Bigger, badder, but ready for the Bronco_ _ 2022 Jeep 392 Xtreme Recon Review

Dumb and dumber. That's the Wrangler 392 and the Wrangler 392 Extreme Recon. They can't turn, they can't stop all that well, but they'll do 0-60 in 4 seconds and get 13 miles to the gallon. We tested a 2021 model of these a few months ago, and Jeep cannot help itself, so it sent us a 2022 with 35-inch tires that's the biggest ever on a factory Jeep. This is the Extreme Recon version, and this is the one you want if you want to beat the Ford Bronco in every off-road measure possible. And this thing is so damn fast, it might even beat the 2023 Bronco Raptor. Hasn't even come out yet. First off, subscribe, watch, and comment on these videos. It's a Jeep thing, you understand, but do you? First off, I want to say I'm upset. I'm upset at other Jeep drivers. In Connecticut, where I live, I don't know what's going on, but the whole time I've had this Jeep, no one else is waving at me. I'm doing this to them, I would say about like three out of every four people don't wave at me. Doesn't make any sense. This is the best Wrangler that's out there. How do they not know what this is? What is wrong with those people? Anyway, first rule is not to accelerate until the wheel is perfectly straight. And then that's just, oh my God, that is the loudest, that's the loudest straight piped exhaust I think I've heard on any factory truck. That's 470 horsepower and 470 pound feet of torque. Same thing as you can get in the Dodge Challenger, the SRT models. They came out a long time ago. Now they're on the RT Scat Pack, exact same engine. I just, yeah, I'm sorry I keep doing that. It's probably really annoying, but just going to have to deal with it when you're in this truck. Oh my God. The best thing too is sneaking up on people because everyone's used to a Wrangler, especially the Rubicons with these giant tires to just be slow. They lumber on the highway. Even if they're doing 70 and 80 miles an hour, they can't move. But then you do this and no one expects that. It's probably the most fun you can have in this Jeep. Not off road, but right here doing that because on the road, right? It's not really meant to be here. These giant tires, the axles, the steering, everything is different because it's tuned to go over rock boulders and driving on pavement isn't really the priority. So you kind of drive like this. It wanders, a wind gust blows you into the other lane. These are all things that Jeep drivers know very well. They're prepared, but no one's prepared to do this because let me tell you, if you are not in a straight line, the vehicle will wiggle around and it's always in four high. There's no two wheel drive mode on this thing, but it's definitely possible to slip the tires. Even so these are 315 millimeters wide on all four corners. That's over a foot each. And even that's not enough. That's the thing about the Wrangler 392. We're lifted even more. So the 392 has a two inch lift versus the regular Wrangler. And this is the extreme recon package, which lifts it another inch and a half. The thing about the 392 is that it'll do the quarter mile at just over a hundred miles an hour. And then everything stops at 112. That's the governor. So the fun just goes like that. So in about 13 seconds, you're almost at the max speed. Can't do that with a lot of vehicles, but gosh, the mid range acceleration is where you can have fun all day. You don't want to do a hundred miles an hour in any Jeep. You just don't. I'm not going to say if I did or I didn't, but just don't, don't do it. The 392. See, it's not really a Raptor because the suspension doesn't have the same wheel travel off road when you're going fast. It's not even like the Gladiator Mojave, which is the desert rated Jeep. That thing can sail through the air. It's got bypass valves. It's got remote reservoirs. This one doesn't have it, not even the extreme recon. So the only place where you can really exercise this engine is on pavement. So it doesn't help you off road. Not at all. And wow, you just have to really pray that you have enough grip here. Gosh. And then when you want to stop, well, you really need to plan ahead for that too, because yep. The pedal travel is really soft. The brakes are puny because they can't fit inside the wheels. These are only 17 inches. So you're going to have to, yeah, you're going to have to stop like it's a 1970s muscle car. All right. This is a little too much. I'm going to, I'm just going to pull over here. This is a lot to deal with right now. All right. Much easier to talk about this engine when it's not running. This is the same Hemi V8 that's in the Charger, the Challenger, 6.4 liter engine. It's even been in the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, super fast engine. It was never designed to be in a Jeep Wrangler until now. Lots of tuners were doing it. The Jeep wasn't. This engine also wasn't designed to ingest sand or dirt or mud until now. And thank goodness Jeep figured out a way to block it all. The hood vent can scoop away 15 gallons of water a minute. So the engine can be submerged where you're almost in three feet of water. And if the scoop is entirely blocked when you're on dry land, there's another air duct in the hood to feed the engine up to 112 miles an hour. This is all Ford's fault. Ford made Jeep do this. They really did. So thank you, Ford. You're probably going to cry when you hear this. This is an $81,000 Wrangler. I'm speechless. I'm speechless, but it's ridiculous. Who's spending $80,000 on a Wrangler? That's really what I want to know. I don't care if it has the V8. It's just crazy. This Jeep just messes with your mind. It's scary, and yet you want more of it, right? But it's not like a haunted house type of scary. It's just straight up dangerous. I just crave it. What is it about human beings that we love things that want to kill us? I don't know. Any Wrangler will let you go off road. A Wrangler 392 won't let you go as far. So if you've got a half tank or less, turn around, fill up, and then come back here. The Wrangler 392 also doesn't have as much ground clearance as a regular Rubicon. It's 10.3 versus 10.8. And on this extreme recon, you're getting 11.1 versus 12.9 on the regular Rubicon or the Willys. So not quite as extreme. Why is that? Well, Jeep doesn't really say, but my guess is that the engine and all the mechanicals underneath are so big that, well, you can't really clear everything. Jeep actually had to re-engineer a lot of the same features that you'll find on a Rubicon. The axles, the steering knuckles, even the frame rails, everything had to be reinforced to handle all this torque. But if you get this extreme recon package, you still get incredible approach and departure angles. 47 degrees in the front. That's like driving over a highway median. This package is four grand and available on the Willys, Rubicon, and the Rubicon 392. And there's some more good things you should know. Beadlock wheels on 35-inch tires, a reinforced tailgate for the rear tire because it's so darn heavy, extra fender flares, a 456 to 1 axle ratio front and rear, bronze accents, and this quad exhaust. But really, how can Ford answer to this? What I love about driving any Wrangler is that it's just narrow. You don't have to worry about the width, even though this one is significantly wider than the regular Wrangler with these 35-inch tires. Just be aware of that. It actually has fender extensions because the tires go a little bit further than the normal fenders. That's about the only difference that you'll see. Compared though to the Bronco Badlands Sasquatch, this vehicle is almost like a Toyota Corolla in size. It's that compact. Now the Rubicon can already do 32 inches of water fording, and this one really has no issue doing that either. 33.6 with the extreme recon package. And listen, I know that this isn't anything new to the true Jeep off-roaders that put all these parts and upgrades on themselves, but this is a big deal because this is coming straight from the factory, which means it's fully validated, it's engineered, it's tested, and it comes with the warranty. So you don't have to do anything yourself. You just go to the lot, pick it up, and you can drive like this. How good is that? These vehicles are always fun. I don't know. It's like it puts a smile on my face, even though why would you ever drive like this? Just drive over a rock for no reason. Feels good. Actually, it's kind of like a massage. Feels good, actually. This is something you can do in any Wrangler. You don't need the Hemi V8 to do any of this stuff. What's cool though is that there is an off-road plus mode, like in the Gladiator Mojave, that keeps the rear axle locked at higher speeds in four-wheel drive high. Ordinarily, you can't do that on a Rubicon, but you can here. And there's a few other things you can do, right? You can put it into four low if you want, but let's get real here. This is not really the place for a Wrangler 392. Yeah, I don't really care about off-road driving. I just want to hear that engine and I want to go fast. And well, on-road is the only place this vehicle really should be. Everything is familiar with the 2022 Wrangler. You get new 392 graphics, 392 seats with more bolstering, an exhaust button that doesn't really care if you press it or not, because with the pedal down, the valves open anyway. You know all about the Wrangler. Doors, windshield, roof, they all come off. And there's more mechanical customization in a Wrangler than in a Ferrari. I guarantee that. Watch our other Jeep Wrangler reviews for the Uconnect system, the cargo hold, the back seat, because nothing's changed for 2022. It's still pretty big inside here. It's generally loud on the road, uncomfortable most of the time, and the build quality is a little touch and go. There's no curtain airbags, but you get a great stereo, all the latest driver assist and technology, and steel bumpers that will destroy any plastic bumper that gets close. What else do you want? Well, maybe a Ford Bronco, but you can't exactly buy those right now. Ford is so behind on orders and the Wrangler is such an icon and always gets better. The Extreme Recon is an amazing upgrade for so little money, and the 392 has such an amazing engine for a whole lot of money. You can order a Wrangler any way you want, even as a postal truck with right-hand drive. It can cost $30,000, $50,000, or $81,450. It's all your choice. It's a good idea and a bad idea to buy this truck. It scares the hell out of me, because once you get on the gas, it's almost out of control. But there's nothing else really like this Jeep aside from Mercedes-AMG G63. That truck's double the price. It's not any better off-road than the Jeep. So for the ultimate on or off-road bragging rights, this is going to be it until that Ford Bronco Raptor comes out, and we will test it to make sure. We don't know what's going to be better in a year. I think things could be different, but this Jeep is pretty amazing. So tell us. This one, a different Wrangler, a 4xe, a 4-cylinder, a 6-cylinder? There's so many different varieties. We review so many of them. So check out CarGurus.com, subscribe to the channel. That's where these videos live. And keep watching. We'll see you next time.