Sponsored

2.0L 4cyl engine reliability issues?

MattT69

Well-Known Member
First Name
Matthew
Joined
Jan 2, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
473
Reaction score
1,544
Location
Utah
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon
Vehicle Showcase
1
Very impressed So far. I'm at almost 30k with Zero issues.
The only change I made was getting a better muffler for improved sound and clearance... last wrangler was the 3.6l penastar which struggled at high elevations and before that I had the dreadful 3.8l which couldn’tget out of its own way... Jeep engines keep getting better including the 392, 3.0L, 4xe 2.0L
Sponsored

 

jmccorm

Well-Known Member
First Name
Josh
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
Threads
55
Messages
1,170
Reaction score
1,322
Location
Tulsa, OK
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR
Build Thread
Link
Occupation
Systems Engineering
I would love to see a true apples to apples 0 to 60 race between these two engines.
That's the rub, isn't it? Let's say you do that race, and you've got a winner. Now what?

The two engines are known to vary in output based upon altitude, ambient air temperature, load (which would include build options), and octane. Perhaps more? And if one side claims victory in a 0 to 60 test, then the other side would seek to invalidate that as anything more than a test of those very specific test conditions. (And even then, the conversation would likely sidetrack into more nebulous like one "feeling better" or "sounding better" which wasn't part of the question anyhow.)

But let's say that the 2.0T "always wins" when it is running 93+ octane gas. Is that a win or a loss... for you? Depends on your situation and it depends on your preferences, maybe it is. But what if we re-run the race at 87 octane and we find a new winner? I'm not sure that I care, because I know that I'm not going to be running that low of an octane during the summer anyhow.

The two main points I hope to have made here are:

1.
You're going to have to run a series of well-considered tests to find which engine is best under what operating conditions, given that there are multiple known variables which affect performance.

2. Even after obtaining all those answers, a person's "best choice" between the 2.0T and 3.6L engines are likely to remain situational, subjective, and personal... and in varying degrees. No slam dunk. No universal answer for everyone.

That said, I'd be happy if I were wrong and if someone could just shout out the answer to me.

EDIT: Typo.
 
Last edited:

TheBirdie72

Well-Known Member
First Name
Steve
Joined
Dec 16, 2021
Threads
25
Messages
5,389
Reaction score
25,733
Location
Rhode Island
Vehicle(s)
2021 Jeep Wrangler Freedom Edition 2 Door
Can't speak for longevity but after having one for 2 months and 6,000 miles I like it! I had planned on getting a V6, after searching dealers within 500 miles for a JLR it became pretty clear it was a 2.0 or custom order. For a little more than the cost of the V6 upgrade I put a extended warranty on the Jeep and now have a lot of years and miles before I have to worry about it. The turbo kicks in early and this motor hits peak torque at 3,000 rpm's. Peppy little motor. As was mentioned earlier, best fuel economy if you keep it around 60-65, start getting north of 70mph and it drops pretty quick.
Ha! I just recently hit 6000 miles after 10 months of ownership! ?

And no, not one problem with the 2.0 yet. Love it!
 

Speed331

Well-Known Member
First Name
Sean
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Threads
28
Messages
714
Reaction score
2,122
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Vehicle(s)
2008 Jetta, 2018 Discovery Sport, 2020 Wrangler Sport S (on order)
When most say lag…considering the engine reaches peak torque by only 3k rpm…they likely mean the lag time between depressing the accelerator and the time the pcm/throttle bottle actually open the blade. That’s not lag. After that blade opens, it’s practically nonexistent. It’s not a big turbocharger to get considerable lag.
36,000 miles - zero issues or complaints.

I almost never notice any lag in mine. Except, if you get on it just right from a standing start -lift breifly to force a quick shift and get on it again- the turbo kicks in just as the auto shifts into 2nd and can break the tires loose.
Compared to my wife's LR Discovery, it's beyond fantastic. I hate the motor in the LR. After a year, I still cannot get it to accelerate smoothly from a stop. Lag, lag, lag...SLAM! I look for a much larger gap in traffic before pulling onto a street, because I know it won't really get up and go for at least 2 seconds. With the Jeep I know it'll snap too right away....
 

jjvincent

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
May 31, 2021
Threads
6
Messages
973
Reaction score
1,411
Location
Bethlehem, PA
Vehicle(s)
2021 Wrangler, 2017 VW Alltrack, 2003 VW Eurovan
Occupation
Mechanical Engineer
Underpowered? Not if one's expectations aren't silly.
I tell people that they need to just go drive an old Jeep (i.e. mid 80's). I just did the suspension on a 1983 Jeep that had a 6 cylinder and a manual. After I was done and test drove it, I jumped into my 2021 2.0T with an automatic. It's a realization of how far we have come and how high the bar has been raised. From what I have found, that 1983 Jeep can go from 0-60 in about 12 seconds. When actually driving it, it feels like an eternity.
 

Sponsored

Zandcwhite

Well-Known Member
First Name
Zach
Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Threads
11
Messages
8,307
Reaction score
14,200
Location
Patterson, ca
Vehicle(s)
2019 jlur
~52k miles on our 2019 2.0t so far. It's been trouble free and a blast to drive daily, off road, and on road trips. I don't know who thinks it doesn't handle high speeds for long periods? We've taken a half dozen 1000+ mile roadtrips with the cruise control set at 85mph on 37's without issue. Nothing more than fuel stops for 12+ hours at a time. Of course mileage suffered, but that's a function of pushing a big, heavy, lifted brick through the wind at speed.
 
Last edited:

shindleria235

Active Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
38
Reaction score
61
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
2019 JLU
just hit 31k on my '19. single issue was actually last week - one of the first warm(er) days in mid-Atlantic region & was in stop-go traffic after about 2 hours of high speed 65-75mph on 81. ESS threw an error and hybrid system seemed kaput. cleared after restarting ignition at next stop, no problems since.
everything else has been a dream. average ~18-20mpg winter, easily 21-25 rest of year with mostly highway driving. does seem to huff a bit when 4-wheeling but I may need to check coolant. CHANGE THAT OIL, it definitely likes it clean and closer to 3-4k not 5 or any more!
btw I fell in love on my first test drive. the etorque with the turbo meant I made a beamer do a double-take as we raced off a changing light. 'how is this brick keeping up with me?!' I could see in his expression. #worthit
 

skiptheroad

Well-Known Member
First Name
Skip
Joined
Apr 23, 2022
Threads
1
Messages
86
Reaction score
220
Location
Northern Michigan
Vehicle(s)
2012 JKUR 2017 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk
Occupation
Astronaut
The reason why Chrysler products are so bad is that the company is based in Amsterdam. If you ever go there, they ride bicycles by the thousands around town. So, I suspect the chiefs at Chrysler HQ, ride a bike to work and thus would never know how to make a 2.0l Turbo 4. Plus they are probably all hanging out in the red light district anyway.
I thought Chrysler was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. When did they move to Amsterdam?
 

Rubigone

Well-Known Member
First Name
Marvin
Joined
Jan 16, 2022
Threads
9
Messages
151
Reaction score
148
Location
Sweden/Morocco
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon
I thought Chrysler was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. When did they move to Amsterdam?
I think he’s referring to stellantis, the super huge automobile conglomerate that basically owns half of all auto manufacturers in the world. I bet they’re the ones pointing the big finger telling Chrysler who in term told Jeep to stick a 2.0l in there.

Absolutely not the fact that 0.5l cylinder displacement is the most efficient way of producing engines today.

I think we can wave the 3.6 goodbye after the refresh and say hello to the new line up of engines, the 2.0 (hybrid and non hybrid), the 3.0 (s/o, h/o and diesel), and of course the cash grab called the 392 which is only available in north america
 

Sponsored

jjvincent

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
May 31, 2021
Threads
6
Messages
973
Reaction score
1,411
Location
Bethlehem, PA
Vehicle(s)
2021 Wrangler, 2017 VW Alltrack, 2003 VW Eurovan
Occupation
Mechanical Engineer
I thought Chrysler was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. When did they move to Amsterdam?
Before that Chrysler was bought by Fiat in 2011 and the HQ moved to Turin Italy. Sometime after that it went to Amsterdam (because of a tax break) and then this company bought them. Just look at the automotive brands they own:
https://www.stellantis.com/en

In the end, the Big 3 for the US is actually Ford, GM and Tesla. As they are still American owned and have American HQ's. Tesla even moved their HQ to Austin.
 

jjvincent

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
May 31, 2021
Threads
6
Messages
973
Reaction score
1,411
Location
Bethlehem, PA
Vehicle(s)
2021 Wrangler, 2017 VW Alltrack, 2003 VW Eurovan
Occupation
Mechanical Engineer
I think we can wave the 3.6 goodbye after the refresh and say hello to the new line up of engines, the 2.0 (hybrid and non hybrid), the 3.0 (s/o, h/o and diesel), and of course the cash grab called the 392 which is only available in north america
Here in America we will keep throwing V8's in stuff for as long as we can. People like them here. There's a reason why we have big Japanese Pickups (and their Suburban sized counterparts) here in the US also. They make most of them here and the US is the main market.

Turbo4's, Turbo Inline6's or Turbo V6's are all the rage with pretty much every manufacturer right now. Since everyone is switching to DI motors, the old non DI motors are being phased out

Here's the 2.0l motor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCA_Global_Medium_Engine
Here's the inline 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellantis_Hurricane_engine
 

Brsox

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Apr 5, 2022
Threads
23
Messages
245
Reaction score
259
Location
Rhode Island
Vehicle(s)
2019. 4Runner TRD PRO
I would love to see a true apples to apples 0 to 60 race between these two engines. I've seen a number of attempts but it's always differently set up vehicles. When I bought mine they had two 2 doors and I drove both multiple times. While I couldn't really rag them out, I got a decent feel for both. 2.0 was louder, small car sounding, with momentary surges but it did it did not seem faster just jerky. The 3.6 was linear and smooth and sounded better in its efforts. My experience/opinion and you can see, they vary wildly. This doesn't speak to reliability, but since it was introduced a few years ago I haven't seen anything that would speak negatively to its overall reliability.
Check out this vid from youtube. They race a 2.3T Bronco against a 3.6 Wrangler and a 2.0T Wrangler. All stock vehicles from what I can tell. All running premium fuel. The 2.0t is definitely faster.
 

Brsox

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Apr 5, 2022
Threads
23
Messages
245
Reaction score
259
Location
Rhode Island
Vehicle(s)
2019. 4Runner TRD PRO
Before that Chrysler was bought by Fiat in 2011 and the HQ moved to Turin Italy. Sometime after that it went to Amsterdam (because of a tax break) and then this company bought them. Just look at the automotive brands they own:
https://www.stellantis.com/en

In the end, the Big 3 for the US is actually Ford, GM and Tesla. As they are still American owned and have American HQ's. Tesla even moved their HQ to Austin.
Who even knows what an American car is anymore. Do you know which car is built in America and contains the highest percentage of American sourced parts? The Toyota Camry.
 

west tex

Well-Known Member
First Name
Skoro
Joined
Jan 17, 2021
Threads
13
Messages
1,031
Reaction score
2,575
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2021 JL 2dr 80th Edition, 2017 Renegade Trailhawk
Occupation
Retired, as in "Tired again"
Has anyone had any reliability issues with the 2.0 turbo 4 cyl?
I'm looking to buy a JLU and find several for sale with that engine.
Thanks
Nearly 8000 miles on my '21 2.0T and not a single complaint.

Stellantis uses this engine (in different tunes) in their Alfa Romeos and Maseratis, so if it's good enough for those pricey Italians, it's good enough for my Jeep.

I appreciate the MPGs.
Sponsored

 
 







Top