2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392

The new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 SUV arrived in the USA as a 2021 model, the first V8-powered Wrangler in more than 40 years. Few people expected Jeep to put a 470-hp 6.4-liter Hemi-powered four-door Wrangler into production, but that's exactly what they did. Since the Rubicon 392 with its removable doors and a three-piece roof arrived, it has remained mostly unchanged, as did its purely off-road bias. You get decoupling sway bars for maximum axle articulation, front and rear diff locks, custom Fox suspension, and standard 33-inch all-terrain tires mounted on 17-inch beadlock wheels thrown into the deal, proving that Jeep is equally serious about the Rubicon 392 being a beast both on the asphalt and out on the trails.

Of course, you can also add any number of Jeep accessories to the 392, elevating its already frightening price even further. Your money buys you the only Jeep Wrangler with a Hemi V8, however. There are no real competitors to the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, but a Ford Bronco Raptor may match it off-road. Perhaps the nearest opponent is the Land Rover Defender 110 V8, but that car's overall refinement and sophistication put it in an entirely different price bracket. Horrifying fuel consumption and soggy on-road handling notwithstanding, this is the ultimate Wrangler, bar none.

The new Wrangler Rubicon 392 has a price of $82,495 MSRP, excluding the destination charge of $1,795. That seems like a lot for a Wrangler, but if you take a standard Rubicon with the 3.6-liter V6 engine and add all of its options, its price still comes in under $70,000. The Rubicon 20th Anniversary Edition is priced from $92,690.

Given its focus on off-road ability, the Jeep Wrangler has always been terrible in highway use. The steering is slow and vague, the turning circle is massive in four-door form (the only body style available for the 392), and the ride quality is choppy over uneven surfaces. It also struggles around any corner at speed due to excessive body roll and a high center of gravity, while wind noise and tire roar are offensively loud when cruising. None of this matters, however, because the Jeep Wrangler is meant to be extremely capable off-road, and it meets that brief with ease. The special 20th Anniversary Edition makes that even easier, with a half-inch lift, steel bumpers, and beadlock-capable wheels.

There is no shortage of speed, though, because the 2023 Wrangler Rubicon 392 has 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque on hand thanks to its 6.4-liter V8 engine. This power is sent into an eight-speed automatic transmission before going through a two-speed transfer case and then to all four wheels. Consequently, straight-line performance is eye-widening, especially considering the agricultural underpinnings that try to keep it all under control. This is perhaps the most traditionally American model among all current Jeep products, and the Jeepest Jeep Wrangler in the range as well. Lots of speed and off-road talent and little directional stability, just like they used to make them in the 1960s.

Objectively, the Rubicon 392 is one of the worst vehicles out there, but it is also one of the best of its kind. Provided you intend to use it for its designed purpose, there's nothing as capable on the market, with all the traditional Jeep go-anywhere abilities baked in with that monstrous engine. However, if you're planning to use it exclusively on-road, a Rubicon 392 will prove to be money wasted. There are better Wranglers for on-road use in the range, and every other Jeep model is superior in that role as well.

If you can get your hands on the 20th Anniversary Edition, great - but it literally costs double what a standard Rubicon costs - the 392 version is worth looking at. The standard Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon has an MSRP of around $48k, and for that, you get a 3.6-liter V6 and a six-speed manual gearbox. It's far more affordable but lacks the grunt of the V8. Once you add an automatic gearbox, some nice alloys, a body-colored hardtop, all of the optional packages, the total comes to just under $70,000. Because the Rubicon 392 has impressive standard specs and is so well-equipped, the available options are limited to items like paint colors, the one-touch power soft-top roof, and a trailer tow package - none of which are must-haves for us.