{"id":27381,"date":"2021-05-25T14:14:48","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T18:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27381"},"modified":"2021-05-25T14:14:48","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T18:14:48","slug":"payne-with-v-8-power-wrangler-rubicon-392-is-king-of-the-jeeps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/payne-with-v-8-power-wrangler-rubicon-392-is-king-of-the-jeeps","title":{"rendered":"Payne: With V-8 power, Wrangler Rubicon 392 is King of the Jeeps"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Holly\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Well, you just knew the mad scientists in Auburn Hills had this up their sleeve. First came the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Then the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat family sedan. Followed by the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk family SUV.<\/p>\n

Now doff your cap to the earth-shaking\u00a0470-horsepower Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 off-road vehicle stuffed with the same\u00a0392-cubic-inch V-8 found in the Dodge Challenger Scat Pack, for goodness sake. The forest will never be the same.<\/p>\n

I took the juiced Wrangler to Holly Oaks ORV Park (now open with your ORV sticker!) and made the trees shake. The ground quake. The rocks crumble. After I hurtled\u00a0around the dirt track at obtuse angles, Joey Logano approached me and asked if he could enter the Wrangler in next year\u2019s NASCAR Bristol dirt race.<\/p>\n

Jeep\u2019s compact SUV is insane. My only question is: was the alphanumeric 392 badge the best marketing could come up with?<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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How about Beast? Hulk? Was Hellboy taken?<\/p>\n

After all, Jeep executives have made clear they don\u2019t have room to fit the supercharged\u00a0700-plus horsepower Hellcat engine in the Wrangler without compromising crumple safety zones \u2014 so this is the highest-flying\u00a0V-8-powered Wrangler we\u2019re going to get. Heck, at $74,995 it actually costs more than a Challenger Hellcat. If an alphanumeric badge it must be, how about 666?<\/p>\n

The Wrangler Rubicon 392 is a treat from the moment you push the Start\u00a0button on the dash.<\/p>\n

BRAAAPP!<\/em>\u00a0The 6.4-liter V-8\u00a0roars to life like someone stuck the Kraken with a hot poker (was Kraken taken?). Unlike its sedan and SUV peers, the Wrangler is wonderfully uninsulated due to its removable doors and roof, so the sounds wash\u00a0over you like a wave.<\/p>\n

Naturally, Jeep dressed the 392 in full Rubicon off-road battle dress so that you could enjoy all the amenities the King of Off-road has to offer. The Jeep faithful will strip off the doors and peel back the roof to get even closer to the V-8 roar. If we had done that on this sun-soaked Saturday morning \u2014 a day after heavy rains in southeast Michigan \u2014 we would have been caked with mud from head to toe. We left the doors on.<\/p>\n

A red Wrangler Rubicon is a beautiful canvas to paint with mud. Now that\u2019s landscape art.<\/p>\n

When not destroying sports cars out of stoplights, the 392 loses none of its abilities off-road. Indeed, the 392 is raised another inch to encourage you to take it where the asphalt ends.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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That extra inch is functional \u2014 a testament to the extensive re-engineering Jeep\u2019s surgeons did to make this Frankenjeep monster a reality. The engine bay has been extensively reworked to fit the taller, longer, hungrier V-8. The hood scoop is real, and more airways are available should it get blocked or overwhelmed by a wave of muck while treading up to 32 inches of water.<\/p>\n

Years ago, a mod shop stuffed a Porsche 968 motor into my Porsche 944 (more power! Uh uh uh!) engine bay, requiring extensive plumbing. And that was just swapping a 2.5-liter 4-banger for a 3.0-liter four. Ask an aftermarket shop to upgrade your Jeep Rubicon to a V-8 and you\u2019re likely looking at a bill north of $40,000. Jeep does it for $24,000 over the standard Rubicon.<\/p>\n

The Frankenstein transformation doesn\u2019t stop at the engine bay. In addition to the aforementioned lift, the ladder frame gets stiffening, and the suspension gains Fox performance shocks and muscular Dana axles off the Gladiator pickup.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: this is the most capable Jeep Wrangler ever, with 10.3 inches of ground clearance and an absurd 4.5-second 0-60 dash. Even the Rubicon\u2019s legendary approach\/breakover\/departure angles increase up 44.5\/22.6\/37.5 degrees.\u00a0Boowah-haw-haw!<\/em><\/p>\n

Scaling the South Face of the parks\u2019 Sandbox area is a formidable task as you have to accelerate up a sandy hill that steepens to 31 degrees (think Daytona\u2019s high banking) at the top.<\/p>\n

With 470 pound-feet of torque, my 392 fearlessly attacked the obstacle, flinging sand plumes from its knobby tires. At the top of the ridge Wrangler surveyed its Jeep kingdom below like Simba on Pride Rock. Ah, when the Ford Bronco arrives this summer, the fur will fly at Holly Oaks.<\/p>\n

Soft ground after overnight rains demands extra safety vigilance over Holly Oaks\u2019 steep, 200-foot drops. I man-handled the transfer case shifter into 4-low, locked front and rear axles, disconnected the swaybar\u00a0and grunted across muddy Darlene\u2019s Ridge \u2014 the huge\u00a033-inch tires slipping and sliding but clawing for grip.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Grip was an issue on the steep rocks of the park\u2019s signature Mashed Potato hill on Mt. Magna for some V-6-powered Rubicons. For the V-8, it was a piece of cake, the suspension lift adding extra clearance for the rugged frame.<\/p>\n

On Holly Oaks\u2019 challenging five-turn Glen short course, I turned off traction control to allow the rear end to really hang loose. I\u2019ve overcooked the course\u2019s moguls before \u2014 separating a Ford Ranger Tremor\u2019s tire from its rim \u2014 but the Wrangler 392 comes standard with bead locks to protect against separation anxiety.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019m 6\u2019 5\u201d, my biggest concern was hitting my noggin\u00a0on the roll bar as we flew over hillocks.<\/p>\n

For its ultimate workhorse, Jeep has spared nothing. The 392 gets signature bronze tow hooks, leather 392 seat badging, a Sky One Touch roof, front-facing crawl camera, paddle shifters \u2014 even a quiet mode button on the dash should you want to hear the person in the backseat over the wail of the V-8.<\/p>\n

\"That<\/p>\n
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But if it\u2019s quiet you\u2019re looking for on your off-road wanderings, get the plug-in hybrid 4xe that I recently tested in Texas. You can stealthily sneak around Holly Oaks and listen to every twig snap under your 33s.<\/p>\n

The 392, on the other hand, is all about teeth-baring, chest-thumping dominance.<\/p>\n

I know, let\u2019s call it Kong.<\/p>\n

2021\u00a0Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vehicle type: Front engine, four-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0compact SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $74,995, including $1,495 destination fee ($78,545 as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 6.4-liter V-8<\/p>\n

Power: 470 horsepower, 470 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.5\u00a0seconds (mfr.); towing capacity, 3,500 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight: 5,100 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 13 city\/17 highway\/14 combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/h3>\n

Highs: Off-road cred; a Hemi V-8 in a Wrangler, need I say more?<\/p>\n

Lows: Drinks gas; gotta\u00a0shout to be heard in the cabin<\/p>\n

Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n

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