An old lady ran over the front of my Miata while I was sitting at a stop sign, so my car had to go to the shop to be repaired and the insurance company gave me a rental car in the meantime. I got a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Sahara because it was big and bright red and I was feeling jittery after the accident.
Things I like about the Jeep:
body on frame, it’s a real truck, 5,400 lbs with EV battery
you sit up high
roof over front seats easily removable making it a Targa — very nice … the thing I liked best about it
distinctive look, not cookie-cutter
it has many “oh shit” handles around the cabin, which is nice
has nice flat dash that I can put my radar beeper on
the big screen can be shut completely off with a single button push
physical HVAC controls and volume knob
plenty of outlets (USB, USB-C etc.) incl. a 120 volt outlet!
stereo is surprisingly good
sound insulation surprisingly good
back roof and doors can also be removed fairly quickly with Torx bit, but I didn’t do that
every other Wrangler owner waves at you, which gets tiring since there are a lot of Wranglers out there
inline 4 popper with turbo has surprising amount of zoot (375 hp, 470 lb/ft torque)
easy to get 5,400 lbs. hurtling at 100+ mph … scary
Things I don’t like about the Jeep:
terrible gas mileage
only 850 pounds of payload capacity
flashing gang sign at other Wrangler drivers becomes a chore
ride quality so-so, but you’re in a Jeep after all
no way to shut off the big screen completely if you’re listening to music
takes a long time to charge the battery using 120V outlet
full charge on battery gives you pathetic electric-only range of 27 miles max.
can’t think of a dumber vehicle to make into an EV (gets 1.5 miles per kW)
it gets some attention, esp. in Firecracker Red
vertical windshield collects a lot of bugs
Would I buy one of these? Not in a million years. The EV part of the car is going to break and cause horrible problems at some point. This Jeep costs $60,000, which is insane… I guess with the government EV subsidy it makes a little more sense if you’re buying this for your “business,” but not really. Plus it’s going to break. Did I mention that it’s for sure going to break?
Driver’s side
Passenger’s side
Rear view, Note 4xe badge and pretty blue tow hook
Closer look at badge and pretty blue hook
Front view, note pretty blue hooks which means this beast is eco-friendly
Charging port, 120V will take overnight and give you a whopping 27 miles and only if you drive downhill with a tailwind
Cute blue Jeep outline on center caps to let world know you’re eco-friendly
I would remove all the badging except for the top one which has an indent in the body
Quick release roof panels over front seats means it turns into a Targa top like RF Miata, very nice.
“Oh shit” handle for rear passenger (on both sides), nice
Cute Jeep outline in bottom corner of windshield
Contrasting gray cloth on dashboard is a nice touch … note size of passenger’s horizontal “oh shit” handle
Physical HVAC controls nice, and awful giant screen can be shut completely off with one click
Cute flip-flop “Easter egg”
Cute “Easter egg” inside charging port area