GO BIG OR GO HOME

FOR years we’ve been asking Jeep to put a V8 in the Wrangler, and it is now evident they were listening. But they didn’t settle for a mere 5.7-litre, they went big, borrowing the proven 392cid (6.4-litre) HEMI from the SRT Grand Cherokee. Retuning it for the dirt, this bad boy cranks out an adrenalineinducing 470-470 … as in horsepower and torque respectively (350kw-637kw). It is mated to a Torqueflite eight-speed automatic, with a Select-trac transfer case distributing power fore and aft.

With all these cubes stuffed behind the grille, air flow and cooling are paramount. To accommodate this, the bonnet features a functional scoop that sends air into a ducting system called Hydro Guide. It directs flow to the air filter while vacating up to 60 litres of water per minute. If you’ve ever dunked your bonnet in a billabong where the bow wave rolled up to the windscreen, you will understand Hydro Guide’s utility.

Down below are a pair of Gen III Dana 44 axles fitted with electronically controlled Tru-loc differentials and 3.73:1 gears. They are capped with twin-piston disc brakes borrowed from the Gladiator Mojave (345mm rear, 330mm front) and steering is the electro-hydraulic system introduced with the JL.

We’ve come to appreciate the Rubicon’s coil-linked suspension, but the 392’s has been revised to handle the increased power, torque and mass of the V8 engine. Front spring ratings were increased by 20 per cent while the rears were surprisingly reduced by 10 per cent, and specially tuned Fox aluminium shocks managing damping. Suspension links, track bars and cross members have been strengthened, and specific sections of the frame re-engineered.