This Jeep spies with the same hood as the Wrangler Rubicon 392 concept, as well as a four-pronged exhaust.
Jeep fans rejoice because Jeep is serious about shoving a V-8 under the hood of the Wrangler. Just a week after it revealed the V-8-powered Wrangler Rubicon 392 concept on the day of the new Ford Bronco’s debut, we’ve spotted a Wrangler Rubicon on the road wearing the same hood as the concept, meaning it could have Hemi power.
We also saw 4 exhaust pipes sticking out of the rear, which evidently shows that it worked with an eight-cylinder engine. This is FCA’s 392 Hemi, a 6.4-liter (392-cubic-inch) V-8 that produces 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. Drives Jeep and Dodge’s high-performance SRT 392 models. Jeep claims that the 392 concept makes 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds, so genuine treatment does the same.
Another thing to notice is the Florida plate on the back. FCA does have a testing facility in Florida, and it clearly did some work to cover up the “manufacturer” script at the bottom of the plate.
To install the V-8 on the Wrangler, Jeep will want to upgrade the engine mounts and modify the frame. Well, that’s what they did to the concept. The 392 concept also had huge 37-inch muddy box tires, which we don’t see in this control car, plus Dana 44 axles, a two-speed permanent motion box, front and rear electronic lock differentials, and two-inch forward-step lifts. Fox surprise absorbers.
Jeep faithful have been ordering a Wrangler V-8 for some time, Jeep says, and Jim Morrison, the jeep’s director, said the automaker had the ability to do so. Clearly. We expect to receive more information about the V-8-powered Jeep soon, and soon after, Ford will get jealous and launch the 5.2-liter supercharged GT500 V-8 on the Bronco, but let’s not advance.