I Spent a Week Driving the 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 Edition: Here's My Expert Review
The 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 edition is no exception to the Wrangler rule. In fact, it does an excellent job of leaning into the beloved novelty of the Wrangler experience, capitalizing on the SUV's "army Jeep" roots with its distinctive style and putting your wallet at ease with its excellent, plug-in hybrid-assisted fuel economy.
Everything about the Jeep Wrangler 4xe is tailored to keep you as close to the elements as possible. The preened and proper may scoff at the Wrangler's lack of sound deadening and the fact that you often need to slam the doors as hard as possible to make sure they're actually shut, but to the initiated, the Wrangler's simplified ruggedness is what gives it such distinct charm. On an open road, the noise from the wind and its chunky, all-terrain tires can be almost deafening, but this is the whole point of the Wrangler. Unlike a Mercedes-Benz, which aims to detach you as much as possible from the discomfort of a long drive, the Wrangler reminds you at every moment that you are alive.
During my week spent testing the 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 edition, I spent time driving it around in the city, sat through lengthy highway commutes, and jaunted around the countryside, getting a feel for how the off-roader responds to different everyday conditions. It performed about as well as you'd expect a plug-in hybrid Wrangler to perform. My average fuel economy was about 18 miles per gallon, the all-electric range claims to be about 25 miles, but is only about three quarters as much in actual fact, and its combined power rating of 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque switches to a relatively sluggish 270 horsepower once the battery runs out of juice.
Overall, under daily conditions, the Wrangler 4xe is somewhat lackluster, but for an off-road adventure vehicle, its drivability and relative efficiency seemed acceptable. Thus, a question formed in my mind: Could adventures in the Wrangler 4xe be good enough to justify its mediocre daily drivability? I knew I had to find out, so I packed my camera, kidnapped my brother, and set out along the western coast of Vancouver Island with no particular destination in mind.
On a grey, rainy Wednesday in the Pacific Northwest, a road trip up the coast is the last thing on most people's minds, but when you have the keys to a brand new Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 edition in your pocket, the thought of hitting the road, and the gravel, seems to be inescapable from the mind, so we did just that. Trekking along the twisty hairpins of the misty Pacific coast, the Wrangler seemed to, at some point, take in a deep breath of fresh air and loosen up its own inhibitions. Engage four-wheel drive, grip the steering wheel a little bit tighter, and add a little weight to your right foot, and the 4xe Wrangler is genuinely exciting for a body-on-frame off-road SUV with recirculating ball steering.
At one point on our journey up the coast, the pavement faded away and was instead replaced by a harsh, steep gravel road. With no cell reception and not another car in sight for miles, we trudged on, and the Wrangler hardly noticed. Its surprising road handling continues even when the road does not, but perhaps this is less surprising, considering the fact that rough terrain has always been the Jeep Wrangler's forte. As far back as the original 1941 Willys Army Jeep, the iconic platform's sole purpose in life was to get its occupants wherever they needed to go, regardless of terrain, and most importantly, to get them safely home. This ethos continues to this day with the Wrangler, and the Willys '41 Edition is a fitting celebration of the long-lasting legacy of an American institution.
Eventually, the misty rain transformed into torrential downpour, and as the sun finally set over the horizon, we found ourselves navigating the dark meanders of a logging road. Unsettled by the lack of visibility, we cracked the windows open to realize that the roof's outwards protrusion over the windows acts as a natural rain visor, keeping the interior dry with all four windows halfway open, even with an atmospheric river unleashing its fury upon us. To me, this minor detail summed up what makes the Wrangler so special.
Yes, on a perfectly beautiful sunny day, you can remove the roof and even its doors, meaning the Wrangler is one of very few cars that truly makes you feel like you're outdoors while you're behind the wheel or in the passenger seat. However, the Wrangler doesn't just urge you to get closer to the elements when the elements are favorable. Even when it's pouring rain, your jeans are covered in mud, and your shoes are soaked with seawater, the Wrangler offers you a crisp breath of fresh air, on-demand power delivery, toasty seats, and a fiery hot steering wheel while you drag yourself home after a lively day of outdoor activities you might otherwise never have experienced, if you didn't have the keys to a new Jeep Wrangler.
While the 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 Edition might be a salute to Jeep's army heritage, it's the functionality and the philosophical scope of the original Willys Jeep that echoes in the Wrangler's current generation and is celebrated through this special edition model. And, well, I believe it's worth celebrating. It may not be the most ideal or the most comfortable daily driver, but during a time where most new cars are more complicated and confusing than ever before, the Jeep Wrangler's relative simplicity–and its transparently clear goal of making every journey memorable and fun–is a refreshing breath of crisp ocean air.
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