4xe vs Ecodiesel... Help me decide!

[4xemtb]

First post... please be gentle lol!

I have a 4xe on order but given the issues we are already seeing, and given that my local Jeep dealer is the worst, I'm pretty concerned. I'd be more willing to guinea pig it if that dealer hadn't have done such poor jobs on multiple occasions in the past or there were any other dealers within 100 miles. So here's the question: 4xe or should I change my Rubicon order over to the diesel? Because of rebates, markup and discounts, expected cost to run, oil change costs, DEF, KwH... the price between the two is effectively identical.

I plan to do a Dynatrac Endurosport 2" lift (or similar) along with 315/70r17's running some nice light KO2's so nothing wild but a consideration. For use, I do a few miles of daily around town plus another 10-15 miles of highway. Daily trips up and down forest roads on the washboard. 4xe makes a lot of sense for that use however, 3-4 times a year I do 1,500+ mile road trips that usually involve a few days of "overlanding" type off road that my Grand Cherokee's of the past struggled with which is what got me looking at JL's. Diesel wins there.

We've owned 3 different full electric cars so know all about the advantages and disadvantages of electric. We have also had 3 small diesels so know the pros and cons there. I despise EGR's but I don't want to get off topic there with discussions and political debate of the pros/cons of delete. What I will say is the previous ecodiesel really had some serious issues and I know some are passionately against them because of those issues but it seems like this latest generation is doing better. Granted, 1 year isn't a whole lot of use-case but there's not a whole lot of issues I can find that are unique to the diesel platform.

Anyone else out there in this same debate? Am I over-analyzing the issues on the 4xe? Are the new diesel's more reliable? Would love to hear other's thought process who are considering the same.

Thanks in advance!

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[kmmn]

I love the EcoDiesel (and no, I can't justify it rationally), but I debated waiting for the 4xe. Jeep isn't the most confidence inspiriting brand for quality and support, so, the 4xe is even further behind the EcoDiesel for getting everything sorted out. I'll probably go 4xe on my next purchase (hopefully 5 yeas down the road).

 

[aldo98229]

Welcome to the forum!

What are the issues we are seeing already?

If reliability is your major concern —as it should be, why don’t you just get the 3.6 V6 or the 2.0T? Those two motors have proved pretty reliable, even with eTorque.

 

[Oilburner]

If you do not have faith in your dealership, I would think long & hard about buying either one.
That being said, if you have more/shorter trips, the hybrid wins. Otherwise the diesel has advantages (but at a cost).

 

[Motoristx]

I have one of the first EcoDiesel Wranglers released. Ordering it the day the banks opened, I received it in March of 2020. It’s got 28k miles on it and I took it through Moab UT, and several parts of Colorado during the summer of 2020. I’m running 38 inch tires and a 3.5/4.5 inch lift. It’s getting about 20.5 mpg with my style of driving. It’s very enjoyable, and it’s the best Jeep I’ve owned. Keep in mind, it’s had a few issues, and I’ve had to keep an eye on the dealership’s maintenance shenanigans…

When this Jeep is paid off, I’ll be buying the 4XE as my next Jeep, and will keep this one. I just wish it had a Diesel engine instead of the gas, but oh well. I’m simply wanting more electric range. Currently I drive 70 miles a day round trip for work. I’d like the electric mode to cover this at some point. Maybe one day a new revolution in battery technology will double the range…. With that being said, if I had a short drive to work, short enough for the battery range to handle of a daily basis, I would have waited for the 4XE.

 

[Armorlite Kail]

I did a 10 hours drive in a diesel and it is by far my favorite Jeep driven to date. I was up there on speed and still managed 26 mpg. The torque range is outstanding.

 

[Heimkehr]

I have a 4xe on order but given the issues we are already seeing, and given that my local Jeep dealer is the worst, I'm pretty concerned. I'd be more willing to guinea pig it if that dealer hadn't have done such poor jobs on multiple occasions in the past or there were any other dealers within 100 miles. So here's the question: 4xe or should I change my Rubicon order over to the diesel?

It's a matter of which complex system you're willing to live with.

Having owned several small diesels, I'd wager you're aware that they need to be driven, fairly frequently and on more than just short trips, to keep them in good operating condition over the long run. There is of course the matter of comparatively improved fuel efficiency, and more available torque at low engine speeds, in exchange for the buy-in expense and plethora of under-hood emission fitments, etc. Don't forget the recurring expense of pig urine, lol.

The Wrangler 4xe wouldn't be a consideration for me, by default, insomuch that 2021 is the first model year for this new technology, which is complicated in its own manner. That you've no faith in your dealer adds additional context here. Let the 4xe's early adopters be the beta testers. You can easily revisit the electric Jeep in a year or two when real world owner reviews will allow you to make an informed purchase decision.

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Based on a friend and fellow owner's advice, I test drove three different Wranglers with the Pentastar V6, in order to give that engine a fair chance. One manual, two autos. I was underwhelmed each time. I decided to order the Hurricane 2.0T sight- and drive-unseen, so to speak, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. My record mpg is 28.5, and my average hovers around 27.5. If I put my foot in it, the engine sends the JLU down the road as fast as I'd want. I say this because if you're considering the 4xe, the 4 cylinder engine won't need the electric motor to provide you with a rewarding driving experience.

Best of luck with things.

 

[Sahara4xe]

I went with 4XE, the power is great, the standard equipment is great, and just cruising around in complete silence and electric mode is very relaxing and easy when you need it to be. plus with a level 2 charge it'll charge in 2.5 hours. I am happy with my choice, my other option was a diesel as well.

 

[Traktor31]

I am not sure if you are purchasing or leasing, but I randomly was on Leasehackr and apparently in the Pacific NW they are having crazy leases on these things (well I think they're crazy). Something like $360 down and due at signing, and $360 a month because Chrysler Capital is passing the $7500 credit onto the consumer.

Something to look at maybe? Doesn't seem like its the same deal everywhere though since people from the NE and Midwest were talking about not being able to land said deal.

 

[4xemtb]

It's a matter of which complex system you're willing to live with.

The Wrangler 4xe wouldn't be a consideration for me, by default, insomuch that 2021 is the first model year for this new technology, which is complicated in its own manner. That you've no faith in your dealer adds additional context here. Let the 4xe's early adopters be the beta testers. You can easily revisit the electric Jeep in a year or two when real world owner reviews will allow you to make an informed purchase decision.

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Thank you everyone for the feedback!

Heimkehr, you summed up my thoughts exactly; which complex system am I more comfortable living with?

I'm fairly mechanically inclined so I'm capable of pulling the EGR valve to clean it or do other somewhat simple things but with the 4xe, I feel like if anything goes wrong I have little chance of fixing it myself. Reports of weird software glitches causing it to stop in the middle of the road don't give me the warm fuzzies!

I've got a couple more weeks to decide but my thinking right now is that wranglers, especially diesel, have awesome resale values and in 3-5 years there's going to be a longer range hybrid option if not a full electric so it might make more sense for me to go diesel for now.

Side note, that 2.0 is impressive, a friend has one and loves it. We live in a cold climate though and that startup loud compressor noise would probably drive me insane on cold days (also relevant to my 4xe decision as it seems to do the same thing).

 

[fat_head]

Diesel.

There's not a single valid, logical reason to get a 4xe in its current form.

 

[4xemtb]

I am not sure if you are purchasing or leasing, but I randomly was on Leasehackr and apparently in the Pacific NW they are having crazy leases on these things (well I think they're crazy). Something like $360 down and due at signing, and $360 a month because Chrysler Capital is passing the $7500 credit onto the consumer.

Something to look at maybe? Doesn't seem like its the same deal everywhere though since people from the NE and Midwest were talking about not being able to land said deal.

They are doing some awesome deals on other trims but not the Rubicon.

 

[4xemtb]

Welcome to the forum!

What are the issues we are seeing already?

If reliability is your major concern —as it should be, why don’t you just get the 3.6 V6 or the 2.0T? Those two motors have proved pretty reliable, even with eTorque.

There's a few threads running with issues here and on other forums. Seems to be either battery coolant pump issues for one of the more common problems, which could be mechanical or could be software. Others seem to be more complex "it stopped in the middle of the highway" type problems.

 

[aldo98229]

Reports of weird software glitches causing it to stop in the middle of the road don't give me the warm fuzzies!

You could be describing ANY JL.

They have been doing that routinely for the past four years!

 

[aldo98229]

First-gen EcoDiesels started blowing up around the 50,000 to 60,000-mile mark.

It’s still too soon to tell if FCA fixed it this time around.

Chances are they did, but there’s no hard evidence yet. And with FCA, you just never know.

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