The last time Jeep shoehorned a V-8 under the hood of its iconic mil-spec Rubicon-runner, it was AMC's wheezing small-block 304-cubic-inch lump that struggled to produce 150 horsepower and 245 lb-ft of torque in 1972, numbers choked down to 125 and 220 by the time the engine was retired in 1981. But customers have clamored for such a Jeep with a V-8 ever since, creating a cottage industry of engine-swap kits, primarily to jam GM LS or FCA Hemi V-8s under the hood of any CJ or Wrangler YJ/TJ/JK/JL built since Ronald Reagan became president. Now it appears our long wait for a factory Jeep Wrangler V-8 will have been worth it. Presaged by a concept version we drove earlier this year, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 is here.


Wrangler 392: Powerful And Quick

Jeep decided to go with its biggest naturally aspirated Hemi, the 6.4-liter that pulls SRT duty throughout the FCA lineup. In this installation it makes a nice symmetrical 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. Teamed with the standard paddle-shifted eight-speed automatic in a four-door Rubicon, it's said to deliver a 4.5-second run to 60 mph and a 13.0-second gallop through the quarter-mile. Top speed is tire-limited to 99 mph. It probably goes without saying that this performance will safely eclipse that of any 310-hp/400-lb-ft 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6-powered Ford Bronco, but remember that a Bronco Raptor/Warthog is in the works.


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