There’s a reason Jeep Wrangler drivers wave to each other when passing. For people who love these eccentric off-road SUVs, it’s more like being in a cult than a car. That said, after a week with the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4XE, I just might be ready to join.
So what’s the attraction? Well, they look cool—like giant RC cars—and they’re fantastic vehicles when the terrain and weather get nasty. But the appeal really bites when you open the windows, remove the top, and put on some cold weather gear. Driving a Wrangler in this way, one experiences an exhilaration that you don’t get from anything else on four wheels. It’s not so much a sense of freedom or versatility, but more an immediate experience of harmony between nature and driving—and never more so in this case, since I was in the 4XE (Wrangler Hybrid) which can do 49 miles per gallon combined with gasoline a fully charged battery.
My driving adventure actually took me from Eastern New England to New York City, and then out to Pennsylvania where the temperature really dropped. The hours on I-95 were uneventful, and if it wasn’t for the iconic flat windshield and rumbling 17” wheels and off-road tires, I could have been in any new SUV. On uneven road surfaces, the vehicle does feel a bit bouncy, but it never interferes with steering or braking capabilities. On highways famous for potholes like the Brooklyn-Queens-Expressway, it’s actually fantastic and you feel immortal when you can safely take on the urban crater which for a standard vehicle is almost certainly a wheel breaker.
As I mentioned, the Wrangler is much noisier than most cars, but then I did have the Sky One Touch Power Top, a $4,145 option, which under my command went back and forth more often than the windshield wipers. With the roof closed for long stretches on the highway however, I was still able to talk comfortably to people through the hands free system, so the noise level from the fabric roof is about the same as other soft top vehicles I’ve tested, with the exception of Rolls-Royce Dawn.
I was surprised to find the Wrangler’s interior to be fairly luxurious, and passengers commented on the elegant color scheme and leather-wrapped steering wheel which was heated as part of the cold weather package, a $1,195 option that also includes heated front seats and a remote start system. My favorite interior feature, as I may have mentioned, is the flat windshield, which sits pretty close to the steering wheel and made me feel like I was driving an old military vehicle, albeit one that’s grown four or five sizes since it’s original Willy’s iteration. My 2023 Rubicon 4XE being just the latest version, incorporating current tech you’d find on most luxury cars, though not a HUD display, which I’ve come to appreciate the closer I get to needing progressive lenses.
Although I love the idea of a hybrid, the Jeep didn’t charge itself—even after a couple of hundred miles on the freeway. However, once fully charged using a portable cable that plugs into a port discretely hidden behind a panel on the driver’s side front fender, the Wrangler got me through an hour of city driving with that peaceful swooshing sound of an electric motor. If you’re able to charge at home, it’s a boon when it comes to this car—because it was quite thirsty. Using gas only, I averaged 20 miles per gallon.
But then a Wrangler Rubicon is not a practical vehicle. For instance, its safety scores with The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (I.I.H.S.) are ‘marginal’ in three areas. Worse still is that during the driver side small overlap crash test, a 2022 Jeep Wrangler actually tipped over—despite the manufacturer’s modifications to fix this issue. Now this is where it gets interesting. Whereas I’ve only ever considered buying vehicles that have top safety awards, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4XE is where I would consider making an exception.
When you’re driving under the frosty night sky with an open roof and open windows, (hell take the doors off if you want!), there’s just nothing like it. It’s so much fun that at 11 PM one night, I convinced my mother-in-law to bundle up and go for an open-top stargazing ride. If you’ve never driven a convertible in cold weather, then it might be difficult to imagine how such an experience could be fun. But with the heat blasting, and the heated seat and steering wheel on full bars, your legs and feet stay quite toasty. The head and torso however, definitely needed some serious kit to prevent almost immediate shivering.
Although I’ve long been devoted to the British outdoor/military clothing brand Artkis, driving the truck with the top down and the doors off in cold conditions required something a bit different. For this mission, I turned to the family-owned, American brand, Overland, who makes some of the world’s warmest jackets, including the famous sheepskin B3 Bomber Jacket, like the ones worn by our bravest and boldest during World War II. If such a garment kept crew members on a B-24 Liberator snug at 25,000 feet, then it was certainly going to work for a long night drive under the stars. Overland also makes matching hats and gloves in the Bomber style, and while the Wrangler’s heated steering wheel kept my hands toasty, I wouldn’t have been able to go ten minutes without the B3 Sheepskin Aviator hat.
So what’s the verdict? While it may not be the safest vehicle on the road, it’ll take you more places than just about any other vehicle you can buy. So whether you like getting out into the wild, or even the idea of getting out there, then it’s hard to beat a Wrangler. Driving the Jeep definitely made me happier than I am in my daily driver, and I if owned one, I would certainly do more outdoorsy things. This top-of-the-line 2023 Wrangler 4-Door Rubicon 4XE with about $10,000 worth of options came in at $69,780 (the base price is $58,594). But then you’re not just getting a car when you buy a Wrangler, you’re getting a way of life.
