By Greg Fink – MotorTrend
eep continues to expand its Wrangler SUV’s powertrain lineup with the arrival of a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid option for 2021. Dubbed the 4xe (that’s pronounced “four-by-E”), the Wrangler’s latest powerplant joins the model’s 285-hp 3.6-liter V-6, 270-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and 260-hp turbo-diesel 3.0-liter V-6. As with the latter engine, Jeep limits the 4xe kit strictly to four-door Wrangler models.
Thanks to the combined effects of its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and two electric motors, (one 44-hp starter-generator in the engine bay—dubbed eTorque by Jeep—and a second 134-hp unit integrated within the eight-speed automatic transmission), the 4xe produces a peak 375 hp, or 90 more than the Wrangler’s next most powerful engine option. Torque, meanwhile, peaks at a plentiful 470 lb-ft. That’s an additional 28 lb-ft of twist relative to the available diesel engine—impressive indeed.
