DRIVEN: Jeep 392 Concept - Does A Hemi Powered Wrangler Cut It In The Real World?

Ford introduced the Shelby Cobra concept car when I was in high school, a prototype that looked for all the world like the burly Cobra 427 that initially stoked my love of cars as a child. Imagine my disappointment, then, when I learned that concept cars usually never touch pavement, often relegated to the show stand. But Jeep is bucking that trend, and today, I’m behind the wheel of the wild, V8-powered Wrangler 392 concept.

Okay, I’ll admit that’s not a fair comparison. The Shelby was a one-off, hand-assembled machine that shared practically nothing with existing Ford vehicles, while most of what makes the Wrangler 392 comes from the parts bin: SRT donated the 6.4-liter Hemi V8, while engineers made some small modifications to the stock Jeep Wrangler Unlimited body shell. Still, opportunities to drive one-of-a-kind vehicles like this don’t come knocking often. So, how’s she do when the rubber meets the road?

 

skytop - 9/14/2020 6:49:52 PM

-1 Boost

Just what an unstable, bumpy, harsh, noisy riding vehicle with a very high center of gravity needs, an elephant engine to ensure dangerous driving results.

mre30 - 9/14/2020 6:53:29 PM

0 Boost

Cool! Hopefully Jeep has the good sense to 'engineer-in' a wheelie mode (kind of like launch control but for suburban douche-y guys).

Push a button, 90% of power goes to the rear, hit the gas, and voila, the nose lifts and your $80,000 Jeep Wrangler pops a wheelie! Awesome! That alone would be worth the $80,000

skytop - 9/14/2020 10:26:34 PM

-1 Boost

$80,000+ to pull a stupid wheelie? Give me a break!
Far better to save the money for retirement.

MDarringer - 9/14/2020 9:11:32 PM

-1 Boost

Hell why not a Demon Wrangler?

scenicbyway12 - 9/15/2020 9:25:19 AM

+1 Boost

As I have said before, total poser Jeep.

dumpsty - 9/15/2020 2:53:07 PM

+1 Boost

this Jeep 392 - is not meant for off-roading. put some 20"/22" wheels & street rubber on it & cruise...from beach to beach i guess. but the driver does have to really respect the raw power in a lighter Wrangler Ultd package.

trmckin - 9/16/2020 4:44:24 PM

+1 Boost

depends on the type off-roading and the vehicle build. Ive kept my wranglers mostly stock because the second you add bumpers, winch, larger tires, etc... the base pentastar is woefully underpowered. To me, this is an insane upgrade unless they put some serious brakes on it. With that said, the 392 would be great in the dunes, over landing, and snow runs. Just because it isn’t a huge upgrade for rock crawling doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be useful in many other trail/off-road applications.