Hours before the Ford Bronco family was announced the other day, Jeep slipped a quiet little “I’m not ignoring you” bit out into the open: the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 concept. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a two-door Wrangler with a 6.4L V8 that is tuned down to 450 horsepower and 450 ft/lbs of torque, run through a TorqueFlite 8 automatic and out to Dana 44s at both ends. It’s a very doable concept…Hemi Jeep swaps have been around for a bit and other V8s have been crammed in the engine bay as well. The last time a Jeep…you know, tub body, two axles, not the brand itself…had a V8 was the 1981 Jeep CJ, which packed an AMC 304. Naturally, there was a positive response. And then…there was this bit:
Oh, lord. Here’s a question that I’m now ready to ask: is stuffing either one of these rigs with a V8 really all that necessary? A few years ago I took a slightly modified JK Wrangler through a winter slurry in Maine and at no point in time did the thought, “You know, this thing really is gutless. I need more power. And so does everybody else that is going to buy one of these.” No, I didn’t. The 3.6L Pentastar did everything I needed it to do and then some. And it’s not like it’s truly for off-roading purposes. It’s about posing. The 2.3L EcoBoost has roughly twice the power the original Bronco’s 302 got you, plus if you opt for the manual transmission you wind up with a crawl ratio that will allow you to scale Pikes Peak at an idle…without using the paved road. Stuffing a Coyote or an LS or a third-gen Hemi into the engine bay does three things. It does provide a sweeter soundtrack, no argument there. It does increase horsepower and torque. But does it help or hinder off-road prowess, and if these beasts were to come to fruition, will they be seen outside of the SEMA Show floor or event filled with other Angry Jeeps that are rolling on oil drum wheels and thin-sidewall “off-road” steamrollers?
Honestly, this might be the case where less is truly more. Outside of Baja romping and maybe a Dakar run (!), it’s my opinion that a V8 in either rig is overkill. What are your thoughts?
We need the V8,,but if they do that they need to add the manual to all the engines.
Well that all depends on what you are going to be doing with the vehicle . And how long you intend to keep it.If you are just needing point A to point B ,and you don’t keep your vehicles for years . Any Briggs and Stratton type engine will get that job done. Some of the V6 engines make great power , even with out a turbo.However ,myself .I am in it for the long haul . In the 36 year career I had before retirement. I only had 4 work vehicles. Putting 25 and 30 K per year on them. I have seen where some of these 4000 pound and bigger SUV’s come with a Turbo’d 4 Cyl. Wow , gonna work that little guy. I also see where same such vehicles have been pretty much wore out around 60K miles. I mean the engine is done. Major oil cunsumsion along with other worn out issues, Ya the little guy gets better MPG. But if the the thing is worthless at 60K miles do to over working the small engine. And you paid $40 for it. So on average every 4 years you need an new one. I’ll just poke along at 18 MPG with my V-8 for 3000K miles .Thank you very much
Yes, it’s about the right tool for the job. A naturally aspirated V8 is my preference if you’re using a gas motor to tow or haul serious cargo too. I don’t think a Bronco or Wrangler would be very good at either, although the long wheelbase version doesn’t look like it would be a disaster.
For off roading, I don’t do much of any off road driving myself, but on the local off road trails, unleashing 450 hp is just going to wrap you around a pine that much harder. I could see some other applications where it’s useful – mud bogging, trying to get air in dune areas, King of Hammers type racing, etc.
I’d rather replace a V8 every 300K miles than a turbo every 100K.
Yeah, we need the V8, sometimes just for the sound. If you can get a Hemi or Hellcat engine in any Jeep, it should be available in the Wrangler.
V6s are great, I have had lot’s of them, currently a GM 3.9 with 200,000 on it. Synthetic oil for a few years now and everything works.
I still won’t touch an American 4 cylinder, even with a barge pole
The Gladiator needs the 5.7. The 3.6 wheels fine until you load it down with a bunch of camping gear and a trailer.
the 3.6 is peppy for what it is, light years better than the 3.8. heheh i have surprised more than a few people with my 2014 unlimited (a guy in a 3rd gen camaro was particularly mad after going 0-2) and it chirps the 1-2 shift really good with the posi thats been installed. no need for the 6.4 for sure, the 5.7 will do just fine. the numbers on the 3.0 diesel are right in the sweet spot but $4k just for the option is tough to justify.