2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition

If you’re into fixing up old Jeep Wranglers, a popular retrofit is to drop in a HEMI V8. Well, Jeep has actually been doing that for us since 2021! That’s when they added a V8 engine into the powertrain mix for the first time since the CJ days. It’s called the Rubicon 392, and since it will soon also be history, you better get one while you can.

This is the 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition, and yes, it’s got a HEMI in it. Now, the only way to get this HEMI goodness in a Wrangler is with Rubicon trim and a 4-door body. It’s called the Final Edition because 2024 is the last year the V8 will be available, or is it? More on that later.

This 4th gen Wrangler got a sizable freshening for the 2024 model year, including a boost in capability, a revised 7-slot grille, stealth antenna integrated into the windshield, 10 new wheel designs, side curtain airbags for the first time, and a revised instrument panel that makes room for a larger 13.2-inch Uconnect touchscreen with available trail guide mapping.

Rubicon models went further with beefier axles, plus the ability to stuff in some larger tires and add a Warn winch.

The Rubicon 392 first arrived for 2021, and features the 6.4-liter version of Chrysler’s HEMI V8 with unique tuning for duty here in the Wrangler. Output is 470-horsepower and 470 lb-ft. of torque through an active dual-mode free-flowing exhaust. It works exclusively with an 8-speed automatic.

Final Editions start at the Wrangler’s most extreme end with the Xtreme 35 Tire Package included, along with Selec-Trac dual-range full-time 4-wheel-drive and Dana 44 axles.

Then they send the HEMI out with a bang by sporting an extra half inch of lift, unique rock sliders, triple-loop grille guard, special leather seats, a fold out table integrated into the swing gate, an 83-piece tool kit, unique shifter medallion, and lots of logos inside and out; plus, bronze 17-inch wheels with 35-inch BFGs.

We were instantly keen to spin up those meaty tires at our Mason Dixon test track.

There’s was indeed a lot of rubber meeting this well-prepped pavement. There was great grip off the line, and the 392 felt plenty quick on take-off. We hit 60 in 5.2-seconds; a bit shy of the 4.5 claimed by Jeep.
Gear changes in the 8-speed automatic were timely and smooth, and for being this high off the pavement, the 392 felt plenty stable at speed and didn’t really need a whole lot of correction going down the track. Our best ¼-mile time was 13.9 at 98 miles-per-hour.

With minimal sound deadening in place and lots of hard surfaces, it sounds absolutely fantastic at wide open throttle, whether it’s echoing throughout the cabin, or you’re allowing some of the noise to escape the available SKY One-Touch Power-Top.

Despite the soft suspension feel, nosedive during panic braking was not bad, and stopping in 121-feet from 60 miles-per-hour is more than acceptable. Stability was good, fade minimal.

Hammering lifted rigs through a handling course often requires restraint, but this Wrangler felt well-planted and controlled, and we were quickly gliding through the cones with ease. Body roll was not unsettling, though speeds weren’t really high enough to experience noticeable amounts of oversteer or understeer.

The absurdity of this rig just makes it a blast to drive around on any surface; it’s like someone else made an exotic, dare we say, “better version” of the Wrangler.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 13-City, 16-Highway, and 14-Combined. We averaged just 12.9 miles-per-gallon of Premium. That’s a much worse than average Energy Impact Score with annual oil consumption of 21.3-barrels and 10.5-tons of CO2 emissions.

Saying good-bye is not cheap as this 2024 Rubicon 392 is priced at $101,890. But despite being called the Final Edition and limited to 3,700 units, due to anticipated demand, the Rubicon 392 will also be available in the 2025 model year for what is sure to be the final Final Edition. Or will it? Though buyers of ‘25s will not get the grille guard or tool kit.

It’s easy to wonder why any reasonable person would drop 100K on a Wrangler. But upon further reflection, buying a Wrangler is rarely rational, it’s more about the feeling you get when you’re rolling down any kind of road in a beastly square-bodied throwback rig that really can take you just about anywhere on the planet.

And experiencing the wrath of a monster V8 engine when you rip into the throttle is a whole new level of freedom, we’ll enjoy no matter how long it lasts.