2023 Jeep Wrangler Battle: Which Wrangler Is Objectively The Best?

Today I compare a 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 to a 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4XE, and a 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Eco-Diesel!
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[@johnkraft5640]

31 MPG at sea level in Virginia Beach Va with the ECO - Diesel in the Wrangler. 27 MPG with my Eco Diesel in the Gladiator.

[@WolfOverland]

They all have their purpose. Overlanders love the eco diesel. Good mpg. Lots of crawling torque. 392 is the hot rod. ❤️ 4xe has its place for city folk and weekend riders. 4cylinder turbo is well rounded. Very fast. 3.6 is old reliable.

[@andyham6094]

Overlanders complain about how the diesel overheats tho and has left numerous different people stranded or had to pull over in bad conditions on top of a mountain shelf road. They all got rid of the diesel.

[@TheDiameter]

@@andyham6094 lol, no they haven’t. Literally all you have to do to stop it from overheating is not use engine breaking as much on descent and pop the hood latches for extra airflow. Plus understanding that the EcoDiesel makes all of its torque low and using the manual shift option to keep from overworking the powertrain unnecessarily. Dumb drivers = / = a bad engine.

[@reidhulshof3645]

Love my 3.6 JKU. I like the idea of the ecodiesel but I’m not fully convinced yet as far as reliability goes. Hopefully once my 2014 gives up, they’ve evolved the ecodiesel and ironed out it’s bigger problems

[@WolfOverland]

@@andyham6094 I’ve never had a issue.

[@mehdisy3d]

I'm a proud 4xe Rubicon owner and love it so much! Excellent review! Thanks Ben.

[@ixibladeixi2639]

392 period. No competition. Only if everyone can afford it lol.

[@SolidLiquidFox]

When the diesel goes away, everyone will want one.

[@EliB207]

I won't

[@nnunezhcc]

Well said

[@TheDiameter]

@@EliB207 You’re ignorant then.

[@1eevahn]

I wanted one, but learned about many prohibitive emissions systems that ruin reliability

[@JoshuaEatonCA]

I would almost agree because normally I would be 100% Pro diesel but at this point in time, locally my price of diesel has gone up by over 300% in the past 2 years. In fact tomorrow morning our gas prices are going to drop by one cent and the price of diesel is going to go up by 13 cents so yeah, no diesel. In fact, because the price of diesel is so high, it would probably be cheaper to drive the 392

[@willrector9716]

I have an eco diesel with a banks tuner..... almost as fast as the V8 and gets great mpg. 20k no issues I love it

[@jominator3187]

This. Love mine.

[@TheDiameter]

The EcoDiesel gets the best fuel economy by a long shot, is tied with the 392 in terms of reliability, and easily is the best performance wise for off road usage. The 4xe has bad reliability problems at the moment, and the 392 is excessively expensive, so neither of them make much sense to the average buyer.

[@Davin1969]

What reliability problems do they have?

[@TheDiameter]

@@Davin1969 issues with the hybrid system. It’s nothing unfixable and the powertrain warranty covers it… however the wait times to get them fixed are upwards of 3-6 months, so good luck with that.

[@mcruky]

I've had mine for 16 months and over 16k miles with no problems what so ever. I've done the mopar lift and 35 on 17s. I've been to Moab and done Hell's revenge, been to Montana and no problems. So, what are these problems do you speak about? Do you have a 4xe, or are you just speculating problems that don't exist? Btw, I'd love to see an eco diesel get better fuel mileage than the 4xe. Overall, the 4xe will win.

[@TheDiameter]

@@mcruky 16k miles is literally nothing, get back with me 20k from now. Literally hundreds of people have had issues with the hybrid system either failing to take over or taking over improperly and the vehicle literally turning itself off while it’s being driven. I personally know two people who got them lemon lawed back to Jeep because they couldn’t fix the hybrid issue in a timely manner. Per 1k jeep wranglers sold (by model) they are the #1 most frequently traded in/returned. They are being kept for shorter time by more people than any other Wrangler model, go figure why. As for fuel economy, the EcoDiesel reliably gets 25 city and 31 highway. It’ll go 550 miles highway easily, ask me how I know. I’ve not read one review by any person that says the 4xe gets better than 22mpg combined. Not one. If all you do is mall crawl less than it’s 20 mile electric range every day it’s great, anyone who actually road trips is FAR better off with any other model. Hell, the normal 2.0T gets better real world economy by every official review I’ve read.

[@mcruky]

@ Sir Galahad I can obviously see you have a personal problem with the 4xe for some reason. The #1 sold PHEV in the USA this year is the Jeep Wrangler 4Xe. In Europe starting next year will only sell the 4xe model. I don't know where you're getting your info from. The ecodiesel is only good for 22 city and 29 highway. And that's empty, not carrying anything. I get 22 on the highway when empty and in hybrid mode. The battery never depletes completely. It still holds 2 kw and the system continues to work. I've gone on long road trips and experienced it for myself. Sure a few 4xes have had problems. Show me one wrangler configuration that didn't have any problems and get lemon lawed, and I'll call you a liar. I've heard the same thing from others like you, "wait until you hit 6 months", "wait till you hit a year"..... wait until you hit this milage", well I'm still waiting. Some people are afraid of technology, I get it. Some people were afraid of the combustible engine back in the day too. Look at us now. It's ok, I get it. Unfortunately for some people, this is the direction the rest of the world is going. The all electric "Magneto 2.0" crushes all the Wrangler combinations and I think that's awesome. It's ok. It's scary, but it's going to be ok.

[@jpdrummer86]

Bought a 4XE Rubicon because It’s the best damn platform out there

[@nukejr555]

Was looking for the 392 as I was looking for the hot rod that keeps going after the road ends; however, I did not want to pay the $20K ADM. So, I opted for the 4xe before they started attaching an ADM and I have had no regrets. I generally drive less than 25-30 miles per day, so I literally fill up once a month (at least until the FORM mode comes up). I also have a V6 Wrangler and I barely drive that one. Outside of the initial (and many updates) and the mechanics at the dealership having little or no experience with the 4xe it was hit and miss at first. Reliability has been outstanding so far and service has drastically improved since I was seemingly the guinea pig 4xe in our area. Off roading has been impressive, it's crawl capability literally thinks for itself. It can make a newbie look seasoned. If you turn off the a/c and put on Electric mode, it is such a cool and unique experience wheeling in silence. Hearing only the crunch of rocks and twigs is just surreal. It is hard to argue with the significant cost savings of the Good Ol' V6. I just wish they could improve the range on electric (I average about 22-23 miles) to about 50-75. If they can do that, it would be actually perfect. Oh, if they can add a light around the charging port to easily see it at night. Okay, I am nit-picking now.

[@CrumResearch]

Great post. Same here, enjoying our Rubicon 4xe but love the 392 and looking forward to 4xe evolution with larger battery and all. A 392 4xe Gladiator is what we want!

[@nukejr555]

@@CrumResearch They have been uncomfortably quiet with a 4xe Glady. More murmurs about a two-door Glady with a foot longer bed. I rather have a "Glad x e" Hah, see what I did there? Get it? Nevermind. BTW the best investment for any of the Wranglers/Gladys with hardtop is a Besttop folding top. I have them on both Jeeps and can't live without them now.

[@djp1234]

The only engine option that makes sense is the Diesel. It's the most fuel efficient and has the most torque. That's what you need in an off-road vehicle.

[@blakemarchand6650]

I would just daily drive the 392 because I like to party

[@kobyashee1832]

For those who demand reliability, relative simplicity and widespread parts availability there is no doubt the 3.6 Pentastar is the way to go.

[@TheDiameter]

If you want it to only be reliable and suck at everything else, yes.

[@StevenZagaris]

They aren't that reliable if you're not on top of shutting off the Auto On/Off mode that shuts the engine off at a stop. That causes a lot more wear and tear on your engine components.

[@DeadOnTrail]

Great comparison!

[@twagn]

The way I drive my 2015 JK ...short trips during the week and some longer trips on the weekend...4XE

[@justinq369]

Love your channel! I love Wranglers too. Any chance you could do a two door vs four door comparison? To me… Two door in a soft top is a real Jeep. I prefer not building a Jeep like a luxury suv… thus I prefer Willy Sport this trim

[@John-yf4ie]

I'll stick with my Jeep Rubicon Gladiator- has the regular 3.6 without the E-torque.

[@kev7co]

Cause that’s what you got stuck with but ya … 392 gladiator where are you

[@jpdrummer86]

3.6 without E torque, you literally have the worst under powered engine out of the entire lineup. Stick with it? Sounds more like “stuck with it”

[@4xenomad381]

Actually I fell in love with the jeep rubicon 4xe only one problem is the battery that takes up too much space. Because I often camp in the car and it becomes a bit cramped if I make a platform to sleep on. Please pay attention to the interior in the future.

[@scottbrawley407]

392

[@jeepdogjl8687]

Where I live diesel is $1.50 more than regular per gallon. The diesel gets great mileage but it doesn't make up for the price of fuel.

[@mikelitoris9610]

Actually it does

[@rezamiri100]

Hello Ben What you say about everyday jeep for me Sahara eco D,,rubicon extream recon or 392???? Thank you

[@Wrangler4XEFans]

Great video.

[@chuckasarus]

I have heard on other sites that Jeep may be installing the V-6 twin turbo in the 2024. That would be a winner because of the fuel milage and HP factor.

[@dee8135]

The one that I can afford , which is…none of these options 😫😂

[@mikelitoris9610]

I was there for years too ! Finally said the hell with it and leased one to keep payments down. They are gonna swap me out every three years with a new jeep…… makes more sense for me, cut the payments almost in half by leasing

[@JP-nisu_2]

Ram is discontinuing the 3L Diesel. So will Jeep be doing the same soon or will they continue to improve it.

[@codymcbain]

Living in the mountains going to town I charge my battery…I love my 4xe don’t have to worry to much about breaks now

[@godsangel2429]

So if your a first time buyer of a jeep, how can you tell which one is bigger, meaning alot of space, headroom, etc?

[@brandyj794]

Love it ❤

[@thebigfellar7178]

I just bought the Eco-diesel. Found a 2022 new. Has everything but a backscratcher on it. That's why it didn't sell. Guy ordered it with everything, tow package, audio, trim, etc. etc. Saw the completed price and bolted. Everyone that saw the window sticker moved along...!!! Then I arrived on scene, played dumb. And acted like it was too expensive. I saved roughly $10,000 on it. And it was what I wanted off the jump. Appearing to be smart and a know it all, only costs you money. The things I've learned in life. The diesels were rare to begin with. Hard to find, and as in any diesel more expensive. But if you are looking to keep it , as I am. Worth every penny. I live in the Blue ridge mountains of Va. Our driveway is a 1/4 mile long, gravel of course. Once the Kubota tractor scrapes it. over the weeks of cold and more snow. You have to have something. And nothing on earth goes like a wrangler. I'll be keeping her stock with just the 17's. changing nothing. After 70 years , trust me Jeep has perfected them. Big tires means less traction ,not more. And a lift kit is unnecessary. Strickly a look at me thing. I've pulled more than one monster jeep out of a ditch. If you want the monster truck look fine with me. But you best leave it at home if it snows. Peace brothers.

[@RUGERTTHEGSD]

Love the 392. Like the colors on the 392 and the economy diesel. I'd wait on a 4xe until they get better.

[@TheDiameter]

Give them 3-5 years and they’ll be good. In the mean time but the 3.0 EcoDiesel or the 2.0L turbo

[@nukejr555]

@@TheDiameter Good how? Electric range? If so, I agree. We probably ALL do. Outside of that it has been awesome. My 7th Jeep and I am keeping this one. Diesel is strongly rumored to be discontinued and the 2.0L Turbo is already in the 4xe.

[@freakincrazy6932]

Having driven and owned 4xe, 392 and 3.6 pentastar. 392 hand down. Nothing like that power.

[@jpdrummer86]

Gas guzzler with 14 city MPG….fk no!!! 👎🏼

[@StevenZagaris]

I have the 3.6L in a Gladiator, the 5.7 Hemi in a '21 WK2, a 392 JL and I would never touch a modern diesel or 4xe (yet). The 5.7 is my favorite all around. Im moth balling the 392 to sell to Jay Leno in 2035 when California bans New Gas cars.

[@fireant1272]

I like them all!

[@Kunani19]

Jeep Wrangler Life 👏

[@JoshuaEatonCA]

When I look at all three platforms, all three of them have their benefits and their drawbacks. At the end of the day I would say it comes down to a matter of personal preference and budget. These three platforms are all going to command an absolute premium price over the base 3.6. Would I go with the diesel over the 3.6? In most cases I would say yes but I really like the ability to have the full-time four-wheel drive. Especially for someone like my wife who is not used to driving in the winter and she could just put it in automatic and go but that's not available in a diesel. I would prefer the diesel because of the mileage and the robustness of a diesel platform but unfortunately, the price of diesel has risen by well over 300% in the past 2 years and even though it does get very good gas mileage, it's actually cheaper for me to drive the 392 then it is to drive the diesel because there's just that much of a difference in the pricing.. As of tomorrow morning there will be a 72-cent difference in the price of diesel versus gasoline with diesel being more expensive and I've never seen this type of spread in my entire life. The technology-minded person in me would say go for the hybrid. The locally they've had Fairly good results. I know people who have them and I haven't heard of any major complaints or issues with them. We do have a bunch of new incentives for hybrids and out of all three platforms, as much as I would want the diesel because of the torque and the fuel efficiency, the price of the fuel itself makes it not an option. I would gladly love to have the 392 but that type of a premium price makes it not an option. I would have to settle for the 4xe

[@huseyindemiray4251]

Which is the vehicle with the highest torque and the strongest chassis and running gear?

[@briandonald]

I would go for the 392.

[@v8felon]

392 more reliable but wont best mpg. ecodiesel is the best banks tune gives you more HP and torque than 4xe keeps up with 392! 4xe is trash three things to break!

[@anthonyshoshin6824]

392💪💪💪👍👍👍

[@purpskurp8737]

V6 hands down

[@TheDiameter]

If you mean the EcoDiesel you’re absolutely correct.

[@grisa12345]

I’ve owned 3 JLURs: v6, 392 and 4xe. None are objectively the best, it depends on what’s most important to you. If you want the best rock crawler, get the v6, it’s the lightest. 4xe is the best overlander due to being a mobile power supply. 392 is the best at being a 392.

[@d_jenkins7097]

I have a 4xe. The only problem I had was the electric battery going out at 25k miles which is crazy. Besides that its pretty good. I charge once a day get 18.5 a gallon with 37s and 4.5 inch lift. Thats not bad. The regen is awesome. My breaks are still good after a year and a half.

[@TheDiameter]

So your “only problem” was a major powertrain component that was the vehicle’s main selling point breaking in less than 36k miles…

[@nukejr555]

@@TheDiameter I hope he clarifies. I believe he meant 25 miles as in battery depletion or short range. 25 is remarkable with 37s. But if his battery failed at 25k, that IS cause for potential concern. I am nearly there at it has been flawless. I would hate a catastrophic failure so soon or at all. With time we will have more statistics from other owners.

[@nukejr555]

25k failure? As in faulty battery? Can you elaborate?

[@giovillalta]

We need more info here

[@dennishelka4295]

The 392 is the fastest best sounding and worst gas mileage. The eco diesel is the best long range model for fuel efficiency and power. The 4XE is also fast and the best short range mileage power train. I have a 4XE and was able to drive 2,250 short range miles on one tank of fuel. Also serves as a backup for power outages.

[@jaasun71]

I had the 2.0 turbo and it runs well and gets good mpg but it sounds terrible.

[@mcruky]

You did miss speak about something. You said the 392 was the most powerful. Both the 392 and 4xe have the same amount of torque (470 lbs) however the 4xe is instant torque because of the electric, where as the 392 has to hit 3500 rpm to achieve this.

[@1eevahn]

I think 392 is. 392: 470hp 470ft lb torque at 5103 lbs. 4xe: 5322 lbs (Rubi) with 375hp and 470ft lb. It's not all electric torque as it uses the 2.0 engine as well.

[@russell1265]

35inch should be standard on all Rubicons !

[@alwaysdriven]

392 will hold most value as long as you leave it stock

[@zacharymitchellwtx]

Same. I've owned each power train and the 392 is my favorite hands down.

[@keniaflores8881]

I put custom decals that match the rear emblem on the sides of my ecodiesel under the wrangler decal next to the fender. I wish it had a custom color, silver maybe? Or green as well to tell it apart. I get a lot of comments and excitement when people see that! They usually had no idea jeep made diesel.

[@ryannewazada2102]

Aloha Ben. For now, the 4xe has the better range for power and fuel efficiency in this trim level. Great video 📼 Ben.🤜🤛🙌📼💪🐶🐕👀🤲👐🌟🔅🔍🎓⛅👍😎🤠😇💰🤓🏡🤙😄

[@TheDiameter]

No it doesn’t. The diesel gets 25/30 mpg and had a 500-550 mile range. But nice try.

[@ryannewazada2102]

Sir Galahad: Eco-Diesel is very costly for the scheduled maintenance than the 4xe. Plus, the traveling expense on charging and refueling is cheaper than refueling with the diesel gas.

[@vrsm54]

@@TheDiameter my MPG in my 4xe is usually around 32-34. But nice try. 🤷‍♀️

[@jonluchessi1643]

392 all the way👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💪🏻

[@jonluchessi1643]

392 392 392 did I say 392? Yes 392 all the way!!!!!! and I really like the color of your 392 it is pretty cool looking👍👍👍👍

[@Silvery12]

16 mpg on the 392 XR! How? What am I doing wrong? I get 14 if I drive like a grandma and otherwise I get 12.

[@HuskyMike]

Price differences between the 4xe and diesel to the comparable gas engine models make both a tough sell regardless of better fuel economy. The standard Rubicon starts at $47,300 whereas the 4xe Rubicon starts at $58,900. Even taking into consideration the possible $7500 tax credit, that's still $4000 extra. The $4000 difference (which, oddly, is the same difference as the diesel v.s. gas Rubicon) buys a lot of gas. Not to mention not having to worry about the unknowns of the reliability of the 4xe.

[@jpdrummer86]

Colorado gives 5k state tax credit in top of the federal $7500, that’s $12500 in tax credits, the 4XE rules hands down

[@bryanrose8693]

The better title is what is better a 60k, 70k or 80k Jeep 😂

[@jonluchessi1643]

392 all the way!! But I think for all around everything V6 Penstar it’s proven and it actually gets pretty good fuel economy, my 2018 JL Rubicon unlimited with 39 inch tires 4 1/2 inch lift kit on the highway average over 18 miles per gallon at 65 miles an hour which is amazing overall around town driving probably between 13 and 15 and on my back country adventures which I do alot of I can go long distance without worrying about fuel, I’ve had alot of Jeeps and I feel the JL is the best on the market, I just ordered a 392 cannot wait for it to get here, but I think all the cheek no matter what someone gets or just incredible vehicles and whatever someone just be proud of it because you’re getting it very good capable all around vehicles and there’s really nothing else like it on the market there’s a huge fun factor, Thanks for the video

[@TheDiameter]

Dude that’s not good at all. The EcoDiesel gets 25/30 city highway, and at low traffic in city or 65mph cruise will get 27/32 mpg… for $1 more a gallon I’ll take the 500-550 mile range.

[@jonluchessi1643]

Sir Galahad well “dude” I included that because it was not included in his review that’s the only reason I put the V6 penstar in & personally I don’t give a damn about MPG I like horsepower and the eco-diesel is OK nothing wrong with it and kudos to Jeep for developing it again I included “dude” because it wasn’t in there, I’m a Jeep guy I’ve lots of them I know all about every in and out of jeeps and I have friends that have a diesel don’t even touch that mpg on the diesel and at high elevations all of them having having problems with them but the diesel still a good engine a little bit front and heavy and real world driving good luck on those MPG figures unless you’re driving back-and-forth to the mall !!

[@mikelitoris9610]

I’ll take my eco diesel over that electric garbage any day !

[@rosswallace2969]

392 is the only answer

[@killerb5726]

Isn’t the ecodiesel going away? Or is that just in the Ram truck?

[@BenHardyCars]

Rams for now

[@daviddee7103]

@@BenHardyCars there are all going away eventually, enjoy them while you can...

[@2024_Edge]

What about the 3.6L V6

[@TheDiameter]

It’s not the most efficient, reliable, powerful, or capable… so don’t buy it.

[@2024_Edge]

@@TheDiameter I like the 3.6L V6 in the wrangler

[@2024_Edge]

@@TheDiameter and there is a 2.0L 4 Cylinder In the regular wrangler

[@privateer9181]

i dont know why they dont offer the xtreme recon package on the diesel..as it is u can order the 2 inch lift and such and get it sorta done at dealer and bundled in...but man i wish they offered the xtreme recon....culd be the last yr of the diesel

[@florintudic5093]

39

[@frankmlish2679]

Is 'the death wobble' a thing?...

[@markcosta4337]

I personally would want a standard V6 pennstar motor perhaps turbocharged and a Sierra Rubicon package. Everything else is just fluff.

[@shadowswordairsofteast]

I guess if you can afford to buy an almost 90k Jeep Wrangler, definitely get the 392

[@florintudic5093]

202323

[@Drpepperkev4]

Eco Diesel is always going to be the best, Eco Diesel is the most reliable

[@florintudic5093]

200

[@johncena6701]

Diesel Manual

[@djuell01]

Too bad the Def fluid sucks and that diesel is so over priced right now otherwise it would be a realistic option. I see them at the dealers near me just sitting because no one wants to spend that much on fuel for it.

[@darylnd]

"You can charge it at home." No, I can't.

[@BlakWiseCracker]

Not surprised that no one talks about the 12 hours it takes to charge the Wrangler 4xe. you need to buy the wall charger which is sold separately appx $620.00 and it’ll take approximately 1-2 hours to charge, just to get 25 miles of EV driving. Rediculous!

[@Synthalog]

Full electric for 21 miles/ Useless.

[@mowcowbell]

Easy choice. 4xe. Why? The other 2 vehicles require expensive diesel ($2 more per gallon in my state), and the 392 requires 91 octane (.65 more per gallon in my state).

[@sergioaldaba5865]

I"LL BE THE "I love my 2.0 Turbo 4 Cyliner" BUTTON!

[@jamieeisenhower1560]

You just dont like the 4xe its better all around

[@dufey1969]

if only thy offered them in a 2 door

[@panthermartin7784]

Some sweet tech there, but in reality, 98% of todays buyers will never take those past the city limits and will probably trade in just after warranty or at the first hint of trouble, so enjoy the latest tech, keeping vehicles till they are clunkers is no longer appealing to me , something about hopping in and just driving a reliable vehicle is suddenly very appealing to me these days.

[@weirdshibainu]

Pretty pathetic that the EcoDiesel isn't reliable, a well built diesel should be very reliable and outlast a gas engine by at least twice. Poor execution by Jeep.

[@TheDiameter]

The EcoDiesel is actually very reliable in the Jeep, it’s overtaxed in the Ram, which is why it’s going away. Chevy and ford did the same with their small diesels for the same reason. Understanding how to use and maintain a diesel makes a world of difference.

[@Coyote5555]

@@TheDiameter Totally agree. My 21' ecodiesel has been great so far... but all cars have issues.

[@sigman9573]

I'll subscribe if you stop saying as well ! :)

[@jpdrummer86]

392 screams midlife crisis with that obnoxious sounding 11MPG gas guzzler in the city that is worthless for long range and is completely unnecessary for the job.

[@icare7151]

ECO diesel all the way. In the real world here in the Colorado Rocky Mountains the eco diesel eats all the others on all levels. The 4xe plug in hybrid a total WOKE joke. Don’t listen to the 🤡pushing the hybrid and new hurricane twin turbo gas disasters coming to a dealer near you. Jeep is going down the drain. 🕳️