Jeep Wrangler V8 not coming here

Intense demand for the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 in its American home market has meant Australians will be denied access to the beastly V8-powered model, despite intense lobbying from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia.

FCA Australia boss Kevin Flynn said the company had made repeated requests to its US parent, and that it wouldn’t stop trying, but admitted the chances of the rock-smashing 4x4 receiving the green light for sale Down Under were slim.

“We’ve made that request and we’d certainly love to have it here. I think we all know everywhere that thing here would be outstanding,” said Flynn.

“We will continue to make those requests, but you know demand for that vehicle in the States is going to be unbelievable. It really is a unique vehicle.

“It’s going to be a tough ask because the demand is going to be so great, but we won’t stop asking, that’s for sure.”

Propelled by a throbbing 6.4-litre HEMI V8, complete with bonnet scoop for extra cooling, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 belts out 351kW/637Nm and drives through an eight-speed automatic transmission and Selec-Trac four-wheel drive system.

Acceleration is rapid, the V8-powered Jeep Wrangler blasting from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds which makes it more than a second quicker than the $250,000 Land Rover Defender V8.

Jeep says the Wrangler Rubicon 392 will also dispatch the quarter mile in 13 seconds.

Hero models such as the V8 Wrangler will be important for the Jeep brand in Australia as FCA attempts to get its local operation back on track after a tumultuous few years.

Another image-leading version of the Jeep Wrangler, the 4xe plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version, also appears unlikely.

The Jeep Wrangler 4xe is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine which together with a pair of electric motors belts out an impressive combined output of 280kW/637Nm (yes, the same peak torque as the Wrangler V8 392).

With a 17kWh lithium-ion battery also on board, the plug-in Wrangler can travel for up to 40km on full-electric power alone, while combined-cycle fuel economy is rated at 4.7L/100km.

Asked if the Wrangler 4xe was coming to Australia, Jeep’s global brand boss Christian Meunier said: “For now it’s not approved, but I want to make it happen.”

His reluctance to sign off on the new model is due to the slow uptake of PHEV and full-electric vehicles in Australia.

Last year, 1685 new PHEVs were sold in Australia, while 1769 EV sales were recorded (not including Tesla, which does not report its figures).

“Each time I talk to Australian people, journalists, dealers, employees, there’s a little bit of a doubt about electrification. I think there is a doubt that electrification is going to be coming soon,” said Meunier.

“But at the end of the day electrification is coming and I’m convinced it’s coming much sooner than people think and I’m working on getting the Wrangler [4xe] to Australia and I’m hoping we can make it happen.”

Much heavier – by up to 300kg – and potentially much more expensive than the standard Wrangler models, which start at around $52,000 and rise to $68,000, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe offers a different take on the hardcore 4x4.

And while it remains off the agenda for Wrangler, the 4xe powertrain will be coming to Australia in early 2022, tucked inside the new-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. Meunier also confirmed that all Jeep models will have some level of electrification in the next few years.