‘Terrifyingly Quick’: Courageous Individual Launches a V8 Jeep Wrangler 392 in a Snow Rally Course

      YouTube | Team O'Neil

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      With 470 horsepower and large tires, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Xtreme Recon is ideally suited for quick, straight-line travel. When there’s ample space to unleash that Hemi engine, it’s truly impressive. However, how does this long-wheelbase, solid-axle vehicle perform in the tighter confines of a rally stage?

      Wyatt Knox from Team O’Neil set out to discover that. He drove one of these V8 Wranglers through a challenging rally course, which was also blanketed in snow. This wasn’t too problematic, as this particular Wrangler 392 was fitted with studded Nokian Hakkapeliittas—among the best winter tires available. Knox noted in the video that, even in 4-Hi and Off-Road Plus mode, it was still possible to spin all four tires at will.

      The Jeep Rubicon 392. Can it rally?

      On the snow, the Wrangler’s main limitation was not its size or high center of gravity, but the inability to disable the ABS. This made it difficult to manage the truck’s natural understeer, which arises from the length of the four-door Unlimited and its solid front axle. While using the throttle to slide the back end out helped somewhat, it was still necessary to employ braking and downshifting in a straight-line, track-driving fashion rather than utilizing typical rally techniques.

      The Wrangler 392 doesn't seem as out of place to me as some other vehicles that Team O’Neil has brought to the rally course. Unlike a Ford F-450 Super Duty or a Kia Sedona, the V8 version was at least designed for speed in a straight line. It also looks incredibly cool sliding around in the snow. Knox mentioned that driving it was enjoyable... but he wouldn’t want to do it again.

      YouTube | Team O'Neil

      That feedback may not align perfectly with advertising copy, but the Wrangler achieved a commendable time of 2:26.34 over the 1.25-mile course. That’s slower than even the Super Duty in dry conditions, but still competitive against other times recorded in winter.

      It’s also uncommon to see the Wrangler 392’s power being effectively utilized, even as the V8 variant becomes increasingly common. In just a year, Jeep transitioned from signaling the Wrangler 392’s discontinuation to unveiling new Moab and Willys variations alongside the Rubicon for 2026—the latter priced $30,000 less than a 2025 Wrangler 392.

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