3.6 WITH Etorque vs. 2.0 Turbo (no Etorque)

[Wkaz]

Drove a turbo all over Fairplay, Salida and others for a week. Came home and ordered turbo without e-tourqe. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Turbo's love altitude.

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[Reinen]

Altitude makes a huge difference. At 10,000' the 2.0t is mostly unphased while the 3.6 is desperately gasping for air. It's a night & day difference in power. At sea level it's a tossup and it becomes a preference of the smooth power curve of the 3.6 vs the punchy power curve of the 2.0t. Some would call the 2.0t "high strung" (a valid criticism) but at high altitudes "still works" becomes a valid description.

 

[JeepinJason33]

Altitude makes a huge difference. At 10,000' the 2.0t is mostly unphased while the 3.6 is desperately gasping for air. It's a night & day difference in power. At sea level it's a tossup and it becomes a preference of the smooth power curve of the 3.6 vs the punchy power curve of the 2.0t. Some would call the 2.0t "high strung" (a valid criticism) but at high altitudes "still works" becomes a valid description.

I have wheeled my 3.6L around Estes Park and Alma several times already and have never felt that it was "gasping for air." Before we purchased the SRT, we used to tow a 6,500 lb trailer to both places with the 3.6L in my Grand Cherokee without a problem. I drove the turbo in Aspen and then immediately jumped into my 3.6L. I could tell the difference off the line if you were purposely trying to get on it, the turbo seemed quicker, but not as much of a difference from 40-65.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I have wheeled my 3.6L around Estes Park and Alma several times already and have never felt that it was "gasping for air." Before we purchased the SRT, we used to tow a 6,500 lb trailer to both places with the 3.6L in my Grand Cherokee without a problem. I drove the turbo in Aspen and then immediately jumped into my 3.6L. I could tell the difference off the line if you were purposely trying to get on it, the turbo seemed quicker, but not as much of a difference from 40-65.

It's a scientifically proven fact, na engines lose ~3% horsepower per 1,000 ft of elevation gain. Turbo engines lose ~1%. At 10,000 feet one is down 30% and 1 is only down 10%. Maybe you don't feel the difference, but it's there. The 8 speed auto does a great job of keeping both engines in their power band so it really comes down to personal preference. Now if you were racing them up pikes peak (100% the wrong vehicle for that and terrifying just thinking about it), the turbo would be the only way to go.

 

[JeepinJason33]

It's a scientifically proven fact, na engines lose ~3% horsepower per 1,000 ft of elevation gain. Turbo engines lose ~1%. At 10,000 feet one is down 30% and 1 is only down 10%. Maybe you don't feel the difference, but it's there. The 8 speed auto does a great job of keeping both engines in their power band so it really comes down to personal preference. Now if you were racing them up pikes peak (100% the wrong vehicle for that and terrifying just thinking about it), the turbo would be the only way to go.

Not disagreeing that there is a 20% or so difference between the two at 10,000 feet. I am just stating it does not struggle or gasp for air. Outside of Colorado and pets of Utah, not too many people are spending a bunch of time at 10.000 feet. My house and the dealership near me are around 5500’.

 

[Reinen]

Not disagreeing that there is a 20% or so difference between the two at 10,000 feet. I am just stating it does not struggle or gasp for air. Outside of Colorado and pets of Utah, not too many people are spending a bunch of time at 10.000 feet. My house and the dealership near me are around 5500’.

When I test drove the two (fully intending to get the 3.6) I noticed a clear difference at 5000' so I took a road that climbed up to 10000'. The 3.6 was clearly losing power climbing the hill the higher I went. It made it up but like a tired dog. Then I took the 2.0t and it climbed up there like it was nothing. The 8 speed auto trans completely negated any altitude power loss of the 2.0t while it couldn't quite negate the power loss of the 3.6. It was obvious. Since my Jeep is going to live between 5-10,000' I had to completely reassess my engine choice and surprised myself by concluding the 2.0t is the better choice for my use case. While I prefer the 3.6's smoother power curve, the 2.0t's consistency at altitude won out IMO. I'd rather have it feel pretty much the same regardless of altitude and the 3.6 definitely does not. I can get used to the 2.0t's punchiness more easily than power changing with altitude all the time.

Of course this is just a personal opinion. I'm not saying the 3.6 sucks. I'd very likely have the 3.6 if I were usually between 0-5000' elevation, but I'm rarely there.

 

[west tex]

We're at 4000' elevation on level ground here in W TX and we have a little cabin in the NM mtns at 8000'. The turbo is a plus in my case. Also, after reading online, it 's apparent that the 2.0L turbo is an Alfa Romeo motor that's used in their performance cars. No wonder it has so much zip for such a small displacement.

 

[SleepEatJeepRepeat]

So from now until Wednesday I actually have both of these in my fleet... the v6etorque doesn’t have the same peppyness of the 4cyl turbo.. it is quite and smooth and the etorque is 1000% percent smoother and nearly unnoticeable where is was is rough and annoying... the 4cyl moves you around in the seat more and but also feels like it’s working harder to do so... and the v6 sounds is 500 times better ... silent during cruising and has a nice growl when you punch it... 4cyl is noisy and sounds odd.. so far after 1 day my v6 is getting better mileage than the 4cyl ever gave me... v6 etorque is the winner, its official and we can lock this thread now .. thank you haha

 

[JeepinJason33]

So from now until Wednesday I actually have both of these in my fleet... the v6etorque doesn’t have the same peppyness of the 4cyl turbo.. it is quite and smooth and the etorque is 1000% percent smoother and nearly unnoticeable where is was is rough and annoying... the 4cyl moves you around in the seat more and but also feels like it’s working harder to do so... and the v6 sounds is 500 times better ... silent during cruising and has a nice growl when you punch it... 4cyl is noisy and sounds odd.. so far after 1 day my v6 is getting better mileage than the 4cyl ever gave me... v6 etorque is the winner, its official and we can lock this thread now .. thank you haha

Apparently the decision might be a bit easier at sea level!

 

[Oldbear]

At sea level pretty much a wash I’d say.

 

[SleepEatJeepRepeat]

So from now until Wednesday I actually have both of these in my fleet... the v6etorque doesn’t have the same peppyness of the 4cyl turbo.. it is quite and smooth and the etorque is 1000% percent smoother and nearly unnoticeable where is was is rough and annoying... the 4cyl moves you around in the seat more and but also feels like it’s working harder to do so... and the v6 sounds is 500 times better ... silent during cruising and has a nice growl when you punch it... 4cyl is noisy and sounds odd.. so far after 1 day my v6 is getting better mileage than the 4cyl ever gave me... v6 etorque is the winner, its official and we can lock this thread now .. thank you haha

i had the same engine and transmission in my wife’s grand Cherokee and towed at altitude many times, I am sure the turbo is better but the v6 got it done and I had no complaints pulling a 7,200lb 34’ travel trailer upto 8500 elevation on 10% incline... never dropped below 50mph which I wasn’t doing much faster than anyways because of sway

 

[WrangleDangle]

I would like an explanation of this e-torque. What is it? How do I tell if my 3.6L is e-torque or not e-torque? I know that it has ESS. The window sticker says this about my engine.
3.6L V6 24V VVT ENGINE UPG 1 w/ESS
Appreciate any clarification.

 

[JeepinJason33]

All 2021 Automatic JL's come with the eTorque. You can look underneath the rear and see the battery skid hanging down if you are still not sure. The eTorque adds complexity, but makes the start/stop operate much smoother. Also eliminates little battery problems that you can read about that some are having on non eTorque models.

 

[MadDog27]

All 2021 Automatic JL's come with the eTorque. You can look underneath the rear and see the battery skid hanging down if you are still not sure. The eTorque adds complexity, but makes the start/stop operate much smoother. Also eliminates little battery problems that you can read about that some are having on non eTorque models.

That isn’t true. The 21s with the 2.0T do not have the etorque, I believe it’s only the 3.6 models now.

 

[Dyolfknip74]

All 2021 Automatic JL's come with the eTorque. You can look underneath the rear and see the battery skid hanging down if you are still not sure. The eTorque adds complexity, but makes the start/stop operate much smoother. Also eliminates little battery problems that you can read about that some are having on non eTorque models.

You're gonna have a disappointing conversation with my 2021 JLUR then. 2.0s don't have eTorque.
I'm a daily user of start stop, and it's smooth. I don't even notice it anymore.

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