2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392 Review: It Makes No Sense, and We Loved It Anyway

2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392 Review: It Makes No Sense, and We Loved It Anyway

Some vehicles are easy to justify. The 2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392 is not one of them. It has a naturally aspirated 6.4-litre HEMI V8, 35-inch all-terrain tires, the aerodynamics of a garden shed and an appetite for premium fuel. Our heavily optioned tester came to $110,845 before taxes, which is serious money for something that can still have its doors removed with a few tools.

And yet, after a week with it, none of that mattered quite as much as it probably should have. We previously tested the Wrangler Rubicon 392, and while we loved its ridiculous personality, it sometimes felt like a collection of high-performance parts built around a Wrangler. The V8 was spectacular, but the chassis could wiggle under acceleration, the suspension bounced around on pavement, and the brakes never inspired as much confidence as the engine encouraged speed.

The Moab 392 changes that impression considerably. The basic formula remains completely irrational, but this time the rest of the vehicle feels ready for the engine. The interior is better, the seats are considerably more comfortable, the steering feels more sorted, and the overall package is easier to live with every day. Don't get me wrong, it still makes absolutely no sense. That may be precisely why we liked it so much.

A 6.4-Litre V8 Still Makes Everything Better

The centrepiece remains Jeep’s 6.4-litre naturally aspirated HEMI V8, producing 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque, connected to an eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic and a full-time four-wheel-drive system. The Moab also sits on 35-inch all-terrain tires wrapped around 17-inch wheels.

Spend enough time driving powerful EVs and 470 horsepower eventually stops producing the kind of acceleration that rearranges your internal organs. The Moab 392 is violent, but it isn’t EV violent.

Put your foot down and the entire experience becomes an event. The nose rises, the Jeep moves around slightly and that HEMI fills the cabin with a noise that no electric motor can duplicate. The numbers tell you that it is fast. Your ears are what make it memorable.

It is loud and obnoxious when you want it to be, but surprisingly civilized when needed. At a steady highway speed, we could comfortably have a conversation even with our tester’s Sky One-Touch roof. Push the accelerator and the personality changes immediately. The eight-speed automatic also deserves some credit. It works smoothly enough in normal traffic and makes the enormous engine remarkably easy to manage around town. The throttle isn’t difficult to modulate either.

Whether you will actually want to drive it smoothly is another question.

The 392 has a habit of encouraging bad behaviour; every highway on-ramp starts looking suspiciously like a drag strip.

Finally, a 392 That Feels Like a Complete Wrangler

As Wrangler owners ourselves, we know not to expect sports-car steering from a solid-axle Jeep. Even so, the Moab surprised us. The steering feels noticeably better than the previous Rubicon 392 we tested and more composed than many other Wranglers. There is still some familiar Wrangler movement on the highway, and you remain more involved in keeping it pointed where you want than in a conventional SUV. Still, it no longer feels like the engine is constantly exposing weaknesses elsewhere in the chassis.

Montreal’s potholes become considerably less concerning when there is this much tire between an expensive wheel and the road; you mostly stop worrying about them. There is some bounce from the off-road suspension, but for something wearing 35-inch all-terrain tires, long-distance comfort is impressive. Those tires generate additional road noise, and the Sky One-Touch roof contributes more wind noise than a conventional fixed roof, but neither made highway driving unpleasant.

The one area where some perspective is still required is braking. This is a heavy, tall and very fast box. The brakes are capable, but we wouldn’t complain about more stopping power. More importantly, you need to remember what you’re driving when someone dives into the gap ahead of you. The Moab can accelerate like something much smaller and lower, but physics hasn’t received that memo.

Push hard from a stop, and there is still some movement through the body. On a winding road, it can be entertaining, but a straight road suits its personality much better. The fun comes from the absurdity of carrying this much speed in something shaped like a Wrangler, not from pretending it is a sports car.

Off-Road Capability Has Reached the Point of Overkill

We took the Moab 392 to Mont-Tremblant and tried to give it something to think about. Sand, mud, wet rocks, climbs, rock crawling and quicker sections over rough terrain all went onto the menu. The Jeep’s response was essentially: Is that all you’ve got?

Jeep equips the Wrangler with serious off-road hardware, including available locking axles, generous articulation and substantial underbody protection and the factory WARN winch is rated to pull up to 8,000 pounds. Our tester’s winch was one option we genuinely appreciated, even though we never managed to get the Jeep stuck badly enough to need it.

Four-low was barely necessary. Disconnecting the sway bar felt like overkill on most of the terrain we encountered. The lockers were the same story. Wet rocks that might make you think twice in a conventional SUV became another part of the trail. The 35-inch tires deserve much of the credit. Ground clearance never became an issue, and we had no concerns with breakover angle on the sections we tackled. Visibility out the sides is good, and the forward off-road camera helps when the hood prevents you from seeing precisely what is immediately ahead.

Would we rather have a proper 360-degree camera at this price? Absolutely. The TrailCam is useful when things get technical, but a surround-view system would provide more value during the other 99 percent of the vehicle’s life.

There was one surprise off-road: the suspension felt stiffer than expected. At higher speeds over rough terrain and especially while crawling over rocks, the Jeep could bounce its occupants around. We ran the tires at road pressure, and airing them down would likely have improved comfort and traction considerably, but the difference compared with the Bronco Raptor is worth mentioning. When we tested the Bronco Raptor, its sophisticated FOX suspension was one of its defining strengths, absorbing high-speed off-road impacts exceptionally well. Its 37-inch tires and enormous width make it more cumbersome in the city, but over rough terrain that suspension gives the Ford an advantage in composure.

The Jeep answers with something the Ford cannot reproduce: that V8. Ironically, the engine matters least when the trail gets difficult. You simply cannot exploit 470 horsepower while slowly crawling across wet rocks. The improvements that make the Moab so capable off-road are far more important there than the extra cylinders. In fact, for 99 percent of owners, the entire vehicle is probably overkill. That’s part of the attraction.

A Six-Figure Wrangler That Still Works for a Family

Despite the noise, tires and gigantic engine, this is still a four-door Wrangler, and that means it retains a surprising amount of everyday usefulness. Getting children into the rear isn’t its strongest point. Our tester didn’t have running boards, and the additional ride height means smaller passengers have a genuine climb ahead of them. Once inside, the rear bench is fairly upright, and we found the seat belts felt a little tighter than in other Wranglers we’ve driven.

The rear doors are also relatively small. They’re perfectly manageable for children, but adults will notice the narrower opening. On the positive side, cargo space remains one of the Wrangler's strengths. The square rear opening makes loading groceries, camera gear and larger items straightforward, and folding the 60/40 rear bench creates a substantial, usefully shaped cargo area. Jeep also continues to provide numerous storage areas and multiple USB connections, and we particularly appreciated having both USB-A and USB-C rather than being forced entirely into one standard.

The side-hinged tailgate still requires some planning when another vehicle parks too close behind you, although anyone already accustomed to Wrangler ownership will barely think about it. Parking the Moab itself was never an issue, and unlike the much wider Bronco Raptor, it doesn’t feel enormous in normal city traffic.

Could it be your family’s only vehicle?

Yes, provided your family understands what you’re buying. There are easier SUVs to climb into. There are quieter ones. There are much more economical ones. There are SUVs with larger rear doors and more conventional cargo openings.

But none of those compromises stopped us from using the Moab like a normal family vehicle for the week. Nobody complained about the ride, everyone enjoyed the exhaust, and the sofa-like front seats proved excellent over long distances. Those seats do have one downside. Their soft cushioning is fantastic on the highway but doesn’t hold you firmly enough when the trail starts throwing you from side to side.

Better Inside, but Still Very Much a Wrangler

The current Wrangler cabin is a considerable improvement over the one in our previous 392.

The centrepiece is Jeep’s 12.3-inch Uconnect touchscreen, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available alongside physical controls for many of the functions you’ll actually want to operate while moving. In an off-roader. Touchscreens are great until you’re bouncing down a trail trying to hit a tiny virtual button. The basic architecture remains unmistakably Wrangler. The windshield is upright, the dashboard is vertical, and there are exposed-looking elements that would feel out of place in a conventional $100,000 luxury SUV. Here, they're fitting.

Does the interior feel like a $110,845 luxury vehicle? Not in the same way a similarly priced Mercedes-Benz or Land Rover does. The materials and overall refinement aren’t trying to compete with those vehicles, which cost double the price.

The Nappa leather seats are exceptionally comfortable, the driving position gives you a commanding view, and the bright green hood stretching ahead serves as a constant reminder that you didn’t buy a conventional luxury SUV. The available Sky One-Touch roof may be our favourite Wrangler option. Press a button, and nearly the entire roof opens without storing panels in the garage or watching the weather forecast every ten minutes.

Our test vehicle also included the factory winch, another option we’d keep. The amusing part is that after reaching $110,845, we still caught ourselves thinking the Moab could be more ridiculous. Would it benefit from a supercharger? Absolutely not. Would we complain if Jeep somehow installed one? Also absolutely not.

Fuel Economy Isn’t Good, but It Was Better Than Expected

Nobody should walk into a dealership looking at a 6.4-litre V8 Wrangler on 35-inch tires and then ask the salesperson about fuel economy with a straight face. Natural Resources Canada’s rating on our tester was 18.7 L/100 km city, 14.5 highway and 16.8 combined. Premium gasoline is required.

Our experience was surprisingly better in certain conditions. We managed 13.7 L/100 km on the highway, beating the official highway figure. Cylinder deactivation was noticeable during steady cruising and clearly helps when the HEMI isn’t being asked to perform. Our overall consumption ended closer to 18.9 L/100 km once city driving, aggressive acceleration and off-road use were included.

That’s objectively terrible fuel economy. It also wasn’t as terrible as we expected from a V8-powered soapbox. There is another element we miss here. Jeep Canada’s current 2026 Wrangler lineup lists the 3.6-litre V6, 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder and 6.4-litre V8, but no longer lists the plug-in-hybrid 4xe that previously gave Canadian Wrangler buyers an electrified option.

We aren’t suggesting replacing the V8. That would defeat much of the reason this vehicle exists.

But a V8 hybrid? Now that would be interesting. Electric assistance could provide extremely precise low-speed torque off-road while reducing the amount of fuel burned during mundane daily driving. It would be an unusual combination, but then again, rational engineering decisions are not really why anyone loves a 392 Wrangler.

The Competition Makes the Moab Look Strangely Reasonable

Calling a $99,995 Wrangler reasonable requires some explanation. Our tester reached $110,845 once its options, fees and certain taxes are added. The base Moab 392 itself starts at $99,995 before destination and other applicable charges. Jeep’s standard equipment includes the 470-hp HEMI, eight-speed automatic, full-time four-wheel drive, 35-inch tires and Nappa leather seats.

That puts it almost directly against the INEOS Grenadier, which currently starts at $97,490 in Canada. The INEOS is slower and much more mechanical in character. It feels deliberately old-school, industrial and serious. The Jeep is the extrovert of the two. Both appeal to people who still want their off-roaders to feel mechanical rather than sanitized, but they arrive there from completely different directions.

The Bronco Raptor is an even more direct rival. Our recently tested 2026 example sat around $115,000. Its 418-hp twin-turbo V6 cannot match the Jeep’s soundtrack, but its suspension is considerably more impressive at speed over broken terrain; its cabin is wider, and its seats keep you planted better off-road. The tradeoff is its enormous width, which makes daily city use considerably less convenient. Then things get strange.

A Defender OCTA currently starts at $179,400 in Canada. It is faster, considerably more sophisticated and dramatically more polished, but it also moves this type of extreme-performance off-roader into another financial universe. The Moab isn’t an OCTA substitute, but after driving both, the Jeep’s price suddenly doesn’t seem quite as outrageous. That may be the strangest accomplishment of all.

Why Buy?

• The 6.4-litre HEMI V8. The sound and drama completely change the Wrangler experience.

• The Moab finally feels like a complete 392, rather than a Wrangler trying to cope with an oversized engine.

• Shockingly capable off-road. For most owners, its limits will be far beyond anything they ever attempt.

• The Sky One-Touch roof remains one of the best options available on a Wrangler.

Why Skip?

• It consumes an enormous amount of premium gasoline.

• Six figures is still very difficult to justify for any Wrangler.

• The comfortable front seats could use more lateral support on technical trails.

• We prefer a 360-degree camera to a forward-facing TrailCam alone.

Key Specifications

Final Thoughts

The old Rubicon 392 left us wondering whether a HEMI-powered Wrangler was brilliant or completely ridiculous. The 2026 Wrangler Moab 392 proves it can be both. It is loud, thirsty, expensive and far more capable than most owners will ever need. There are faster, more refined and more efficient vehicles for the money. But very few are this entertaining. More importantly, compared with the 392 we drove in 2023, this one feels like a more complete package. The V8 no longer feels like the main event with a Wrangler attached to it. The steering, comfort, interior and off-road hardware now come together much better.