2024 Jeep Wrangler Performance

Nobody cares what the Jeep Wrangler's 0-60 sprint time is, as long as it has enough power to get to the top of that mountain peak at the end of a tough trail. Top speed is of little value, too and - more importantly - not something that should be explored in view of the Wrangler's severe wind noise and a high, truncated layout unsuitable for high-speed driving. For this reason, top speed is limited to 97 mph. Trailering ability isn't great on the two-door Wrangler; it's rated to tow a maximum of 2,000 pounds. The four-door is much better and can tow up to 5,000 lbs in its optimal configuration. Off-road driving is what it's all about, and here, the two-door Wrangler is superb, with a minimum of 9.7 inches of ground clearance (10.8 inches on the Rubicons) and the short length ensuring that it can go most places a mountain goat can.

The Willys is much more off-road capable this year, and the Rubicons don't bear the famous trail's name for nothing. Four-door models lose out a bit in terms of breakover angle due to the longer wheelbase but they are still immensely capable off-road.

The default engine in every Jeep Wrangler with the six-speed manual transmission is the familiar naturally aspirated 3.6L Pentastar V6 used in so many Stellantis products, here with 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. The only other powertrain combination is a 2.0L turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, connected exclusively to an eight-speed automatic transmission - this is optional on all trims but the only option on the Sahara.

All four wheels are driven via Jeep's Command-Trac part-time 4x4 system, using a 3.45:1 axle ratio. The Willys gains a lockable rear differential, and the Rubicons use the heavy-duty Rock-Trac 4WD system with a 4:1 axle ratio. The Rubicons' four-wheel drive can be further improved with an optional 4.88:1 axle ratio.

In terms of gas mileage, the Wrangler's mpg figures suffer due to its high weight, all-terrain tires, and poor drag coefficient. Still, the two-door 2.0L turbocharged trims' EPA estimates of 20/21/21 mpg for the city/highway/combined cycles is one mpg better combined than that of the 2.3L turbocharged Bronco; the four-door does slightly worse at 20 mpg for all three cycles.

The manual-transmission two-door 3.6L V6 Wranglers have corresponding figures of 17/25/20 mpg, while those for the four-door are 17/23/19 mpg. The two-door has a fuel capacity of 17.5 gallons, so the 2.0L automatic should be capable of a range of around 367 miles, with the V6 manual slightly behind at around 350 miles. The four-door's larger 21.5-gallon tank allows corresponding range estimates of 430 and 494 miles.

The 4xe trims get a PHEV powertrain with a 14.4-kWh lithium-ion battery underneath the rear seats that allows an all-electric driving range of up to 22 miles. With the battery fully charged, its combined consumption is 49 MPGe, and on gas alone, it's 20 mpg. A maximum range of 370 miles is possible. We review this version of the Jeep Wrangler separately, however.