Sam Krahn 
By now, you’ve probably seen the strange silver monolith that mysteriously popped up in the Utah desert. It’s otherworldly appearance has sparked countless theories about where it came from, and whether it really is something as alien as it looks, or if it’s all just a prank. But the spoofs and memes that have come from it are most fun, and Jeep may have just made the best one yet with their Wrangler 4xe monolith ad, posted to their Facebook page.
The spoof turns the shiny tower into a charging station for Jeep’s new plug in hybrid off-roader, and the result couldn’t be more perfect. It’s embossed with the Jeep logo, has a glowing blue ring that’s presumably the screen to use the charging dock, and a cable plugging into the 4xe. The best part, other than the fantastic use of a pop culture reference, is that it’s not even that outlandish for the Utah monolith to be Jeep’s.
The Wrangler 4xe is designed to work just as well as any other Jeep Wrangler off road, along with the benefits of the hybrid motor. Jeep wants people to plug this thing in and use the hybrid system, so what better way than putting charging stations up around places one may go off-roading? Possibly Utah, to name a completely random example. Sarcasm aside, the ad is the best spoof we’ve seen of the Utah monolith, certainly from an automaker.
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe is slated to go on sale this month in three trim levels: base 4xe, Sahara and Rubicon. It will produce a combined 375 hp and 470 lbs ft of torque from the 2.0 liter turbo four cylinder engine and electric motor. This makes only the V8-powered Wrangler Rubicon 392 more powerful. The 4xe produces a full 85 hp and 210 lb ft of torque more than the ubiquitous Pentastar V6. On EV power alone, it can go 25 miles, with an estimated 400 mile total range, a result of the 50 MPGe rating. With the Ford Bronco currently not offering a hybrid, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe may end up being all around burgeoning Wrangler in the lineup, and have the segment all to itself.
