2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392 with Xtreme Recon Package
Class: Compact Crossover/SUV
Miles driven: 224
Fuel used: 17.3 gallons
Real-world fuel economy: 12.9 mpg
Driving mix: 55% city, 45% highway
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | B |
| Power and Performance | A |
| Fit and Finish | B |
| Fuel Economy | D |
| Value | C- |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | C+ |
| Tall Guy | C+ |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 470-hp 6.4-liter |
| Engine Type | V8 |
| Transmission | 8-speed auto |
| Drive Wheels | 4WD |
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 13/17/14 (mpg city/highway/combined)
Fuel type: Premium gas
Base price: $74,800 (not including $1595 destination charge)
Options on test car: Xtreme Recon 35-Inch Tire Package ($3995); Trail Rail management system ($195); all-weather floor mats by Mopar ($170); Sky One-Touch power top ($2050); integrated off-road camera ($595)
Price as tested: $83,400
Quick Hits
The great: Brawny V8 supplies vigorous acceleration and one-of-a-kind high-performance attitude, off-road capability
The good: Control layout, upscale interior trim for a Wrangler, broad range of options
The not so good: Seriously thirsty for premium gasoline; luxury-brand pricing, on-road ride/handling refinement, so-so cargo volume
More Wrangler price and availability information
CG Says:
A Jeep Wrangler Rubicon can help you go darn near anywhere. It just might not always let you go far.
The limiting factor is the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine that became available for 4-door Wrangler Unlimited Rubicons in 2021. At 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque, it’s a powerhouse with a healthy appetite for premium-grade gas. When Consumer Guide editors drove a 2022 Rubicon 392 (so named for the Hemi’s displacement in cubic inches) with the Xtreme Recon option package, they recorded just 12.9 mpg, that with 55 percent of their miles in city-type use. Round that up to 13 mpg—which just happens to be the EPA city estimate for a Rubicon 392—multiply by the 21.5-gallon fuel tank, and you’ll sputter to a stop in just 279.5 miles.
We can’t really absolve the $3995 Xtreme Recon group from having a role in that gulp-inducing math. Its most apparent feature is an upsized tire-and-wheel package, and to help get those clodhoppers turning to good effect rear-axle gearing is a 4.56:1 ratio that is no friend to fuel economy. Indeed, when CG tested a ’21 Rubicon 392 with slightly smaller footwear and a longer-legged 3.73:1 axle, overall mileage was 13.4 mpg despite a higher percentage of city driving.
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The Xtreme Recon exists because there is a Ford Bronco with a Sasquatch package. Not the least bit interested in being overmatched in a new head-to-head battle of compact off-road vehicles, Jeep introduced the option late in the 2021 model run and makes it available for Wrangler Unlimiteds in Willys, Rubicon, and Rubicon 392 trims. Tires are 35-inch-diameter all-terrain rubber on 17×8-inch bronze beadlock-capable wheels. (Rubicon 392s without the package have 33-inch skins on 17×7.5-inch rims.) The suspension has been modified for 1.5 inches of lift, which gives the Jeep more ground clearance and greater approach and departure angles than the Bronco. Wheel-flare extensions shield the bigger paws, and the Mopar accessories catalog has been tapped for an extended tire mount and tailgate reinforcement to deal with the bigger, heavier spare tire.
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With its Sky One-Touch power top, forward-facing integrated off-road camera, Mopar all-weather floor mats, and Trail Rail cargo-management system, our 2022 Rubicon 392 was equipped very much like our ’21 test truck was. We’ll refer you to that review for an accounting of standard and optional equipment. For ’22 the Hemi Rubicon starts at $76,395 with delivery, but the one we sampled came to $83,400 with options.
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There is no fundamental change in on-road driving behavior with the Xtreme Recon gear, though turning might not seem as tight to make allowance for the taller, wider rubber. Expect rising levels of noise from the tires the faster you go on the highway. A high step-up into the leather-upholstered cabin gets slightly taller with the Recon option. Rubicon 392s come with a beefed-up frame and heavy-duty brakes that do a good job of restraining this hyper Wrangler. It’s a good thing, too, considering the jailbreak acceleration from the Hemi and 8-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission. Punch up “performance” mode for the dual exhausts (it opens up electronically controlled valves) and you’ll be subject to a muscle-car serenade.
The Rubicon 392 and Xtreme Recon package are hard-to-ignore examples of how far Jeep keeps taking the Wrangler. If you live 300 miles from somewhere fun, just don’t expect it to take you all that way without a stop for gas.
First Spin: 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe
2022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Xtreme Recon Gallery
Click below for enlarged images.
Wrangler Rubicon 392 Xtreme Recon
Wrangler Rubicon 392 Xtreme Recon
