When is a Final Edition trim package not actually the final edition? When it’s the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition.
Jeep Wrangler 392 is the quickest and most powerful Wrangler ever built.
Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, has made more than a little moola tarting up legacy models as it heads into the sunset.
Look no further than Dodge, where its “Last Call” V8-powered Durango, Charger and Challenger models had its share of fans, although perhaps not enough. You might still be able to find some remaining 2023 Last Call Dodge Chargers and Challengers lingering on dealer lots.
Yet Jeep claims that demand its last V8-powered Jeep Wrangler was so intense, the 2024 Final Edition is actually the second-to-last edition, as the model is being continued into 2025.
“The Jeep community isn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the V-8-powered Wrangler,” said Bill Peffer, senior vice president and head of Jeep brand North America.
What’s offered
Thirty-five inch wheels come standard.
What do semantics matter when there are customers to please and money to be made? After all, nostalgia doesn’t come cheap.
The test model boasted a starting price of $91,545 base price and totaled $108,475. That’s expensive. REALLY expensive. But so is its main rival, the Ford Bronco Raptor, with a starting price equally as stratospheric.
But climb behind the wheel and you’ll be treated to a really fun time.
The Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition is an iconic anachronism, not to mention the most potent Wrangler ever produced. Credit its 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 engine producing 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque that delivers a 4.5-second 0 to 60 mph run and a 13-second quarter mile. For a mudslinger, that is rather remarkable. In addition, it’s hardly surprising that it returns an EPA-rated 14 mpg in combined city/highway driving; in my test, it got 11.7 mpg, which is roughly equivalent to many 1970s brougham barges. Furthermore, it only drinks premium unleaded.
You also get a Warn winch with an 8,000-pound capacity.
Being a Wrangler, this rig is about more than merely going fast. It sports a standard 8,000-pound-capacity Warn winch, heavy-duty rock sliders, Selec-Trac two-speed transfer case, intuitive full-time four-wheel drive, and heavy-duty wide track Dana 44 axles with electronic locking differentials.
It also offers electronic front sway-bar disconnect, 35-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires, a 48:1 crawl ratio, 11.6 inches of ground clearance and 34 inches of water fording ability. Sweet!
Behind the wheel
And it only gets sweeter once underway. That’s when the Hemi barks fiercely, pouring on the power in a vehicle that you’d never expect to provide so much. It’s meaty 35-inch doughnuts ably absorb impacts, so the ride isn’t as unforgiving as you might expect.
The instrument panel is standard Wrangler.
The same holds true for stability, a concern given how many horses are being pumped to each corner. As you might expect, the steering feels a little loose on-center and highway drives produce a deafening amount of noise. So it’s little surprise that the test vehicle’s audio system was average at best. Of course, most of the time you’ll never hear it.
Our vehicle’s hardtop framed a power-sliding softtop, which greeted the elements with a quick touch of a button. No, it wasn’t removable, but it was easier to deal with and imparted much of the same feeling with a greater degree of security.
Whatever brickbats you might hurl at the 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition, or Not-So-Final Edition in this case, it retains the go-anywhere, rugged build and open-air available to every Jeep owner. And it does it with the muscle of a 6.4-liter V-8 Hemi V-8.
Sure, it’s thirsty, so it will cost you. But the best things in life are worth the money. This is one of them.
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