by Terry Pritchard
Torque Staff Writer
Jeep is having a stellar month. The brand’s recent 4xe Day brought us the announcement of two new electrified Jeep vehicles to its North American line-up — Recon and Wagoneer S. And now Jeep does it again at the Detroit Auto Show.
The brand announced its popular Wrangler Willys edition will now get the hybrid treatment as a 4xe vehicle. The 4xe branding is a play on four-wheel-drive and electric.
“Jeep Wrangler 4xe customers looking for the ultimate combination of capability and electrification, with a vintage twist, can now have it in the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe,” said Jim Morrison, Jeep’s senior vice president and North American head of brand. “The debut of the new heritage-inspired 2023 Wrangler Willys 4xe pairs 49 MPGe, 470 lb.-ft. of torque with unmatched Jeep capability, a 2.72:1 4WD low range ratio, heavy-duty Dana 44 axles and a new entry price point to the 2023 model year Wrangler 4xe lineup, which continues to be the best-selling plug-in hybrid in America.”
The idea of a hybrid Jeep is a perfect blend of power and efficiency. A vehicle designed to head deep into the wilderness while having an almost silent, torque-filled drivetrain. And the Wrangler Willys 4xe is up for the challenge of the wilderness.
The heritage-inspired Willys 4xe comes with a few enhancements that will help tame the trail. It starts with a factory-raised suspension giving it an improved 10.1-inches of ground clearance, where every tenth of an inch of clearance is an advantage. The Willys also arrives with heavy-duty Dana 44 axles and 2.72:1 Selec-Track Four Wheel Drive system. It offers significant off-road protection with factory-installed rock rails along the bottom side of the vehicle.
Up front, the Willys 4xe features LED headlights and fog lights, a powerful nine-speaker Alpine Premium Sound System, black painted grille and black painted 17-inch wheels with chunky mud terrain tires for improved trail performance. Of course, the Willys 4xe will have all the trademark 4xe elements badging, blue outlined Willys stenciled hood marking, and blue tow hooks and recovery points.
Additionally, the new Willys 4xe will share all elements of all the current Wrangler 4xe models, like pairing the gasoline 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine with two electric motors that generate a combined 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. All told, the engine combination provides 49 miles-per-gallon electric and 21 miles of all-electric range, putting it in the same range and mileage as other 4xe Wrangler models with the 17-kilowatt-hour battery pack.
The 2023 Wrangler Willys 4xe is currently available to order and will begin production later this year. Its starting price of $55,590 does not include an available $7,500 tax credit, making it the least expensive 4xe in the Wrangler arsenal.
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