There’s never going to be something like it again, so is it worth the shocking price tag?
Stuffing a massive V8 into a vehicle that probably shouldn’t have one is as American as baseball or hot dogs, and few modern cars are as intrinsically American as Jeep’s Wrangler. The Hemi-powered Wrangler 392, then, is a very special and very American vehicle. But sadly for Jeep and fans of the brand, its days are numbered. It’ll make its last stand with this: the new $101,890 (!) 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition.
I’ll give you a moment to clean your afternoon beverage off your keyboard. Good? Good. Yes, the Wrangler 392 Final Edition that will close out the hot-rod Jeep’s tenure costs just shy of $102,000. In its defense, the Final Edition is about as loaded as a Wrangler can get, with such off-road goodies as a half-inch lift on top of the normal 392 suspension, heavy-duty rock sliders, an 83-piece tool kit, and an 8,000 lb-rated Warn winch.
Appearance-wise, the Final Edition stands out from the regular 392 thanks to black Nappa leather seats with Mayan gold and Tupelo accents, a special rear swing-gate plaque, and some unique decals.
As with all Wrangler 392 models, the Final Edition has Dana 44 axles, a two-speed transfer case, Tru-Lok electronically locking diffs, and an electronic front sway-bar disconnect. Beadlock-capable wheels with 35-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires are standard, as they are on all other 2024 models.
But the star of the show, and what makes the 392 so special, is its engine. That 6.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 makes an even 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque and pairs to an eight-speed automatic. Getting to 60 mph only takes 4.5 seconds, which has got to feel terrifying with the doors and roof off.
The Jeep Wrangler 392 was always an absurd vehicle—a simple, inelegant off-road machine packing a muscle car engine and sports car performance. The Wrangler’s chassis was never meant to handle a V8’s brute force, and that made the 392 a delightfully ridiculous thing. The Final Edition takes that absurdity to a new level, with its Porsche 911-rivaling price tag, but we’re also not likely to ever see anything like it again. Stellantis even nixed the Hemi in the new Charger, and the only Jeep that will still be offered with such a mill after the 392 leaves is the Grand Cherokee L.
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