2024 Jeep Wrangler 392 Review and Test Drive

Married auto journalists jointly test the V8-powered 2024 Wrangler 392 and deem it fun but frivolous.

Liz Kim & Christian Wardlaw | 

Dec 5, 2024 | 8 min read

Christian Wardlaw

The 2024 Jeep Wrangler comes in two-door and four-door body styles. A plug-in hybrid version of the four-door is available, called the Wrangler 4xe. This review concerns the gas-only four-door model, a specific one equipped with a massive 6.4-liter V8 engine: the Rubicon 392.

It tops a lineup that includes the Sport, Sport S, Willys, Sahara, Rubicon, and Rubicon X trim levels. Base prices across the range run from the high $30,000s to the low $100,000s, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the Toledo, Ohio, factory that builds it to your local dealership. Three of its competitors include the Ford Bronco, Toyota 4Runner, and Toyota Land Cruiser.

For this Wrangler review, Liz Kim and Christian Wardlaw, automotive journalists who are married with children, evaluated the Rubicon 392 equipped with the Final Edition package. Options included extra-cost Firecracker Red paint, a Mopar air compressor, and a Sky One-Touch Power Top, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $108,475, including the $1,895 destination charge. Jeep provided the vehicle for this Wrangler review.

Christian Wardlaw

Is the 2024 Jeep Wrangler a Good SUV?

Chris Wardlaw: The answer to this question depends on your expectations. Buy a Wrangler solely for its image and the feeling of driving it with the top and doors off, and you might experience buyer's remorse because this Jeep doesn't ride and handle like a crossover or provide a refined and upscale interior to go with its luxury-level price tag. Buy it for its intended purpose, and a Wrangler might be one of the best SUVs for the money.

Liz Kim: Our family has many positive memories of the Jeep Wrangler. Fun, sunny days in test vehicles. Hawaiian rentals. This Rubicon 392, however, left me feeling flat, as its power and packaging magnified the many qualities of the Wrangler that make me long for the comforts of a more logical daily driver.

Christian Wardlaw

Typical Jeep Design and Materials at an Atypical Price

Liz: Nothing comes close to the iconic image of a Jeep Wrangler. Despite its evolution over the decades, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind what a Wrangler looks like. The 392’s decals, steel bumpers, and fat tires burnish that appearance.

These are the aspects that often make the Wrangler hard to live with. The latest generation of the Wrangler is the nicest, most sophisticated one ever, but in design and execution, it’s geared toward off-road functionality. Slap a massive price tag on it, and the practical charm of the cabin's cheap plastic, elastic storage netting, and rubber surfaces seem even more esoteric.

Oh, the indignity of having short legs. The 392 is even taller with more ground clearance than the regular model, and it had me considering which orthopedist to consult if I should twist my ankle upon exiting. Entering the Jeep required a leap that might impress Simone Biles. I would recommend some side step rails, but off-road enthusiasts would advise against such frippery.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris: I must admit to chuckling each time Liz had to climb up into the Wrangler, but she had my empathy. Even with my long legs, entering and exiting the Jeep was anything but graceful, and it's easy for longer-limbed people to hurt their knees on hard plastic surfaces, whether getting behind the wheel or into the back seat.

Nevertheless, once I'm in, I'm happy about it. The seats are comfortable, and the outstanding sightlines (except directly to the rear) add confidence when parking in urban areas and maneuvering in the wild. Though the lift-up rear window and swing-right tailgate are often a hassle, the 31.7 cubic-feet of cargo space is always just right for family travel.

Our test vehicle had the optional power Sky One-Touch Power Top. It costs $3,995 but saves hassle when you want to open the Jeep up to the elements. If you don't care about letting the sunshine in or plan to fully remove the Wrangler's roof and doors, I'd recommend against this option. If you're somewhere in the middle, you might consider it money well spent, if my experience wrestling with fabric and hard-top roof panels is any guide.

Christian Wardlaw

High-Tech Infotainment, Low-Tech Safety Systems

The most technologically advanced thing about the 2024 Wrangler is its new Uconnect 5 infotainment system. In addition to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, it provides connected services and data panels related to off-roading. The Jeep's standard collection of driver-assistance systems is minimal for a modern vehicle, with the important blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert systems requiring significant cash to acquire in most trims.

Chris: It's great that the infotainment system's 12.3-inch touchscreen doesn't wash out in direct sunlight, but the native voice recognition system isn't impressive beyond the fact that it understood me when the Sky roof was open. Fortunately, the wireless Apple CarPlay worked well. I also like the volume and tuning knobs on the dashboard, and the Alpine speakers are impressive.

Given the Wrangler's three-star rollover resistance rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a blind-spot monitoring system is necessary because the last thing you want to do in this SUV is make sudden steering inputs. Sadly, that's optional on most Wranglers.

On highways, the Rubicon 392 easily wanders unless you add constant steering correction, so a lane-keeping assist system would be great, but you can't get one on a Wrangler. The adaptive cruise control is basic and rudimentary, almost not worth having.

Christian Wardlaw

Liz: The tech on this Wrangler is the same basic stuff you'll find on other modern vehicles, whether it’s an entry-level economy car or, umm, this six-figure Jeep. Given how crucial blind-spot monitoring is in any modern vehicle, I was surprised to discover that you can't get that on some versions of the Wrangler.

In any case, the few active safety features on the Wrangler 392 do what they're supposed to, and the infotainment system is easy to use. Still, though the Wrangler has never been synonymous with advanced technology, the 392's lack of tech at this price point seems ludicrous.

Christian Wardlaw

The Rubicon 392 Roars but Requires Your Undivided Attention

Jeep equips the Wrangler Rubicon 392 with a 6.4-liter V8 engine, making 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission and automatic four-wheel-drive system with low-range capability are standard, and the Rubicon 392 has all of the extreme off-road gear of a standard Wrangler. Official EPA fuel-economy estimates are 13/16/14 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. The test vehicle averaged 14 mpg on the testing loop and 13.8 mpg over 350 miles.

Liz: Brawny V8 engines emitting sonorous roars are appealing in vehicles designed and engineered to minimize the effects of the added weight while maximizing the available horsepower. Wedging one into the Wrangler is like attaching The Rock's arms to Zack Braff's body. It just doesn't match.

With its tall driving position and high center of gravity, the standard Wrangler is not something you'd want to hustle down a winding road, but as Chris has proven on the Road to Hana Maui, it will get the job done. Comparatively, the 392 wallows in corners, its just-over-5,200-pound curb weight is evident when you squeeze the brakes, and its giant tires lack grip.

Even when driving around town, the Wrangler 392 feels untethered. You'll have plenty of fun and a goofy grin when you shoot off from stop signs. But that grin quickly turns to a grimace when you've got to stop at a gas station yet again.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris: The car enthusiast in me loves the Wrangler 392. But this is an even more impractical beast than other Wranglers are. For example, how far off the grid are you gonna get in something that averages 13.8 mpg? Even with a 21.5-gallon fuel tank, it seems like the Wrangler never met a gas station it didn't like. You can almost see the fuel gauge dropping right before your eyes.

Dynamically, Jeep engineers and tunes the Rubicon 392 for off-roading. Directional stability is poor on pavement, the suspension feels soft over rises and dips and skittish over sharper bumps and cracks, steering inputs are suggestions rather than commands, and the all-terrain tires are seriously squishy. Stomp on the accelerator, and the 392 roars as the Wrangler's rear end squats, further erasing tire contact and steering accuracy at the front wheels.

Exploring the Wrangler 392's maximum acceleration capability is terrifying despite the full-time four-wheel-drive system, but driving this muscular SUV for a week was wildly entertaining. Still, it confirmed that my favorite version of this classic Jeep is the 4xe plug-in hybrid.

Christian Wardlaw

Liz Kim and Christian Wardlaw met when they worked together at a major automotive media outlet. Together for over 20 years, they are parents to children and pets and have collectively test-driven and reviewed thousands of cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs since the 1990s.

Liz Kim

Liz Kim has been writing about cars, SUVs, and trucks since 1999. She started her career in news, features, and car reviews, and has crafted automotive marketing copy for several agencies. But what she enjoys most is ferrying her family to explore the nooks and crannies of Southern California, where she lives. She calls a 2020 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid her daily driver.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris says his first word was "car." For as long as he can remember, he's been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. He is a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but is most passionate about the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. He began his career as the editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s, and for more than 30 years has created automotive content for CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, the New York Daily News, and others. Chris owns Speedy Daddy Media, has been contributing to Capital One Auto Navigator since 2019, and lives in California with his wife, kids, dog, and 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata.