Uncommon Sense
Well-known member
Thanks to all of you and your insight over the past 10 months or so as I was researching buying this awesome vehicle. I've had my 392XR for about 1.5 months now and put about 2200 miles on it since then so wanted to share my initial impressions.
2022 String Gray XR. Front Camera, Tow Package, Trail Rail, Gorilla Glass. Hard Top with Mopar headliner
The first thing I want to get out of the way is my perspective and where I am coming from. I have no plans whatsoever to off road / wheel my Jeep. I couldn't careless about articulation. 4Low will probably never get used. My usage is more of an urban vehicle or what some might call a mall crawler. I don't crawl malls, nor do I like 22 inch rims and angry eyes, but I've always liked the look of off road vehicles and living in Chicago, our potholes probably deserve a trail badge. My jeep is a daily driver and I use it to haul my family and stuff around when needed. The 392XR is kind of like a G Wagon alternative for me. Also considered a Bronco and Defender but just loved the Jeep looks and the performance of the v8 / XR package put it over the edge for me.
I ordered the Jeep October 28th and received May 27th. Bought from Granger for $6k off MSRP. They were great. Price protected after two price increases. Everything was exactly as laid out on my purchase order sheet when ordered in October. I was in and out of dealer in less than 30 minutes. They gave me a great price on my trade and even got my better financing rates. Absolutely no bullsh!t games and the way buying a car should be. I would highly recommend Zach and his team.
Appearance: This thing is a beast in person. It is very imposing. It looks muscular and fast. I love the Sting Gray. Absolutely gorgeous on the 392. Doesn't get dirty easily and shines up nice. I get a lot of compliments on it, even from people that aren't jeepers. It just looks special and it does stick out in a sea of bland SUVs.
Performance: She hauls ass. Very docile just driving around town, but if you step on it, she gets up and goes like a bat out of hell. Easily 4 secs to 60. To be honest, flooring this thing is sketchy as a mofo. Steering gets light and wanders under full acceleration. Straight lines only. This is definitely no sports car. It will eat most cars for lunch. The best part though is putting it in offroad+ and you get the gurgles and pops when decelerating with the performance exhaust on. Even more fun is flooring it when getting on highway and then you get the exhaust farts on gear shifts. Love it. It is loud but not too obnoxious although my wife would beg to differ.
I do think it needs pedal commander. You really have to put your foot in the throttle to find that sweet spot where it just lurches forward hard under acceleration (almost like trying to get the VTec to kick in with a honda). The stock throttle is just very docile.
Handling: Rides great. Mine has very tight steering (even more so than my former Grand Cherokee). Does not wander. Tracks straight as an arrow. It definitely isn't confidence inspiring going into turns but I think it drives great overall for a tall truck. The only time I've gotten some butt pucker is if you hit a bump mid turn at highway speeds, it seems to upset the chassis far more than a regular SUV. Almost like the car "skips" off the bump and then settles. I'm assuming this is more a function of the shorter wheel base and solid front axle.
Road Noise: Definitely louder than a regular SUV but not so loud that it is annoying. I can hear radio / make calls with no problem. I drove it 350+ miles back from Granger and it was super comfy. Actually more comfortable than my Grand Cherokee imho. Will be driving from Chicago down to Atlanta and back in two weeks.
MPG: It sucks, literally. I average 9-10mpg driving around town in stop and go with very little highway use. On road trips, I tend to average about 15 when using highway for extended period. WIth that said, I also average 10 with my Grand Cherokee (5.7 Hemi) around town but up to 20mpg when taking road trips.
Insurance: My insurance increased $20/month.
Dislikes: I don't have a ton of dislikes. I didn't realize there weren't front parking sensors. The plastic scratches too easily.
The car is pretty much everything I've wanted in a car. It has a ton of character and very fun to drive around. You sit up really high. I am 6 foot tall and it is very comfy for me.
Things I'd like on future models. I probably won't ever take my top off. I'd prefer a hard top with a real sun roof. The interior plastic scratches too easily.
In summary, this is a great truck if you want a do it all SUV. For me, it just checks all the boxes from looks, performance, and practicality. I think it is worht every penny.
Planned mods. I don't plan on doing much by way of mods. Only things I've done is a 67 cell phone mount, stainless steel radio knobs, weathertech floor mats, and add a pocket to side of center tunnel. The only significant mods I am going to do will be having a custom headliner over entire hard top put in (probably plaid or tweed or some sort). I might do a leather interior upgrade. Thinking about the semi-active SDI EClik shocks to eliminate body roll in turns.
Anyways, Jeep hit it out the park with the 392 and i think it was worth every penny.
2022 String Gray XR. Front Camera, Tow Package, Trail Rail, Gorilla Glass. Hard Top with Mopar headliner
The first thing I want to get out of the way is my perspective and where I am coming from. I have no plans whatsoever to off road / wheel my Jeep. I couldn't careless about articulation. 4Low will probably never get used. My usage is more of an urban vehicle or what some might call a mall crawler. I don't crawl malls, nor do I like 22 inch rims and angry eyes, but I've always liked the look of off road vehicles and living in Chicago, our potholes probably deserve a trail badge. My jeep is a daily driver and I use it to haul my family and stuff around when needed. The 392XR is kind of like a G Wagon alternative for me. Also considered a Bronco and Defender but just loved the Jeep looks and the performance of the v8 / XR package put it over the edge for me.
I ordered the Jeep October 28th and received May 27th. Bought from Granger for $6k off MSRP. They were great. Price protected after two price increases. Everything was exactly as laid out on my purchase order sheet when ordered in October. I was in and out of dealer in less than 30 minutes. They gave me a great price on my trade and even got my better financing rates. Absolutely no bullsh!t games and the way buying a car should be. I would highly recommend Zach and his team.
Appearance: This thing is a beast in person. It is very imposing. It looks muscular and fast. I love the Sting Gray. Absolutely gorgeous on the 392. Doesn't get dirty easily and shines up nice. I get a lot of compliments on it, even from people that aren't jeepers. It just looks special and it does stick out in a sea of bland SUVs.
Performance: She hauls ass. Very docile just driving around town, but if you step on it, she gets up and goes like a bat out of hell. Easily 4 secs to 60. To be honest, flooring this thing is sketchy as a mofo. Steering gets light and wanders under full acceleration. Straight lines only. This is definitely no sports car. It will eat most cars for lunch. The best part though is putting it in offroad+ and you get the gurgles and pops when decelerating with the performance exhaust on. Even more fun is flooring it when getting on highway and then you get the exhaust farts on gear shifts. Love it. It is loud but not too obnoxious although my wife would beg to differ.
I do think it needs pedal commander. You really have to put your foot in the throttle to find that sweet spot where it just lurches forward hard under acceleration (almost like trying to get the VTec to kick in with a honda). The stock throttle is just very docile.
Handling: Rides great. Mine has very tight steering (even more so than my former Grand Cherokee). Does not wander. Tracks straight as an arrow. It definitely isn't confidence inspiring going into turns but I think it drives great overall for a tall truck. The only time I've gotten some butt pucker is if you hit a bump mid turn at highway speeds, it seems to upset the chassis far more than a regular SUV. Almost like the car "skips" off the bump and then settles. I'm assuming this is more a function of the shorter wheel base and solid front axle.
Road Noise: Definitely louder than a regular SUV but not so loud that it is annoying. I can hear radio / make calls with no problem. I drove it 350+ miles back from Granger and it was super comfy. Actually more comfortable than my Grand Cherokee imho. Will be driving from Chicago down to Atlanta and back in two weeks.
MPG: It sucks, literally. I average 9-10mpg driving around town in stop and go with very little highway use. On road trips, I tend to average about 15 when using highway for extended period. WIth that said, I also average 10 with my Grand Cherokee (5.7 Hemi) around town but up to 20mpg when taking road trips.
Insurance: My insurance increased $20/month.
Dislikes: I don't have a ton of dislikes. I didn't realize there weren't front parking sensors. The plastic scratches too easily.
The car is pretty much everything I've wanted in a car. It has a ton of character and very fun to drive around. You sit up really high. I am 6 foot tall and it is very comfy for me.
Things I'd like on future models. I probably won't ever take my top off. I'd prefer a hard top with a real sun roof. The interior plastic scratches too easily.
In summary, this is a great truck if you want a do it all SUV. For me, it just checks all the boxes from looks, performance, and practicality. I think it is worht every penny.
Planned mods. I don't plan on doing much by way of mods. Only things I've done is a 67 cell phone mount, stainless steel radio knobs, weathertech floor mats, and add a pocket to side of center tunnel. The only significant mods I am going to do will be having a custom headliner over entire hard top put in (probably plaid or tweed or some sort). I might do a leather interior upgrade. Thinking about the semi-active SDI EClik shocks to eliminate body roll in turns.
Anyways, Jeep hit it out the park with the 392 and i think it was worth every penny.
