Back in the early 1990s, when I was in high school, a friend’s dad owned an off-road parts distribution company, and we had a ton of fun with his Chevy big block-swapped Jeep CJ. I specifically remember shredding the driveshaft on at least three Tennessee backwoods trails. Modified Jeeps are nothing new, but the automaker is jumping into the fray with a send-off model to honor the rowdy V8 it offered for the SUV’s last few model years.
The Jeep Wrangler 392 Final Edition brings a close to the automaker’s eight-cylinder efforts, but at a cost. Loaded down with almost every option available, the new Wrangler will cost around $102,000 to start. That said, the price tag buys not only the Jeep, but a serious tool kit, a Warn winch, and more.
Under the hood, the 6.4-liter Hemi remains the star of the show. It produces 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, and sends it to all four wheels through an eight-speed transmission. Jeep claims a 4.5-second 0-60 mph time, which would be terrifying in a Wrangler, but the bigger admission here is the torque number, which makes the 392 a formidable powertrain off-road.
While those acceleration numbers in a Wrangler on the highway could be terrifying, almost 75 percent of the torque is available from just above idle. That makes rock crawling and climbing tough terrain much less of a hassle, and the 2.72 low-range gear ratio helps crank the SUV over exceedingly difficult obstacles.
Jeep also includes a 35-inch tire package, acoustically-insulated glass, and the Wrangler’s first power seats. The SUV’s interior is massively improved for the 2024 model year, with a new look, better tech, and revised styling.
This might be the V8 Wrangler’s last year on sale, but Jeep will continue selling the plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe, and an all-electric Wrangler is expected soon. At the same time, the gas-powered Wrangler is available in a range of configurations in 2024, including with a V6 or turbocharged inline-four.
[Image: Stellantis/Jeep]
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