2020 2.0 vs 3.6

[JCJR824]

I have a Pentastar in my Ram. I am not knocking the 3.6 but I am defending the 2.0 because all of the false information about it.

The Pentastar was redesigned and now has an 11.3 :1 compression ratio. Good luck with forced induction. Also the 2.0 out of the factory has more torque and better fuel economy.

The next big complaint is on how unreliable turbo motors are.... have you ever heard of a semi? Turbos are extremely reliable.

Get whatever you like but don’t let your decision be swayed by me or anyone else here on what they think they know. I gave you real world experience on a 2.0 and others gave you their real world experience with the 3.6. Enjoy your Jeep.

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[Jeep life]

I have a Pentastar in my Ram. I am not knocking the 3.6 but I am defending the 2.0 because all of the false information about it.

The Pentastar was redesigned and now has an 11.3 :1 compression ratio. Good luck with forced induction. Also the 2.0 out of the factory has more torque and better fuel economy.

The next big complaint is on how unreliable turbo motors are.... have you ever heard of a semi? Turbos are extremely reliable.

Get whatever you like but don’t let your decision be swayed by me or anyone else here on what they think they know. I gave you real world experience on a 2.0 and others gave you their real world experience with the 3.6. Enjoy your Jeep.

Great reply, thank you and since I'm not in any huge rush, am going to test drive the eco-desiel soon, then make a decision

 

[Rolling Ragu]

I wasn't defending. I was emotional, but not about the engines. I responded out of frustration with all the hyprocracy in posts. Seems every time I do though, I come across as part of the problem. My apologies.

 

[Jeep life]

I wasn't defending. I was emotional, but not about the engines. I responded out of frustration with all the hyprocracy in posts. Seems every time I do though, I come across as part of the problem. My apologies.

No worries, I understand the passion and the frustration around fact vs fiction....thanks for replying

 

[VKSheridan]

I think the best place to test drive either engine is off road. Does it pull the hill and climb the way YOU like to drive it. Does it give the steady tire behavior YOU want. The rest is just people slinging their opinion to their own tastes. If I want to pass someone doing 115 on the freeway and laugh at them, that’s what my Hellcat is for but it’d never make it up the climbs my Jeep does.....

Pick what you enjoy and enjoy what pick.

 

[davidafuller]

Have the 2.0 and love it. Test drove both and for me the 4-cylinder was the no-brainer. I'm also going semi-daily-driver on this baby, so I care more about fuel economy than some.

 

[Dkretden]

I think that both engines are terrific. Heads, tails, heads, tails. Each is great.

 

[NCIC105]

I drive a Jeep, so I am not concerned with fuel mileage.....
My Jeep is daily driver

 

[ODDs]

Love how people complain about the non existent turbo lag in the 2.0. The transmission lags more than the turbo.

Agreed, I think that what most people perceive as turbo lag [with the eTorque engine] is actually the lag coming from the transmission deciding on how serious you are about picking up the pace.

 

[davidafuller]

I drive a Jeep, so I am not concerned with fuel mileage.....
My Jeep is daily driver

I get it, you should not expect significant mileage with a Wrangler. That's not why we bought it. But it's nice to get a couple extra MPG out of the 2.0 vs. the 3.6, especially when it's your DD.

 

[VKSheridan]

Love how people complain about the non existent turbo lag in the 2.0. The transmission lags more than the turbo.

That is kind of what steered me to the 2.0. I felt it would have a softer, more stable grip when climbing. I’ve watched many videos of guys needlessly shredding tires trying to climb something while the guy who keeps his tires gripping as much as rotating makes the hill with ease. Maybe I’m wrong, no biggie. Love what we own, own what we love....LOL

 

[AnnDee4444]

Love how people complain about the non existent turbo lag in the 2.0. The transmission lags more than the turbo.

Agreed, I think that what most people perceive as turbo lag [with the eTorque engine] is actually the lag coming from the transmission deciding on how serious you are about picking up the pace.

The drive-by-wire throttle also feels like it is programmed to lag.

 

[Jeep life]

The drive-by-wire throttle also feels like it is programmed to lag.

Since I started this thread, I'd thought I'd ensure clarity with what I think would be most important for those using a Rubicon as a daily driver and are concerned about safety.
It's not passing someone at 115mph, it's not zero to 60, .......it's driving on the highway at around 60 & needing decent acceleration/tourqe to pass a tractor trailer who could change your life with a 4 degree steering wheel directional change. I dont care if it's the transmission or engine or combination of both. I just dont want the vehicle to hesitate from 60 (or 55) to 70mph. I experienced this on a consistent basis with the 2.0. I will continue testing both, as well as the 3.0 eco diesel as my purchase is not till year end & may well be a 2021 model

 

[VKSheridan]

It sounds like highway performance is your primary consideration over off-road feel. I was thinking you were looking for a bit of both and trying to decide which application you would be willing to compromise the most.

I had a 3.7 in my 2006 and it felt like I had to turn the A/C off if I needed a “spirited” response at highway speed. When I drove the 2020 3.6, it felt the same to me and interestingly, the 2.0 felt about the same on the highway as well.

I wrote it off to the difference being 15 hp advantage to the 3.6 at a 35 lb-ft disadvantage to the 2.0. Not sure there’s enough there to make a noticeable difference at 60 mph.

The diesel lists 260 hp which is 10 hp less than the 2.0 (25 hp less than the 3.6) but it brings a nice 442 lb-ft of torque for good low end grunt work. I didn’t test drive the diesel so I’d be interested in your take on that.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Since I started this thread, I'd thought I'd ensure clarity with what I think would be most important for those using a Rubicon as a daily driver and are concerned about safety.
It's not passing someone at 115mph, it's not zero to 60, .......it's driving on the highway at around 60 & needing decent acceleration/tourqe to pass a tractor trailer who could change your life with a 4 degree steering wheel directional change. I dont care if it's the transmission or engine or combination of both. I just dont want the vehicle to hesitate from 60 (or 55) to 70mph. I experienced this on a consistent basis with the 2.0. I will continue testing both, as well as the 3.0 eco diesel as my purchase is not till year end & may well be a 2021 model

I see your point. I haven't done this exact comparison, but can make a guess as to what is happening: At 60 MPH, the 2.0 should downshift into 4th gear. If it chose 3rd gear, it would be a very short time before needing to up-shift (about 400 RPM) and it would seem to gear hunt. At 60 MPH the 3.6 likely downshifts to 3rd, and has about 1100 RPM before the 4th gear up-shift. A 2.0 in 4th gear has less torque at the axle than a 3.6 in 3rd gear, making the 3.6 the winner.

At the end of the day the 3.6 has more horsepower, and with the stock gearing above 60 MPH it looks to have slightly more average road force (at WOT). I would expect the diesel to be worse in this comparison.

The graph below shows the Rubicon 8-speed 2.0 (solid) & 3.6 (dashed). The black line is at 60 MPH.

Disclaimer: This is using estimated data for the engine output. It also doesn't account for drive train loss or tire weight.

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