A V8 Wrangler (CJ) used to be fairly commonplace. American Motor Company (AMC) threw V8s in everything, including the little go-kart-esque CJs. Since the lawless younger days of the Jeep, we haven’t seen a V8 in a Wrangler-type vehicle in nearly 40 years. So, when Jeep decided to put a 392 Hemi in the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Jeep peeps were excited until we saw how much it would cost. 

How much will the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 cost? 

According to Motor1, a fellow Jeepster posted on the JLWranglerForums a screenshot of his Rubicon 392 order, and it costs a staggering $77,055. To be clear, this isn’t the base price, although it hardly matters what options he got; they couldn’t make up $20k. The member who posted his order explains that he got two optional extras – the dual-top and tow packages. On other models, those two options will run about $2,000 in total. So, where does that leave us? It would seem that the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 starts around $75,000. Let that sink in a second. 

The Rubicon 392 is about $4,000 more expensive than the Ram TRX

At $75,000, the new V8 Jeep is considerably more expensive than the 700-hp super truck from Ram. That is truly astounding. The 2021 Ram TRX starts at $71,690 for the base model. For a little added perspective, the Rubicon 392 is powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V8, making 470 hp and the same in torque. Jeep claims that this means the Jeep can hit 60 mph from a dead stop in only 4.5 seconds. 

The (somehow) cheaper Ram, on the other hand, is driven by a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 702 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. Although the Ram has way more power than the Jeep, it still hits the same 4.5-second 0-60 mph sprint. 

How much more is the Rubicon V8 than the regular Rubicon?

Here are where things get wild. The regular Rubicon starts around $42,000. Again, the V8 version starts at $75,000. That is nearly a $35,000 upcharge for the V8 version. You could buy multiple new Wranglers for the cost of one Jeep Rubicon 392. In fact, the cheapest new Wrangler you can buy starts at $28,315. If my calculations are correct, you can almost buy three base-model Wranglers for the cost of one optioned Rubicon with the V8. 

Is the V8 Jeep more than just a giant motor?

Well, yes. The Rubicon 392 is slammed with new firsts for Jeep. The giant motor is connected to paddle shifters for the first time in Jeep history. Not sure why anyone would want that, but that is neither here nor there. The exhaust is an active system that automatically opens under full throttle or can be manually opened at the driver’s behest. It also has something called Torque Reserve, which acts like launch control. The Jeep will shift using AMax shifting, which is the same type of transmission used in the Hellcat-powered TrackHawk. 

But wait, there’s more

The Rubicon 392 also got an extra 2-inch lift for total trail domination. Jeep did more than just a lift, though; It also has upgraded frame rails, unique suspension geometry, Fox shocks, upper control arms, and heavy-duty brakes. The list of unique features goes on and on. The V8 Wrangler will also get a new intake system to deal with water and mud, a new 4WD system, Dana axels with thicker tubes, special badges, wheels, and interior. 

At first glance, $75,000+ seems insane, but Jeep is giving you a lot of truck for the money. I guess you could do worse, but it’s still hard to stomach spending that kind of money on a Jeep.