If everything wants to be more environmentally friendly, Jeep should not be left behind.

The plan was recently announced to become the greenest manufacturer of off-road vehicles.

After the softened models like the Renegade, it recently caught the outdoorsman in the range, the Wrangler was electrified.

Now the enthusiast of the automotive veteran Kummer is used to, he had to accept a slim four-cylinder with only two liters of displacement instead of a big V 8 for the new edition, which however cut a good figure in the test two years ago.

The 270 hp unit has now been expanded to include a charging socket and a nominally 17.3 kWh battery, and an electric motor with an output of 107 kW was placed between the petrol engine and the gearbox.

Both together add up to a system output of 380 hp.

Lukas Weber

Editor in the “Technology and Engine” section.

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Can that go well?

The acceleration to 100 km / h is reduced by one second to 6.4, but the normal Wrangler is also fine.

The 4xe baptized PHEV can drive purely electrically, a range of more than 40 kilometers should be possible.

It shrinks to a few kilometers when you are traveling at 130 km / h, more is not possible electrically.

We came gently rolling for 48 kilometers, the sound of scare pedestrians reminiscent of brake disks with rust film.

Recharging with 230 volts or at the wallbox is a bit sobering: The lithium battery consumed 15.7 kWh, which means that the information in the brochure includes a buffer for the hybrid drive and that the minimum electrical consumption is beyond the 30 kWh.

It is gratifying, however, that the electric motor is sufficiently powerful that the urge does not arise constantly to have to call the combustion engine for help with a courageous burst of gas.

Green is primarily the color of the banknote

In conjunction with the eight-speed automatic, the interaction of the forces is largely convincing, of course, the driver has to get used to the fact that the electric motor starts immediately and the gasoline engine only reports violently to work after a brief turbo lag. The Wrangler involves the engines as it sees fit, superfluous programs for this and that do not exist. What is happening in the drive can be called up on the display, but the display is not particularly clear. Recuperation is possible in two stages, and there is also a button with which the battery level can be maintained or charged. For people who are bothered by the constant bustle through the corridors, the manual mode is recommended. Because in a club, the drive is extremely elastic. Already from little more than idling speed you can accelerate in high gear,it then ranges from 70 to 180 km / h.

And the consumption? Comfortably on the country road and with an empty battery on the way, it is possible to add just under 10 liters. That is very slightly below what we used with the pure gasoline engine, but that was the short version, and the hybrid, which is only available long, is much stronger. So on the new model, green is still primarily the color of the banknote that you have to put down for a tank of fuel.

On the autobahn, the Wrangler lifts its upright windshield into the wind, and fuel consumption increases rapidly: when the speedometer shows 150, it is 16 liters and at top speed 25 liters.

That's not what the Wrangler is made for, it has the straight-line stability of a racing boat.

Accuracy increases a little when switching from rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive, as cornering safety also increases, there is no reason not to.

The hybrid also benefits from the electric motor off-road, it is the better Wrangler.

However, the Sahara version costs 69,500 euros, so Jeep can pay an additional 10,000 euros for the additional thrust.

We almost think it's worth it.