[Sohilwalia]

Hi y’all! I have been searching for answers to my question since days but didn’t find yet! Sorry, if this might have been asked before and have been answered.

I am in the process of buying a Jeep Wrangler 4x4, but still want to know if I should instead buy Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe instead? I just want to fulfill my dream of getting a Wrangler, but wouldn’t it make more sense to have a cleaner and more efficient version i.e. 4xe. Plus it will cost around the same or even cheaper (taking into account the updated interiors etc.) with federal tax rebates.
Now my concern is that I am living in apartment and don’t have access to charging station. I can get access to garage if I pay 125 extra per month. And also as of now I am working from home. Do we really need to charge 4xe at all? Can it be driven only on hybrid mode without not charging at all? I am looking to get a vehicle which lasts me many years.

Thanks in advance.

 

[halsjeep]

You definitely want the ability to charge your 4xe. While it is true you can charge the Jeep by driving in E-Save mode your mpg will drop considerably. You will get no better fuel economy than if you were to purchase the Wrangler with the 2.0L turbo or the diesel. I see about 21-23 mpg when not charging. I drive 42 miles round trip to work and back. When charging at both work and home I get about 60+ mpg. Depending on your location you can find public charging stations. I would suggest downloading plugshare and chargepoint apps on your phone. It will tell you what (if any) public chargers are nearby.

 

[Sohilwalia]

You definitely want the ability to charge your 4xe. While it is true you can charge the Jeep by driving in E-Save mode your mpg will drop considerably. You will get no better fuel economy than if you were to purchase the Wrangler with the 2.0L turbo or the diesel. I see about 21-23 mpg when not charging. I drive 42 miles round trip to work and back. When charging at both work and home I get about 60+ mpg. Depending on your location you can find public charging stations. I would suggest downloading plugshare and chargepoint apps on your phone. It will tell you what (if any) public chargers are nearby.
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Got it! I really appreciate tou replying back. I am not concerned about the mileage for now because I would be back in office in a few months atleast for a couple of days each week where I would be able to charge. I do have charging stations around my place, but don’t know how it would work out as it takes ~2 hrs to fully charge.
I assume now that we can run wrangler only on gas without charging but it will have poor mileage. One more question, hypothetically, is there a guideline/good practice to atleast charge your battery once in a time frame?

You definitely want the ability to charge your 4xe. While it is true you can charge the Jeep by driving in E-Save mode your mpg will drop considerably. You will get no better fuel economy than if you were to purchase the Wrangler with the 2.0L turbo or the diesel. I see about 21-23 mpg when not charging. I drive 42 miles round trip to work and back. When charging at both work and home I get about 60+ mpg. Depending on your location you can find public charging stations. I would suggest downloading plugshare and chargepoint apps on your phone. It will tell you what (if any) public chargers are nearby.

Got it, thank you. It makes more sense now! I really appreciate you replying back. I am not concerned about the mileage for now because I would be back in office in a few months atleast for a couple of days each week where I would be able to charge. I do have charging stations around my place, but don’t know how it would work out as it takes ~2 hrs to fully charge.
I assume now that we can run wrangler only on gas without charging but it will have poor mileage. One more question, hypothetically, is there a guideline/good practice to atleast charge your battery once in a time frame?

 

[halsjeep]

Got it, thank you. It makes more sense now! I really appreciate you replying back. I am not concerned about the mileage for now because I would be back in office in a few months atleast for a couple of days each week where I would be able to charge. I do have charging stations around my place, but don’t know how it would work out as it takes ~2 hrs to fully charge.
I assume now that we can run wrangler only on gas without charging but it will have poor mileage. One more question, hypothetically, is there a guideline/good practice to atleast charge your battery once in a time frame?

So there are weeks when I might not charge more than once or twice. My charger at work is outside and plugging and unplugging from a 240V outlet in the rain just doesn't seem like a good idea. Even if you don't charge much, just leave it in hybrid mode and turn on the regenerative braking to help charge the battery.

 

[Bren]

I wouldn’t recommend it if you can’t plug in. I say that as someone who has owned 4 different plug-in vehicles, and who has lived in apartments without charging while owning those vehicles.

The 4XE wants to be charged. It’s not healthy for the big battery to sit depleted all the time. Lithium batteries are happiest at around half charge. Keeping them constantly low or constantly full isn’t good for their long term performance. It’s also not healthy for the 12v battery, which relies on the big battery for charging (there is no alternator in a 4XE). There have been quite a few reports of dead 12V batteries from people who haven’t kept their big battery charged - an issue I think Jeep will eventually have to address somehow via software or recall.

The hybrid drivetrain is 700lbs more than a regular wrangler, so it’s heavy. Heavy means worse gas mileage after the initial EV range is depleted and you can feel that extra weight when braking and cornering vs a normal wrangler. These downsides are easily overlooked when you can drive most of your daily needs under electric power, because rolling around in a silent Wrangler without using any gas is really wonderful. Meanwhile when the engine does kick in it gets weirdly loud at times, and with a depleted battery some of that extra power will be limited at times that will be hard to predict. It just drives better when it’s charged.

Meanwhile a normal 4 cyl eTorque Wrangler (which is a mild hybrid system) will get meaningfully better gas mileage than a 4XE that’s never charged.

You could park at public chargers for 2+ hours to top up each time, but you probably won’t because it’s inconvenient and the public infrastructure isn’t great and needs to service all of those cars that are increasing in number that actually need those chargers (as in, no gas backup plan).

So I’d say get the 4cyl. It’ll be kinder to the planet and your wallet in your circumstance. It get the diesel if you take a lot of long trips and have money to burn. Or move out of your apartment and into a place with plugs.

 

[PolkNole]

You HAVE to factor in the $7500 tax credit. It may still be your best option.

But yeah, to really take advantage, you want to charge it.

 

[david365602]

I’m not sure how much you drive but, having a garage where you can charge for free might offset some of the costs. I did not feel comfortable at all leaving my 4xe out in covered parking. Plus, wranglers are shorter than full size sedans so you can still use the garage for storage.

 

[michail]

If you want to be part of reducing emissions and carbon footprints, a PHEV is a terrible choice it you can't charge it. It's heavier, more complex, and takes more resorces to manufacture.

But, apartment living isn't forever either. And most apartments around here seem to offer it from what I've noticed on the charging apps.

 

[Bren]

You HAVE to factor in the $7500 tax credit. It may still be your best option.

But yeah, to really take advantage, you want to charge it.

Have to factor it yes agreed, it may be the better value but it also may not. There’s a ~$22k difference between base Wrangler and base 4XE, so one would have to want all of the options packages that come standard on 4XE, and also have the full $7,500 in tax liability available to them after all other credits and deductions. Spec to spec there’s about a ~$3,000 savings, which is meaningful (less so if you’re getting 3-4mpg less over the life of the vehicle).

I’d argue the bigger consideration would be Section 179. If someone wants to use this for a business vehicle it’s the only model that qualifies for the “Hummer loophole” since it’s rated over 6,000 lbs loaded. That’s potentially a much bigger number.

 

[PolkNole]

Have to factor it yes agreed, it may be the better value but it also may not. There’s a ~$22k difference between base Wrangler and base 4XE, so one would have to want all of the options packages that come standard on 4XE, and also have the full $7,500 in tax liability available to them after all other credits and deductions. Spec to spec there’s about a ~$3,000 savings, which is meaningful (less so if you’re getting 3-4mpg less over the life of the vehicle).

I’d argue the bigger consideration would be Section 179. If someone wants to use this for a business vehicle it’s the only model that qualifies for the “Hummer loophole” since it’s rated over 6,000 lbs loaded. That’s potentially a much bigger number.

Yes, Sec 179 is a big consideration!
But for the average buyer like OP who lives in an apartment, maybe not so much.
For him and all others, even those that take advantage of Sec 179, a bigger consideration is probably resale value. You’re going to get back that difference spent at resale, and probably then some when you factor in that the government gave you $7500 toward its purchase.

 

[JeepNerd]

I wouldn’t recommend it if you can’t plug in. I say that as someone who has owned 4 different plug-in vehicles, and who has lived in apartments without charging while owning those vehicles.

The 4XE wants to be charged. It’s not healthy for the big battery to sit depleted all the time. Lithium batteries are happiest at around half charge. Keeping them constantly low or constantly full isn’t good for their long term performance. It’s also not healthy for the 12v battery, which relies on the big battery for charging (there is no alternator in a 4XE). There have been quite a few reports of dead 12V batteries from people who haven’t kept their big battery charged - an issue I think Jeep will eventually have to address somehow via software or recall.

The hybrid drivetrain is 700lbs more than a regular wrangler, so it’s heavy. Heavy means worse gas mileage after the initial EV range is depleted and you can feel that extra weight when braking and cornering vs a normal wrangler. These downsides are easily overlooked when you can drive most of your daily needs under electric power, because rolling around in a silent Wrangler without using any gas is really wonderful. Meanwhile when the engine does kick in it gets weirdly loud at times, and with a depleted battery some of that extra power will be limited at times that will be hard to predict. It just drives better when it’s charged.

Meanwhile a normal 4 cyl eTorque Wrangler (which is a mild hybrid system) will get meaningfully better gas mileage than a 4XE that’s never charged.

You could park at public chargers for 2+ hours to top up each time, but you probably won’t because it’s inconvenient and the public infrastructure isn’t great and needs to service all of those cars that are increasing in number that actually need those chargers (as in, no gas backup plan).

So I’d say get the 4cyl. It’ll be kinder to the planet and your wallet in your circumstance. It get the diesel if you take a lot of long trips and have money to burn. Or move out of your apartment and into a place with plugs.

I totally agree with all your points save two: empty battery degradation and 12V dying. The 4xe can be both a parallel and series hybrid meaning that the ICE and electric drivetrain can work in concert or individually and the ICE can even charge the battery while providing propulsion, this coupled with the fact that FCA holds back 15% of true battery capacity when the cluster reads<1% results in good battery management practices reguardless of how often you plug in in my opinion. While in hybrid mode the computer is constantly balancing state of charge against power output needs and charging via ICE as necessary. To the 12V battery depletion point: when not plugged in or driving the dc-dc charger only checks and acts to condition 12V battery from high voltage battery every 3 weeks but as soon as vehicle is driven the 12V battery is topped off if needed, the only time you’d see issues with not charging and the 12v battery is long durations without driving/leaving accessories on without driving.

 

[MikeinNC]

So, I live in an apartment, and went about a month without charging. The maintenance guys let me plug into the 120 on their shed, but when they plugged in the golf carts, it would flip the breaker. I ended up getting a very heavy gauge 50 foot extension cord and running it from my bedroom on the second floor to the parking lot and then plugging in. It does work, it does not get hot, it does take longer to charge though. The fire department was here the other day for another reason and came over to check it out, they were not concerned with the extension cord, but were very impressed with the Jeep.

 

[EvanF]

Start with PlugShare and look for the free stations. I was surprised to find quite a few within a few blocks of where I live.

 

[bjm00se]

I'm with the others who say to just get a standard Wrangler if you can't plug it in. More weight, cost, and complexity for marginal benefit.

Also: "The Internet" pretty much loves really heavy vehicles for "Section 179" depreciation, but this advise has pretty much outlived its usefulness. IRS plugged that loophole years ago.