On the road, the 2024 Jeep Wrangler is compromised by the same mechanical and design components that make it an off-road champ. We rate it at 5 out of 10, awarding a point for its off-roading but deducting a point for its clunky on-roading.
With four powertrain options ranging from a puppy to a beast, the 2024 Wrangler has several different personalities off the line. Even though Jeep wants and expects the 4xe to be the volume model, the base 285-hp 3.6-liter V-6 finds its way into most Wranglers. Less common is the standard 6-speed manual with its somewhat long throws and gappy gear spacing, but it works well enough. The available 8-speed automatic ($2,500 more) is much smoother and more natural, even in a Wrangler.
Don’t discount the 270-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4; its 295 lb-ft peaks at 3,000 rpm, which is much lower than the V-6. It’s a quieter, quicker, better daily driver. It comes only with the 8-speed automatic, and it costs $2,500 more than the V-6 with the 8-speed.
More Wrangler buyers are opting to pair that turbo-4 with a motor-generator as well as a traction motor integrated into the 8-speed automatic. It’s a good puppy. Fed by a 17.3-kwh battery pack, the 100-kw traction motor partners with the turbo-4 to generate 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. It’s the best daily driver, quick and light off the line, quiet and smooth with its transitions, and with 22 miles of all-electric range and a default to electric power, many suburban Wrangler drivers can cross off their errands without using the gas engine.
On the other side of the hill rumbles the Rubicon 392. It’s the have-it-all Wrangler, with a hungry 6.4-liter V-8 that makes 470 hp and 470 lb-ft. Opening up the exhaust baffles and hammering the throttle to hit 60 mph in a Jeep-estimated 4.5 seconds might feel more risky than tackling Moab in this top-heavy beast, but it’s a blast.
Every Wrangler rides rough on its coil-sprung solid axles, jittering stiffly over road bumps and subject to lateral motions made more pronounced by wind gusts. The longer wheelbase four-door versions ride better than the two-door models, but it’s negligible. With its recirculating ball steering, the Wrangler wanders at highway speeds and requires frequent corrections, but the steering heft in 392 models feels more in place for the Wrangler than the light feel of 4xe models.
Is the Jeep Wrangler 4WD?
That’s the only way it comes. But wait, there’s more. Jeep fits a basic 2-speed transfer case for part-time four-wheel drive in a bind, but it’s not suitable for four-wheel-drive use on dry pavement. If wet weather or snow are a concern, consider stepping up to the optional full-time setup called Selec-Trac that has an automatic mode. It’s standard on Rubicon 392 models, but optional on Sport and Sahara grades.
An optional Rock-Trac system on Rubicon models offers the ease of Selec-Trac but with a greater 4:1 low-gear ratio that delivers more torque and a more consistent speed for serious off-roading. It’s abetted by an electronic front sway-bar disconnect, locking front and rear differentials and 17-inch aluminum wheels with 33-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires. A new full-float rear axle standard on Rubicon models versus the semi-float axle on other models spreads the weight of the vehicle along the solid axle tube instead of just the axle shaft, making its main function to send power to the rear wheel hubs.
How much can the Jeep Wrangler tow?
The 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon can now tow up to 5,000 pounds but only with the turbo-4 and V-6 engines. Other models, as well as the 4xe and V-8 powertrains, are limited to the same 3,500-pound rating as last year (two-door models tow 2,000 pounds).
In our testing of a 4,300-pound Airstream camper, the V-6 liter strained uphill, with the 8-speed automatic keeping the engine above 5,000 rpm. On milder ascents such as on-ramps, it held much calmer in the 3,000-4,000 rpm range. The discontinued turbodiesel and its 442 lb-ft of torque versus the 260 lb-ft in the V-6 likely would’ve hauled the load without complaint. In either case, the V-6 never felt overmatched by the hefty load, which was about a foot wider than the Wrangler. Dual side mirrors for towing would’ve helped, as would the available trailer camera lacking on our tester.
With a ground clearance of at least 9.7 inches (10.1 inches on 4xe models) and topping out at 12.9 inches in Rubicon models, the Wrangler sits above the SUV class. It’s the off-road king, and the available 8,000-pound-capacity Warn winch on Rubicon models will make even more friends on the trail. It was used to recover at least two off-kilter Wranglers in our afternoon of off-roading; it took the Jeep team about five minutes to winch out a course correction.