Jeep rates the 4xe for up to 30 inches of water, and while I didn’t have my ruler out as I splashed through, it felt as though the Jeep was close to the limit while plowing straight through. That was great for staying dry, but less advantageous for driving as the moisture added a level of slippery sheen that turned craggy granite into sheets of slick mud.Īfter transitioning to softer tires, Jeep Jamboree guide Shawn Gulling led me down winding dirt roads to the first obstacle, a short rock climb that was graded down to a water crossing. Once I got to the stopping point at Inks Ranch, where a team of Jeep Jamboree guides waited, the sky cleared and the humidity set in. The 4xe shines in low-torque situations, but the abundant twist isn’t there for the sake of quickness. I pressed on the accelerator, testing the torque, and found it adequate, but lacking the thrill of a straight EV. It rained all the way out, and the Wrangler Rubicon 4xe felt capable and familiar, gripping the road with standard BF Goodrich KO2 All-Terrain tires aired up to on-road spec.īefore departing the launch point, Jeep staff instructed me to try it out in all-electric mode as I meandered from city center out to the highway to get a feel for the performance of the dual motors. I had several hours of quality time behind the wheel of the 4xe between Austin and a private off-road course outside of Llano, Texas. Heck, if the Hummer can become an EV, it’s a no-brainer for the smaller and nimbler Jeep. The Magneto concept that debuted at the Easter Jeep Safari was just a taste of what’s to come. That will open the door to a bigger step and eventually, I’m certain, to a production all-electric Wrangler. I call it a baby step because although it is significant to see a Wrangler with two electric motors and the ability to creep, almost silently, along an off-road path, there’s still only 21 miles of all-electric range. Jeep and its distinctive seven-slat grille have been around for 80 years now, and the brand is nudging its way into the age of electrification with this baby step. But northwest of Austin, surprising slabs of granite rise into the air, well suited for a drive in the new Jeep Wrangler 4xe, the off-road brand’s first plug-in hybrid. If you grew up watching the show Dallas in the 80s, you might imagine the Lone Star state as flat, rolling ranchland with a homogenous cityscape. When people think of Texas, they expect cowboy boots, rodeos, country music, and football.
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