2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392 Review: Off-Roading Test

Our automotive expert goes off the grid and onto the renowned Rubicon Trail with the 2026 Wrangler Moab 392.

Beverly Braga | 

Aug 20, 2026 | 7 min read

Beverly Braga

• Pros: The Jeep Wrangler is off-road capable from the get-go, offers plenty of customization options, and may net you an instant family within the off-roading community.
• Cons: On the road, steering feels less in tune, and cargo space fills quickly when traveling with typical road-trip gear and bags. 
• The Takeaway: The 2026 Jeep Wrangler remains the quintessential off-roader.

Testing the 2026 Jeep Wrangler in Moab 392 form on the Rubicon Trail shows this iconic SUV's reputation for off-road capability is still perfectly intact.

The Moab 392 trim is the first of 12 special-edition Wrangler models for 2026. As part of Jeep's Twelve 4 Twelve campaign celebrating the brand's 85th anniversary, a new limited-time trim will roll off the assembly line each month. But the Moab 392 is not too different from last year's Rubicon 392.

It features the same 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine, producing 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. Its transmission is an eight-speed automatic. The Moab 392 rides on 35-inch all-terrain tires with 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, just like the Rubicon 392. Four doors and, of course, four-wheel drive (4WD) are standard.

The base price of a 2026 Jeep Wrangler four-door in Sport trim is just over $41,000. The top-of-the-line Moab 392 almost doubles that, starting near $82,000. Additional options on my test vehicle included a Sky One-Touch power top, all-weather floor mats, and a Warn winch, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) to $85,725, including the $1,995 destination charge.

• 2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392: A capable off-road vehicle
  
• The Wrangler comes standard with off-road equipment
  
• Jeep's 2026 Wrangler crawls with confidence
  
• The Wrangler is relentless in the pursuit of … wherever
  

2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392: A Capable Off-Road Vehicle

Even fresh from the factory, there is little doubt about the Jeep Wrangler's off-road capability. I mean, look at it. This four-wheeler, with its immediately recognizable seven-slot grille, wants to climb and crawl over stuff just to get dirty and muddy and scratchy — experiences not traditionally found at a local shopping plaza. What's questionable is the judgment of the Jeep corporate team that dropped off a bunch of off-roading noobs onto one of the most technical trails in the United States.

Hundreds of miles from Hollywood's spotlights, California's High Sierra region is home to a few famous names of its own: Mammoth, Rubicon, Sequoia, Tahoe, and Yosemite. Although an all-season destination for outdoor adventurers, these high-elevation locales are just as familiar to sea-level urban dwellers.

So, here I am, a suburbanite who resides at a lowly 40 feet, now atop one of the Sierra Nevada's many peaks, holding keys to a shiny new Jeep pointedly positioned on the Rubicon Trail. Elevation: 6,690 feet. Ooh, I'm getting lightheaded.

Beverly Braga

With the 2026 Wrangler, Off-Road Equipment Is Standard

This top-trim Wrangler comes with a 4.56 rear axle ratio, a 2.72:1 Selec-Trac full-time transfer case, a disconnecting front stabilizer bar, heavy-duty axles, Tru-Lok front and rear locking differentials, and protection in the form of sill rails, an automatic transmission skid bar, and three skid plates. Body flex creaking was expected during my off-road test, and the underbody shield scrapes could make your ears bleed, but battle scars are never earned in silence.

California's Rubicon Trail is approximately 22 miles long and just so happens to be a public road. In this case, however, the term "road" is nothing like the smooth, slurry-sealed ones in town. According to El Dorado County, the Rubicon Trail is an unmaintained county road that passes through public and private lands, including portions of the Eldorado National Forest. Along the way, the elevation shifts between 5,400 feet and more than 7,000 feet. There are paved sections, but the majority of the Rubicon's roads are of the rough-and-tumble variety, and that's where our adventure began.

Jeep piled our ragtag group of 13 content creators, influencers, musicians, and, uh, one old-school auto writer into helicopters that took us from the teeny two-runway Truckee Tahoe Airport to an overlook called Chappie's Rock. Also known colloquially as "Top of the Indian Trail," it's a few miles in from the trail's western entrance.

Was I already cheating? No, because there is no such thing when it comes to off-roading.

Was it a shortcut? OK, yes, but there's really no fast way around huge granite slabs that are also massively off-camber.

I would travel at about 1 mph to reach my group's day-one destination of Rubicon Springs, which was about 4 miles away. Or, it would've been a 45-minute hike via the Indian Trail. 

"You can walk much faster than you can drive," said Pearse Umlauf, Jeep Jamboree president and CEO, via email.

But where's the terrifying excitement in walking? And other than the concept trucks Jeep had on hand, our mix of Wranglers and Gladiators was bone stock. No aftermarket lift kits or suspensions here. Just the county-recommended 35-inch tires lowered to 20-ish psi, and the 11.1-inch ground clearance of the Moab 392. Rubicon models can be optioned up to 12.9 inches, but the Moab 392 features the highest standard clearance of the bunch.

Jeep's 2026 Wrangler Standard Crawls With Confidence

I had a screamer in my group, and I'm not talking about the country singer. To be fair, it was their first-ever off-roading experience. And for that first off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail to be the Rubicon? Respect.

In fact, only one other guest and I had ever been on the Rubicon Trail before. I encountered a couple of people who'd never even set foot in California until this event. But I shared the same emotional soup of distress, fear, eagerness, and reverence. After all, there was nowhere to go but forward, and no one else knew how to fly a helicopter, anyway.

The Jeep Wrangler turned out to be a balm, soothing any anxiety about one's personal off-roading talents or lack thereof. And with the patience of the Jeep Jamboree trail guides, blind drops, steep ascents, and craggy cliffs were a breeze.

Well, maybe "manageable" is more accurate.

Whenever the Wrangler was pointed skyward, and all I could see were the floating hand signals from an unseen guide, yeah, I was still a little nervous. Turn the wheels left by how much? Yikes, that was too much. Oh, no, is the Jeep supposed to tilt like that? I don't weigh enough to tilt it back! These were the thoughts in my head, and all of them unnecessary.

Beverly Braga

The Wrangler Is Relentless in the Pursuit of … Wherever

The longer the group I was with pushed on, the more trust I had in the vehicles, the guides, and ourselves. Go gung-ho or go home.

Sure, I was no off-road expert, but by day two, I became increasingly acquainted with the Jeep's off-road features and mannerisms. Even without a guide's instructions, my gut told me when to flip the switch to just the rear lockers (which kept those wheels at the same speed for improved traction) or deactivate the Off-Road Plus feature.

Riding along with Brandon Girmus, sales operations director for the Jeep Wrangler, I learned that the Off-Road Plus feature is calibrated for low speeds in 4WD low. Throttle response, transmission gearing, and traction control are all adjusted for that 5-mph-and-below crawl. "It feels like you're driving through frozen molasses during a Michigan winter," he said.

He wasn't wrong, but Off-Road Plus did assist with my ever-increasing prowess at quiet drops. Meaning, I minimized the sound of hard clunks and thuds from the rear when coming off chunky rocks. It was a point of personal pride.

And when the trail opened up beyond the boulders and rough edges, subtracting that Plus meant traveling over gravel beds at 20 mph (I'm speeding?!) but feeling like I was on smooth city streets. Whether traversing the steep Cadillac Hill at 2 mph or hitting the throttle and pulverizing pebbles, the Wrangler proved it could do both.

As Umlauf later emailed, "These were stock 'off the showroom Jeep vehicles' … [and] the entire group did really well considering you tackled the most difficult section of the Rubicon Trail."

Somewhere out there, I know the screamer is squealing with glee at our triumph.

Jeep provided the vehicle for this 2026 Wrangler review and paid for airfare, lodging, and meals during the evaluation period.

Beverly Braga

Beverly Braga is a freelance writer and consultant with nearly 20 years of experience as a storyteller and communications professional. Her work has appeared in numerous print and digital outlets covering the automotive, entertainment, lifestyle, as well as food and beverage industries.