Hmm…something is a bit fishy here on the Rubicon Trail.
I don’t need to tell you (I feel like I’ve said it enough, at least) that the whole automotive world’s been topsy-turvy over the past five years. Automakers charged headlong into a new era, claiming that EVs are the way forward. So much so, in fact, that folks at companies started killing off long-running V8 models or claiming the end was nigh for the good-old rumbling American V8, and that it’s time to tuck cars like the Jeep Wrangler 392 into bed with the so-called “Final Edition” so we can evolve into plug-in hybrids and full-on battery-electric SUVs. But here’s the thing…on Jeep’s invite, Tommy just joined a group of journalists to test out the “last” 6.4-liter Big Hemi Wrangler 392 on the Rubicon Trail.
Here’s the thing: We have the new Wrangler 4xe with 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque that can tackle the daily commute to work on zero gasoline, or close to it. And Jeep has been pushing its 4xe line hard. The Wrangler 392 — a $100,000 swan song to internal combustion — was supposed to be a temporary affair. Late 2020 was the first time in forty years that Jeep fit any V8 into its flagship model, and with this year’s Final Edition, we’re seeing the end of the line not just for this particular run of the 392, but of the Hemi V8 generally…or are we?
As much as the corporate line has more or less been, “Hey, look at our great plug-in hybrids!”, Stellantis still undertook all the effort and expense to fly Tommy and a bunch of journalists out for a vehicle that’s going away. Impressive though it is — again, we’re talking about a big-old rumbling V8 in a (relatively) small SUV on 35-inch tires thanks to the standard Xtreme 35 package — the narrative over the past few months hasn’t been so much about the Wrangler 392 itself, but whether the automaker is set to do an about-face on V8s.
Right now, the official word is “no comment”. That’s pretty typical, as companies don’t want to inadvertently show their hand (especially to the competition) before they’re ready to make a big, hype-filled announcement. Nevertheless, there are growing waves within Stellantis after Tim Kuniskis’ return and Antonio Filosa’s ascension to the company’s head honcho status that V8s are about to make a comeback. That has been confirmed with the Ram 1500. After Stellantis announced the 5.7-liter’s return to the fold for Ram’s popular half-ton truck, it claims to have taken down at least 10,000 reservations within the first 24 hours.
The appetite for V8 cars and trucks is still palpable, and fans far and wide will almost certainly shout “duh” in unison at the prospect of bringing them back onto the menu. Or, in the case of the Wrangler 392, keeping them around instead of actually phasing them out with a Final Edition. Plenty of folks will argue the decision to try and phase them out in the first place was paint-drinkingly dumb.
Still, we’ll ultimately have to wait and see whether Jeep remains true to the “Final Edition” rhetoric, or whether it pulls a Durango Hellcat and keeps the model going despite supposedly having an end date. Tommy is pretty confident it’s sticking around, and with the way the wind’s currently blowing among the consumer base, it’s tough to argue…even when your V8 Wrangler packs a price tag around $100,000.
Check out more on the 2025 Jeep Wrangler 392 “Final Edition” in the video below. We have a longer off-road review coming up soon to TFLoffroad, but here’s a taster with Tommy’s commentary on what may happen with the 392’s future:
