JEEP WRANGLER 4xe RUBICON

Plug-in hybrid technology makes a very good 4x4 even better, but there is a catch

- MATT PRIOR

We've called the Jeep Wrangler a great hobbyist's 4x4, the ideal set of wheels for leisurely green-laning or off-roading. And I don't think there's a better variant than this 4xe plug-in hybrid version.

Not just because it means you can commute the daily grind on electric power and make longer weekend trips with its 2.0-litre engine. No, better than that is going off-roading on electric power alone.

The doors and roof can be taken off a Wrangler quite easily. With the sun out, and only a gentle whirr of the motor and the soft crunch of tyres on gravel, it's a wonderfully immersive way to go about things.

Popular, too. The 4xe already takes 35% of US Wrangler sales and Jeep thinks it will be over 50% by the end of the year.