Full electrification, as we have discovered, is not the best solution for every automobile customer. But for those seeking enhanced performance and range without the uncertainties of the battery-only lifestyle, two longtime Colorado vehicle favorites offer some dynamic hybrid options.

The wildly popular 4xe version of the four-door Jeep Wrangler means more highway and trail-climbing power, with a glossier and more capable Rubicon X edition also providing a more plush interior. Meanwhile, the new hybrid edition of the Subaru Forester emphasizes extended gas-and-battery range, plus improved overall mileage.

First up, the $61,395 Jeep, which I drove at a well-equipped $79,000 total price, is a tall financial commitment for extra, partially-electrified horsepower, especially as federal EV credits peter out at the end of the month. Not unlike the Ford Bronco, there’s a super-basic, two-door Wrangler Sport out there for about $33,000, but this higher-than-high-end build added the full package of off-road capability, plus a built-in Warn winch and the full-cabin Sky One-Touch automatic roof.

It does represent a bargain, in a way, compared to the now-$100,000-plus, 470-hp Hemi-powered Rubicon 392s, whose production was once again unpaused and may very well continue long into the future, for all we know about Jeep/Ram/Dodge’s ever-changing plans.

In the case of the Rubicon X 4xe, a more austere turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, two electric generator motors and a sizeable 400-volt battery pack wedged under the rear seat combine for 375-hp and 470 lb-ft of torque — the latter number matching that outlandish Hemi’s output.

The overall value proposition here is still a bit of a mystery to me, as the vehicle still only gets 20 mpg and its fully charged battery has only a 21-or-so-mile range, but the secret to some quarter-million 4xe sales seems to rest in its 65 mph-and-over highway performance.

Unless you fully recharge the battery, which takes between two and 16 hours, the 4xe’s around-town motoring is a constantly bewildering mixture of noises, abstract gearing and blurts and grunts of semi-electrified power. 

Zooming along at highway speeds, the hybrid Wrangler’s full horsepower kicks in and it’s suddenly a monster, even with absurd Baja Champion all-terrain tires. I guess that extra, high-end boost is the secret sauce for many customers – though it’s a vehicle that’s not really designed to be a high-speed machine, at all.

Out on a rugged trail, the hybrid Rubicon X remains a wildly capable machine, with slightly finicky unlocking sway bars, front and rear lockers and true 4×4 prowess all combining for superb agility. The extended four-door build also adds a sense of stability, though this can be one bonky, rocking ride, even with an upgraded Nappa leather interior.

Drop that easy-opening top and it’s a stylish summertime ride; wave to the few Wranglers not sporting rental plates and someone might even give you a duck for your dash.

Meanwhile, all-new is the 2025 Subaru Forester Sport Hybrid, which appeared to me at a far more comprehensible $39,415. Building upon the successes of the revised, gas-powered model, the hybrid edition adds a touch more power and a system that allows it to get as much as 581 miles out of a single tank.

Electrification here — two motors added to the 2.5-liter Boxer engine — bumps the Forester up from 180-hp to 194-hp and produces 40% improvements in mileage, meaning a combined highway and city figure of 35 mpg.

Much like the gas-only version, acceleration is not blindingly fast (maybe seek out the WRX or all-new Solterra EV if that’s your passion) but it will eventually reach freeway speeds, and reward you with that hyper-extended range in the meantime.

The hybrid system has fewer glitches and gurgles than Jeep’s power handoffs, and the overall experience is seamless. The Forester still feels like driving in an aquarium, with so much upright glass and headspace, but that’s part of what gives it virtually the same interior cargo room as the larger-seeming Outback.

You also get the 11.6-inch, vertically oriented touchscreen, an 11-speaker Harman Kardon stereo system and bronze-colored 19-inch wheels. For snow and off-road duty, it features a standard 8.7 inches of clearance and the X-Mode system for additional traction and stability.   

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.