V8-powered Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 priced at $75G

[Graybeard]

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/v8-jeep-wrangler-rubicon-392-75g

Most powerful and expensive Wrangler ever

By Gary Gastelu | Fox News

The most-powerful Jeep Wrangler ever will also be the most expensive.


(Jeep)

The 470 hp 6.4-liter Hemi V8-equipped Wrangler Rubicon 392 Launch Edition has been priced at $74,995, and there are a few options that can push it even higher.

That compares to the turbocharged four-cylinder and V6-powered Rubicons' starting prices of $43,870.


(Jeep)

The 2021 Rubicon 392 Launch Edition comes with more than just the extra power, however. It also gets a beefed-up frame, 2-inch lift , high-performance Fox shocks, steel bumpers, leather interior and a special air intake designed to filter out water when you push the truck's 32.5-inch water fording capability to the limit.



(Jeep)

Unlike the 702 Launch Editions of the Ram 1500 TRX that took just three hours to sell out, Jeep has not announced a production cap on the Wrangler Rubicon 392, which is scheduled to start hitting dealers before the end of March, or additional trim levels featuring the engine.

Gary Gastelu is FoxNews.com's Automotive Editor covering the car industry and racing. Follow @foxnewsautos

[Argent 88]

Wow, ain't been a V8 jeep since AMC. That I know of.

[Lloyd Smale]

that one put out a wopping 160 hp.

Wow, ain't been a V8 jeep since AMC. That I know of.

[Lloyd Smale]

now i like the idea of a v8. My 3.6 is a good motor. Its hands down better then my old 4 cyl jeeps and on the road better then the 4.0 six (in the woods id take the 4.0) its a mini van motor that puts out decent hp but not alot of torque. The wrangler could sure stand more power. Now did they need a 6.4? NOPE. 0-60 in the 4 second range in a wrangler would make your hair stand up. At least if you were sane. What they should have done is put the 6.4 in the rebel pickup and dropped the 5.7 in the wrangler. They probably could have done it without major beefing up of parts. Tune it for 350 hp instead of 395 with a cam more suited to torque then max hp. They allready have rubicons with dana 44s so those parts are right on the shelf. They probably could have done it well under 50k. Add to that my wrangler is a gas hog. Lucky to get 17 on the highway. My ram quad cab 4x4 with a 5.7 does better then that. So the 5.7 would probably get better fuel economy then the 3.6. they could have offered it in every trim level. As it is if you want a 392 its a 4 door rubicon decked out or nothing. I own my jeep because it can go in places only a side by side or atv can. I dont want some huge 4 door soccer mom jeep. Id be at the body shop getting dents fixed about 3 times a year. They built this for the macho 20 some year old that wants to put giant tires and a winch (that he keeps waxed) that lives in some city and a mud puddle is the closest he comes to actually getting it dirty. I laugh at these guys every year come tourist season. They leave the city with there yuppy family and think there 4 wheeling when they dare drive down a dirt 2 track road. Id bet 90 percent of those 6.4 never see there winch strung out.

[oldandslow]

I don't know anything about what model of  wrangler sells in your area , Lloyd, but in this area it's the 4 door, soccer mom, version by a huge margin. 2 door wranglers are seen few and far between. Jeep is going to concentrate on what sells best and not pay much attention to people that just want a back country crawler in a jeep. Bigger, faster, and costs more money is the way the automotive world works. Funny thing about the wrangler here is although we very seldom have weather where a four wheel drive is needed the things are everywhere and most will never even travel on anything but blacktop.

[Graybeard]

Same here O&S, I often seen the jacked up with huge tires and never a spot of mud on them.

[Bob Riebe]

Wow, ain't been a V8 jeep since AMC. That I know of.

Jeep had it own dedicated true Jeep  V-8 for some years under Chrysler.
The V-8/6 engine was made from 1999-2013.

The initial design development for the PowerTech V6 and V8 engine family was done by American Motors Corporation (AMC) and debuted in 1998 with credit to Chrysler. This was the first new V8 engine for Chrysler since the 1960s, although for them The companion V6 was basically the V8 with two fewer cylinders, another concept that originated at AMC before the company joined Chrysler. These new engines had nothing in common with the Chrysler A engine V8s, nor the Jeep 4.0 L "PowerTech" I6 engine.

A 4.7 L V8 came first, fitted in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and a 3.7 L V6 version debuted in 2002 for the Jeep Liberty. The PowerTech V6 and V8 were direct replacements for Chrysler's LA family in the early 2000s, and were also used in the Dodge Ram and started in the 2000 Dodge Durango. They were not used in any cars, but were reserved for truck and SUV use. They are also known as Next Generation Magnum in Dodge applications.

The PowerTech V6 and V8 engines were produced at the Mack Avenue Engine Complex in Detroit, Michigan. E85 compatible versions of some PowerTech engines were developed and used in numerous Chrysler vehicles. On April 9, 2013, the last 4.7 L engine was built; ending 15 years of production with over 3 million units built

That would make a unique street rod engine.

[Argent 88]

That AMC V8 in the jeeps was a 304, with a motorcraft carb. AMC used a lot of things from Ford and GM.
The automatic transmission in some of them was the Chevy 350.

[Argent 88]

I don't know anything about what model of  wrangler sells in your area , Lloyd, but in this area it's the 4 door, soccer mom, version by a huge margin. 2 door wranglers are seen few and far between. Jeep is going to concentrate on what sells best and not pay much attention to people that just want a back country crawler in a jeep. Bigger, faster, and costs more money is the way the automotive world works. Funny thing about the wrangler here is although we very seldom have weather where a four wheel drive is needed the things are everywhere and most will never even travel on anything but blacktop.

That four door jeep sure did put a hurt on those Hummer 2s

[Bob Riebe]

That AMC V8 in the jeeps was a 304, with a motorcraft carb. AMC used a lot of things from Ford and GM.
The automatic transmission in some of them was the Chevy 350.

304

The 304 has a displacement of 304 cu in (5.0 L) which produced 210 hp (157 kW; 213 PS)(gross rating) in 1970-71 and was built starting in 1970.[20] Later models produced less power from the factory, going down yearly. 1972-75 models were rated at 150 hp (112 kW; 152 PS) (net rating from 1972 onwards). It was rated at 130.5 hp (97 kW; 132 PS) in 1978, and 125 hp (93 kW; 127 PS) in 1979, the last year it was installed in passenger cars, and in 1980–81, the last years it was used in Jeep vehicles. The International Harvester Corporation 304-cubic-inch (5.0 L) SV "Comanche" V8 engines are sometimes mistaken for the AMC 304, however the IHC V8 engine family has no relation to the AMC V8 and was in fact first produced in 1959,11 years prior to the AMC designed 304. The similarity in displacement is purely a coincidence.

360

The AMC 360 V8 was standard in the 1974 Bricklin SV-1 sports car
The AMC 360 has a displacement of 359.80 cu in (5,896.1 cc).[20] The 2-barrel produced 235 hp (175 kW; 238 PS) to 245 hp (183 kW; 248 PS) in 1970 to early 1971 while the 4-barrel produced 285 hp (213 kW; 289 PS) to 295 hp (220 kW; 299 PS), 175 hp (130 kW; 177 PS) to 220 hp (164 kW; 223 PS) from mid-1971 to 1975, 140 hp (104 kW; 142 PS) to 180 hp (134 kW; 182 PS) in 1976, 129 hp (96 kW; 131 PS) in 1977, and 160 hp (119 kW; 162 PS) from 1978 to 1991.[21]

This engine was used in the 1970 AMX as the base engine and also in the 1970 Rebel, 1971-1978 Matador, Jeep J-series trucks 1970–1987, Wagoneer (SJ) models from 1972 to 1984, Cherokee (SJ) from 1974 to 1983, as well as in the full-sized Grand Wagoneer from 1984 to 1991 - becoming the last carbureted engine used in an American-built vehicle. The 360 V8 was also installed in the Bricklin SV-1 sports car for 1974 model year.

The 360 was the last AMC V8 to be manufactured. It continued to be produced after Chrysler bought American Motors in 1987 as the standard engine in the Jeep Grand Wagoneer through 1991, with the only modification being the "360" casting replaced with "5.9L" on the side of the block.[

[Lloyd Smale]

ya i understand that. They sell probably 4 doors 5 to 1 up here too. Mostly to people that the worse the jeep will see is a dirt road. I guess i still kind of pisses me off. Chrysler has not probably running limited run cars like the demon and redeyes or the trx truck so why not the easy task of dropping a 5.7 into a 2 door wrangler. They have everything to do it right on the floor. Truth be told its a RARE person that uses a jeep like a jeep was originaly intended. What i see is 95 percent of them owned by yuppys and probably 1/2 of those by girls. Its why i hate that wave thing. To me its about like some wanabe on a gold wing waving to a hells angel. 4 door wrangles make no sense to me. If i  want something 4 two seats why not buy a grand cherokee that rides better gets much better fuel economy and still can drive down that dirt road. But then you wouldnt be COOL. 

I don't know anything about what model of  wrangler sells in your area , Lloyd, but in this area it's the 4 door, soccer mom, version by a huge margin. 2 door wranglers are seen few and far between. Jeep is going to concentrate on what sells best and not pay much attention to people that just want a back country crawler in a jeep. Bigger, faster, and costs more money is the way the automotive world works. Funny thing about the wrangler here is although we very seldom have weather where a four wheel drive is needed the things are everywhere and most will never even travel on anything but blacktop.

[Lloyd Smale]

i had an old cj5 with a 304. it felt fast right up until you got blown off the road by an impala station wagon. they were poor enough handling that even a 6 felt powerful. but those 304s were decent motors and a holley and an eldebrock manifold and a set of headers woke mine up to the point it was near scary. probably put down a viscious 150 rear wheel hp

[Lloyd Smale]

I take my dog for a walk about every day in the summer and part of my loop is through a fed forest service campground. Went through there once last year and saw a guy with his head between his fender and tires on a 4 door rubicon with a lift and big tires and a winch on the front. I asked him if he was having problems he came out with a rag in his hand and said "nope im waxing my shocks!!!!!" 

Same here O&S, I often seen the jacked up with huge tires and never a spot of mud on them.

[oldandslow]

"Waxing my shocks."  That's a brand new one for me but I don't doubt it in this day and age.

[Argent 88]

i had an old cj5 with a 304. it felt fast right up until you got blown off the road by an impala station wagon. they were poor enough handling that even a 6 felt powerful. but those 304s were decent motors and a holley and an eldebrock manifold and a set of headers woke mine up to the point it was near scary. probably put down a viscious 150 rear wheel hp

I did the same thing to my CJ7. And I still have it, a couple of clutch jobs, a couple of rag tops, and the usual stuff. It handles ok, Ive even pulled a ski boat with it. That thing can chew up and spit out sand dunes. Ive had to pull out a Toyota Land Cruiser with it.

[Lloyd Smale]

if you know me at all you know im not a fan of jap cars. That said id love to have an old land cruiser. Had a buddy i worked with that had one with a 350 chev and one he raced mud bogs with that had a 454 in it. He was getting married and had a reception. I left early. Late that night all jarred up he took out the race buggy and proceeded to drive down an old twisty 2 lane road by the reception hall. Ran off the road rolled over and killed himself and his future wife. Tragic thing. they were both salt of the earth people. But even to this day after driving those two toyotas ive always wanted one. problem today is the good ones left are pricy. Personaly id take one over an old cj anyday. They were one TOUGH unit. Very capable even with the underpowered 6 cyl.

[oldandslow]

I would blame the driver and not the Land Cruiser for being stuck. They are very capable vehicIes. I once pulled a 1 ton chevy welding truck out of the sand northwest of Maljamar with my 1/2 ton 4x4 GMC. !00% driver error as that is not a sand dune runner by any stretch of the imagination. At least he didn't make it very far out into the sand so it wasn't a really difficult retrieval. I think there was a mind altering substance involved with the driver and the gal that was with him called booze.