Wrangler 392 to cost over $70,000? One post claims so

If you want 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque in a Jeep Wrangler, you may have two choices: spend tens of thousands having a shop put in a big Hemi V8, beefing up the brakes and suspension, and such, or spend tens of thousands having Jeep put one in for you, beefing up the frame rails as well.

Tom (“TCMC”) at the JL Wrangler Forums posted that he now had a VIN and price next to his early order for a 392 Wrangler; it showed $77,055 for a four-door (Unlimited) Sport trim JL with the big Hemi V8, dual tops, and tow package.

The big question is whether that is real; the package code is correct, but the Wrangler shows up as a Sport when the 392 is made for the Rubicon. That said, optioning out a normal Rubicon to match the purported 392, and adding in Mopar wheels and lift, brings the price to nearly the same point.

The 2020 Ford Raptor pickup, in contrast, started at $53,455, using a turbocharged V6 to produce 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque.

Coming up is the Wrangler 4xe, which produces 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet via a turbo-four engine and two electric motors, starting at $47,995; and the supercharged Ram 1500 TRX, boasting 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, delivering a quarter mile time of 12.9 seconds at 108 mph—and starting at $71,690. The Wrangler 392 does 0-60 in the same time as a Ram TRX, 4.5 seconds, which is 40% faster than the V6 Wrangler Rubicon.

What’s more, it is not just a 392 Hemi inside a Wrangler; engineering includes upgraded frame rails, a factory lift, special suspension geometry and parts, 33-inch tires on 17-inch beadlock capable wheels, a dual-mode exhaust, functional hood scoop with three-level water-removal intake system, secondary air path in case the scoop is clogged, seat bolsters, and rear axle lock in 4 High. Adding up all the upgrades, a price of $77,000 would not be unreasonable; Jeepers may pay at least that much just for a donor car and engine swap. (What’s more, Patrick Rall at Allpar predicted a price in the $70,000s when the 392 was first released.)

There’s also little incentive for Jeep to discount it too much; there is likely to be more demand than vehicles, and in any case, it doesn’t really push FCA towards meeting its average fuel economy numbers.

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