2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Review: The Most Bad-Ass Wrangler To Ever Roam The Planet

It’s a rare occasion these days when automakers cater to the highest demands of its most dedicated enthusiasts. But if there was a manufacturer, or group of manufacturers that were glaringly exceptional in this department, it would be the MOPAR brands from Auburn Hills, all of which have certainly spent most of their lives delivering not just some of the most fun and entertaining automobiles in all the land, but one of the most diverse and comprehensive ranges of unique and special-edition models, all to appease the wants and desires of some of its most diehard fans.

Enter the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, a limited-production and outrageously unique Wrangler that Auburn Hills put together by scrambling up all the best bits of its current performance parts bin, not only to celebrate one of its most iconic engines before it gets discontinued, their 6.4-liter naturally-aspirated gasoline HEMI V-8, but to also commemorate the engine by making the ultimate Wrangler of everyone’s dreams. And they didn’t just tease and disappoint prospective customers by making a concept, then abandoning any production aspirations. They actually built it and when Jeep said they’re only making 3,700 of them for one year, fans protested in a major uproar, to the point of even filing a class-action lawsuit against Jeep, demanding that they keep making it. And thus, Jeep listened by extending its production by one more year. To see if it turned out to be as good as everyone dreamed of it to be, we put it through the ultimate tests to see if this V-8-powered fantasy-come-true Wrangler was worth the wait and hype.

2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 First Impressions

The 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 roots its origins based on the current fourth-generation JL-body Wrangler and thus, upon first glance, aside from the unique exterior color and vinyl graphic appointments, and the bulging engine hood cover with subtle 392 badges, one couldn’t really tell that this is not your average four-door long-wheelbase Wrangler Rubicon. And that’s because the changes really amount under the hood and body, particularly in the power- and drivetrain departments.

The fact that it almost looks like any other four-door Wrangler Rubicon is actually part of its beauty, because it hides the monster lurking under the hood. And the result is a bit of a sleeper, which adds a significant portion to the fun of the Wrangler 392, particularly when you pull up next to another regular Wrangler at a stoplight, and wave goodbye as the light turns green.

Exterior Dimensions

Driving Impressions And Performance

Being essentially a standard long-wheelbase four-door Wrangler Rubicon with a massive V-8 shoehorned under the hood up front, on-road behavior isn’t that much different from any other Wrangler. It utilizes the same ladder chassis and rugged body-on-frame construction, the same solid front and rear axles, and yes, it’s the heaviest Wrangler of them all.

Despite that heavy, thundering lump up front, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 drives like every other Wrangler. And that’s a good thing because modern Wranglers are pretty comfortable, easy, and pleasant to drive on paved surfaces, especially for what they are, how rugged and capable they are, and what they’re really set up and engineered to do.

That said, while Wranglers have all evolved to become some very solid and good on-road companions, it’s when the road stops being paved that Wranglers of all kinds truly enter their realms and happy places. Furthermore, while the Wrangler 392 doesn’t feel all that different on the road, it’s when you depress the go-pedal or go off-roading that the Wrangler Rubicon 392 truly becomes the shining sum of all of its parts.

Braking And Acceleration

Flex your right foot on the go pedal to any degree and the Wrangler Rubicon 392’s party piece really comes into action, forcing you into the Napa leather-wrapped seats while filling the cabin with a cacophony of epic V-8 noises as the speedometer relentlessly climbs through its range. Gone is the throaty hum of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and in its place is the raucous rumble of eight thundering cylinders, totaling 6.4-liters worth of displacement, which translates to 470 horsepower and 470 foot-pounds of torque, the most of any production Wrangler, ever.

When mashing the throttle, the Wrangler 392 simply lurches towards the horizon without avail, slaying its 0-60 time in just 4.5 seconds, according to Jeep, and it certainly feels like it. Whereas the regular Pentastar V-6-powered Wranglers are adequate, they still require some planning and anticipation when overtaking. The Wrangler 392 simply does it all without a fuss. And for once, if you have a lousy and annoying tailgater up your rump, you can simply depress the gas to get rid of the problem. Matching the epic V-8 and its performance are also more than adequate brakes to match. But these items aren’t necessarily geared towards putting in quick lap times or tearing up tight and curvy mountain roads. Instead, they are absolutely excellent companions for going out and about on the trails, as we learned after spending two days putting the Wrangler 392 to the ultimate test at a Jeep Jamboree event in Pennsylvania (more on that later).

• Acceleration 0-60 MPH: 4.5 Seconds (Manufacturer Claimed)
• Quarter Mile: 13.0 Seconds (Manufacturer Claimed)

Performance Specifications

2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Fuel Economy

Being a two-and-a-half-ton truck with a massive and powerful 6.4-liter HEMI V-8, fuel economy is obviously not a strong suit for the Wrangler 392. But if you’re spending well over six-figures for a very unique and potentially collectible Wrangler with 470 horses and torques under the hood, it’s very likely you’re not concerned about its fuel efficiency or costs.

But if one had to ask, the Environmental Protection Agency rates the HEMI-powered Wrangler as being capable of up to 13 miles per gallon on the city cycle, 16 mpg on the highway, and a combined average of around 14 mpg. During both our long-distance trip to the Jeep Jamboree event from New Jersey and back, including a mixture of highway and suburban traffic, the trip computer accurately reflected those ratings with our average hovering between 11-14 mpg.

Interior Design And Comfort

Because the Wrangler 392 is largely unchanged from its lineup siblings, its insides aren’t that much different from a standard V-6-powered top-spec Rubicon. There are some bespoke appointments to remind you that you’re in a Wrangler 392, in case you forgot even with the V-8’s rumble and exhaust note. Some of those appointments and details include unique “Rubicon 392” embroidering on the seat backs with full-leather wrapping and contrast stitching, and some Rubicon 392 logos, such as in the shifter.

Even with its rudimentary, yet rugged roots, the Rubicon 392 is a very comfortable place to be, even by Wrangler standards, which is in part by those top-spec leather seats. Noise, vibration, and harshness levels are obviously nowhere near a Grand Cherokee or Wagoneer, but the Wrangler 392 is quiet and comfortable enough for daily driver duties. Because it’s shaped like a jagged-edged brick with removable panels, doors, and roof, wind noise is very apparent. But to any seasoned Wrangler owner, it’s not any different than your typical Wrangler experience.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

Like all other Wranglers in today’s lineup, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 benefits from the latest Uconnect infotainment system featuring a 12.3-inch diagonal widescreen touch display on the center console, with good ‘ol fashioned gauges for the driver information cluster. As with the Uconnect system in other recent Stellantis models, the one in the Wrangler Rubicon 392 offers excellent high-definition graphics, easy usability, and generally quick and responsive touch and load times.

A few glitches and laggy response times only surfaced, particularly when trying to connect both my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or iPhone 13 Pro Max to use and test Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, both on separate occasions. Otherwise, the Uconnect was very easy to use and I appreciated using the Wrangler 392’s comprehensive camera equipment to help navigate trails and obstacles when testing it off-road at the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area in Pennsylvania.

Cargo And Storage Space

As a fairly conventional sports utility vehicle with a two-box design, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 naturally sports lots of cargo and storage space. Even with the hard top on, the Wrangler Rubicon 392, like all other long-wheelbase four-door Wranglers, sports a generous 31.6 cubic feet of cargo area in the back. Fold the rear seats down, and that space more than doubles to 72.4 cubes.

With the rear seats up, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 happily gobbled up mine and a friend’s two weekender bags, our two backpacks, my Pelican camera case, and a couple extra camera equipment bags with ease. However, because of the thin-profile doors, the map pockets and cubbies in the door cards are a bit lacking for storage, and the center console is a bit cramped from the intimate quarters that Wranglers are generally known for. But none of them are dealbreakers and rather, “nature of the beast” items that all other Wrangler owners seem to be fine with.

2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Vs. Its Competitors

Because the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 is already a niche vehicle made even more unique by the fact that it’s a special limited-edition model with a honkin’ V-8 that’s also limited in production numbers, there aren’t that many competitors. Yes, the Ford Bronco is the Wrangler’s current arch rival, but even in its most powerful form, the Bronco Raptor, its engine is still down in cylinder count by two, and it only produces 418 horses and 440 torques, compared to the Wrangler 392’s 470 in both departments. Also, the Bronco Raptor undercuts the Wrangler 392’s price by nearly ten grand. Additionally, the Bronco Raptor isn’t a truly special edition model limited to just 3,000 units like the Wrangler 392 is.

As a result, the Wrangler 392’s exclusivity, extra power, and extra cylinder count all make it a considerable cut above the Bronco Raptor. The only vehicle that comes close to the Wrangler 392’s combination of off-road prowess and V-8 power is the V-8-powered Land Rover Defender, which also costs at least $100,000 or more, depending on options and equipment. However, it is a far more sophisticated, more powerful, and more luxurious vehicle.

How The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Compares To The Ford Bronco Raptor

Because the Ford Bronco in nearly all of its forms is a direct rival to the Jeep Wrangler, it only makes sense to compare the top-spec Bronco Raptor against the Wrangler 392. Both are the most powerful and most expensive variants of each model, harnessing all the very best of both manufacturers’ parts bins. There are some noticeable differences, however, which we’ll break down below. First and foremost, the Bronco Raptor isn’t a special and limited-production model and it doesn’t have a V-8 like the Wrangler 392 does. However, with a starting price of around $90,000, its pricing isn’t that far off from the Wrangler 392’s $100,000 starting price. When equipped with certain packages and options, the Bronco Raptor can certainly cost nearly as much as the Wrangler 392.

Performance

The Jeep Wrangler 392 certainly has a leg up (or two) on the Ford Bronco Raptor as it sports a 6.4-liter naturally-aspirated HEMI V-8 under the hood, lifted straight from the Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT 392s, with 470 horses and torques on tap. In comparison to the Bronco Raptor, the Ford uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 good for 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of twist. It’s not a small amount, but it’s still less than the Wrangler 392’s numbers.

Comfort

Since both are tough body-on-frame trucks geared towards off-roading, neither are as comfortable as their unibody and more road-biased counterparts. But for what they are, both the Wrangler 392 and Bronco Raptor sport comfortable enough seats, comprehensive convenience and comfort features, and acceptable noise, vibration, and harshness levels for daily driver duties.

Technology

Both have the sort of factory-equipped gear to do serious off-roading such as rugged reinforced body-on-frame construction, off-road performance optimized suspension, sturdy and capable Dana axles with electronic lockers, electronic disconnecting sway bars, and various drive modes and settings for different terrain situations. On the inside, both are neck-and-neck in terms of in-car infotainment system functionality and features, so there’s no clear winner in this department. It’s down to preference and style of the vehicle’s interior tech layout and ergonomics.

The Most Bad-Ass And Ultimate Wrangler Ever

It’s without a doubt that the Wrangler Rubicon 392 is what Jeep Wrangler dreams are made of, being the first and only Wrangler of its kind and the only V-8-powered model to ever roll off the model’s assembly line in Toledo, Ohio, in the model’s nearly 80-year history. Whether you dreamed of mating Chrysler’s epic V-8s to the Wrangler, or saw friends or others do it in custom form to their own rigs, the Wrangler 392 is about as perfect as a Wrangler can get if you fire all the parts bin cannons.

It will cost you, to the tune of around $99,995 just to start (although our tester’s monroney says $91,545, Jeep raised the price later on in the year), with our tester stamping its final invoice at $108,475, including Jeep’s mandatory $1,895 shipping charge. Bumping that price up is the bespoke Earl Clear-Coat Exterior paint for $595, the Wrangler 392’s comprehensive $8,450 “Customer Preferred Package 27J” that’s bespoke to the 392, its $3,995 Sky One-Touch Power Top, and $1,995 integrated onboard air compressor. It sounds like a lot of dough, but then again, you’re getting a helluva lot of Jeep Wrangler. In fact, you’re getting one of the greatest and finest Wranglers ever built, and that’s very much worth the price of admission, if you can afford it.