The Jeep Wrangler has always struck me as a curious thing. They’re inherently compromised as a conventional vehicle in order to excel at being an off-road monster, despite most of them living in cities and seldom seeing more off-roading than an Outback could handle. On paper, most Wrangler drivers would be far better served by something like a Grand Cherokee, but what’s on paper doesn’t matter so much. The Wrangler is all about the vibe, and the 2025 Jeep Wrangler Willys ’41 Edition 4xe turns the vibes up to … well, 41.
What’s new for 1941—erm, 2025?
The ’41 Edition is a tribute to the original 1941 Willys MB, from which the Jeep name was born. It sparked a revolution in military transport, replacing horses, motorcycles, trains, and everything in between. Like any government-issue transport, all ’41 Editions come more or less one way: the four-door body, draped in handsome olive drab paint, with classic stencil decals on the sides of the signature hood, and with super old-school 17-inch wheels wrapped 33-inch BFGoodrich KO2 tires. Visually it’s a home-run and a half.
They’re standardized mechanically, too. The ’41 Edition comes exclusively with Jeep’s 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain. It’s better-suited to the task than you might think. With 370 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque combined, it’s nearly as quick as the 392 while using about half as much fuel, even if you never plug it in. We saw an average fuel economy of 11.3 L/100 km, which is pretty astonishing for a brick on mud tires.
Driving impressions
Jeep’s 4xe powertrain is surprisingly slick and has been on the market long enough to be mature. It’s been calibrated to be seamless in its operation, and feels quite natural in practice. If plugged in, the Wrangler 4xe is good for 35 kilometres of pure electric range, and it’s easy to command it to maintain its full charge to be deployed later. Like, say, on a trail where you might want to be silent, or on city streets where internal-combusion engines consume more fuel idling.
Beyond the powertrain, every ’41 Edition also receives a locking rear axle with a 4.10 ratio, four built-in auxiliary switches if your mission calls for expansion, the Rubicon’s gas-charged shocks, and the aforementioned BFGoodrich mud-slinging rolling stock. It’s not the pinnacle of Jeep’s off-road capability, but you’d really have to go looking for trouble to exhaust this truck’s capability. It’s kind of correct this way; the original Willys MB was pretty basic.
Interior tech, comfort, and vibes
In that vein, it’s basic inside, too. Tan cloth seats are unique to the ’41 Edition and work well with the military motif. Last year’s updated infotainment is a welcome addition; Stellantis’s UConnect 5 software works well on the 12.3-inch wide-format touchscreen. Our tester was fitted with some niceties from the Convenience and Technology packages, the highlight of which being the Alpine sound system with a big subwoofer in the back. It’s essential for keeping the vibes up with the windows down and doors off.
Beyond that, it’s a Jeep. It isn’t exactly fancy, but it all works and feels tough. The whole driving experience feels tough without being overly punishing, with everything riding on the caveat of being pretty good for what it is. The ride quality and steering are surprisingly decent for a body-on-frame truck with solid axles. Wind noise isn’t bad given how hostile bricks usually are when smashing through air. The powertrain is the exception — it’s good, full stop.
Final thoughts
If you’re coming from a less vibe-centric vehicle, it’ll be an experience trading refinement for character. If you’re coming from another truck, or more likely another Jeep, you’ll love it. The 2025 Jeep Wrangler Willys ’41 Edition 4xe does the “Jeep thing” really well, even if doesn’t exactly come cheap, at $78,100 as-tested. But nothing else looks, feels, or has the vibes of a Jeep, and no other SUV vibes as hard as a Wrangler.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2025 Jeep Wrangler Willys '41 Edition 4xe
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
