Jeep is making good on its commitment to release a “4xe” plug-in hybrid variant of each of its SUV models by 2025 with Stellantis executives taking the stage at the 2022 Detroit Auto Show Wednesday morning to unveil the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Willy 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe 30th Anniversary edition. Both models will be on display through September 25th.
The Wrangler Willy 4xe, named after the venerated first-generation military Jeeps that debuted in WWII, matches a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 with a 17kWh, 400-Volt battery pack to deliver 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque along with 49 MPGe and 21 miles of electric-only range. Its Selec-Trac full-time 4WD system and Dana 44 axles ensure that the Willy 4xe will be just at home at a trailhead as it is a Whole Foods. Yeah, you’re going to need “bougie grocery store” money if you want a Willy, which will arrive with an MSRP of $53,995 (excluding $7,500 tax credit and $1,595 destination). Per Jeep, “LED headlamps and fog lamps, Alpine 9-speaker premium audio, all-weather floor mats, rear limited-slip differential, rock rails, black grille, and 17-inch black-painted alloy wheels wearing LT255/75R17C mud-terrain tires” will all come standard as well as a “Willys” decal on the hood. Order banks for the new model open today with deliveries scheduled to start fourth quarter 2022.
The Grand Cherokee 4xe 30th Anniversary edition (wow, that’s a mouthful) isn’t so much a new model as it is a new optional package. The GC 4xe already offers 56 MPGe and 25 miles all-electric range in addition to the same 375 HP / 470 lb-ft torque that the Wrangler does (unsurprising since the two run identical powertrains), with the 2022 model year Grand Cherokees being available in the Limited, Trailhawk, Overland, and Summit trims.
The 30th Anniversary package will feature a blacked out exterior — 20-inch black rims, special-edition badging and body-color rear fascia, lower moldings, sill claddings and wheel flares — with dual exhaust and a dual-pane sunroof. The interior offers black capri leather seats, wireless phone charging and a nine-speaker Alpine audio system and Uconnect 5 with a 10.1-inch touchscreen. The 30th Anniversary package will retail for $4,500 on top of the $58,465 you’ll need for the rest of the vehicle. Orders for the Grand Cherokee open later this year with deliveries set for early 2023.