BEHIND THE WHEEL: The wind in my hair in the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE Unlimited Rubicon
I’m a Jeep girl. I own one and it is my third one. If I had to describe my personality I would say Jeep Wrangler.
So it should come as no surprise to you that when I drove the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE Unlimited Rubicon I was more than just a little excited.
And a hybrid, I got lots of questions.
If red was not one of my favorite colors it would be now because my Jeep came in bright juicy red. There were four doors and the soft top was easy up and easy down. Actually, more down for me assuring the wind could easily rush through my hair while behind the wheel.
In sizing up the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE Unlimited Rubicon let’s talk about the competition. This vehicle is one tough cookie off road – indefatigable and all that with the doors and top removed if you so choose.
Maybe this one is not for the SUV junkies, but if you want steady, strong and willful then the Jeep Wrangler is your go to. The competition includes the Toyota 4Runner and the Land Rover Defender, but the Jeep also comes with more choices like if you only want two doors versus four or a hard or soft top. There is also the new Ford Bronco that has removable options, but the driving experience is still not the same.
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler offers a variety in trim levels too. The two-door or the four-door Unlimited and then all the added options. You can get in soft or hardtop no matter the trim and the doors can be removed and there is a folding windshield.
TRIM LEVEL
If you go for a two-door Jeep Wrangler you get the option of three trim levels; Sport, Sport S and Rubicon.
The four-door Wrangler comes in the Sahara trim and is a bit more street smart.
Wranglers come in four-wheel drive with low-range gearing and on some there is the full-time 4WD system. On the basic sport trim you get 17-inch steel wheels, skid plates, tow hooks, foglights, crank windows, manual door locks, and a five-inch touchscreen display.
As you go up from there you get added power window and door locks, air conditioning and there are also subtrim packages for the S and Sport S.
The Sahara trim comes with 18-inch wheels, full-time 4WD, automatic climate control, seven-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration and there are several upgrade packages too.
Finally, the Rubicon is all about offroading. There are 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, strong Dana 44 front and rear axles, 4:1 low-range gearing for extra traction, electronic locking front and rear differentials, and electronic disconnecting front stabilizer bar.
When you opt for the hybrid the thing to remember is you are buying a Jeep, there are many options, think of what you will be doing with the vehicle and how you want to run it, then you will know if the hybrid, the two or the four-door is the best fit.
There is something for everyone on the Jeep menu.
UNDER THE HOOD
Just to get this out of the way, yes, in 2021, the Wrangler decided to introduce a plug-in hybrid; Wrangler 4xe. It comes with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and will give you 375 horsepower. It still has the eight-speed automatic transmission and you can even get it in the Rubicon.
For the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited I drove that base engine is a V-6, 3.6 liter and 285 horsepower and 4800 torque.
SAFETY FIRST
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2021 Jeep Wrangler a “good” rating in several crash tests and also the same rating for roof strength and seats.
The Jeep Wrangler comes standard with driver front-impact, passenger front-impact, driver-side impact, and passenger-side impact airbags. Some models come with blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and forward collision mitigation, the Rubicon certainly has these options.
INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR HIGHLIGHTS
The luggage capacity in the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is 31.7 cubic-feet with maximum cargo capacity at 72.4 cubic-feet and standard seating for five passengers.
ALONG FOR THE RIDE
Yes, I recommend the 2021 Jeep Wrangler in all its different trims, but let’s face it the Rubicon Unlimited is smile-worthy every day. I know I love a vehicle when I am trying to think of places to go around town to drive it. You can bet that was what I was doing a few weeks ago if you saw me around town in the red, four-door 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon Unlimited.
SHOULD YOU NEED TO KNOW
The gross rate of the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited is 5,800 pounds.
MILES
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE Unlimited Rubicon I drove had 20 miles per gallon combined under gas operation.
COST
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE Unlimited Rubicon I drove started at $55,225.
Rita Cook is a member of Women’s World Car of the Year and Texas Motor Press. You can follow her at @ritatheroguewarrior on instagram and @ritacook13 on twitter.