resumed recording vessel system data. Three minutes later, the Dali collided with the bridge. Nothing suspicious at all. Let's go get some booster shots!
  • Darren Mertz Where's the heater control? Where's the Radio control? Where the bloody speedometer?? In a menu I suppose. How safe is that??? Volvo....
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