How did you decide on your engine?

[F2F]

I'm so close to pulling the trigger on ordering a 2021 JL Rubicon 2-door. But the only way I can go is the 8-speed auto/4cyl turbo. Is it really that good??

You really need to test drive one and see for yourself

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[Sargeoverland]

I'm so close to pulling the trigger on ordering a 2021 JL Rubicon 2-door. But the only way I can go is the 8-speed auto/4cyl turbo. Is it really that good??

Compared to the Tacoma I had before hand yes 100% that v6 and the 6speed on 33s was terrible. I’ve only had experience with the jk and the 3.6 so I’m not sure how the new one compares.

 

[Sargeoverland]

Anything specific you do for maintaining them?

Always make sure you have oil. I would burn through oil fairly quick compared to non turbo motors. Get a catch can do things to let it breathe

 

[Socks]

Compared to the Tacoma I had before hand yes 100% that v6 and the 6speed on 33s was terrible. I’ve only had experience with the jk and the 3.6 so I’m not sure how the new one compares.

Found one about 90 miles away. Going up tomorrow to get an idea.

 

[Headbarcode]

When was that? Do you have a link?


Google tells me that quote is from CNET, but the original The Drive article states ""The 3.6-liter engine can handle the temperatures seen while towing," they said. While no knocks were mentioned against the smaller four-cylinder, it's easy to conclude that it simply wasn't created for the hauling capacity Jeep expects from the Gladiator." Looks to me like The Drive came to an "easy conclusion" without actually getting a real answer from Jeep (or maybe not even asking), and CNET put their own spin on it. What they've quoted from Jeep was a statement boasting the 3.6's ability, not knocking the 2.0.

My guess is that Jeep couldn't design a cooling package that could keep up with the 2.0's heat generation, whereas the lower torque output of the 3.6 results in less heat to dissipate. Sort of like my guess of why the 2.0 isn't available as a manual (because it's above the torque rating of the Aisin AL6/D478, and they didn't have another solution). We already know that the Gladiator's grill inserts had to be enlarged, and the cooling fan is the higher wattage unit that's used in the 2.0 JLs... so clearly the JT has some heat related issues when towing. It will be interesting to see what they modify to get the 392 in the JT... I bet it's towing capacity will be less than the 3.6.

The main reason for not putting the 2.0 in the higher towing capacity JT, is intercooler space restraints. A conventional air to air intercooler is located behind the grill. Increasing its cooling capacity is as simple as swapping out to one with a deeper core. The 2.0 utilizes an air to liquid intercooler, which is largely more efficient at heat rejection, but it's location inside the intake housing makes it difficult to increase its heat rejecting capacity. To do so would trigger a domino effect, as far as a full redesign of the intake and intercooler systems and their layouts. They apparently didn't feel that the juice was worth the squeeze, and it was easier to simply limit the Gladiator to the 3.6 motor.

 

[Headbarcode]

I'm so close to pulling the trigger on ordering a 2021 JL Rubicon 2-door. But the only way I can go is the 8-speed auto/4cyl turbo. Is it really that good??

I'm nearing 52k miles on my 2019 JLUR with the 2.0 w/ BSG and 8-speed. Haven't had a single hiccup in the 2.5 years since I had it built. I started heavily building it up for crawling while still serving as my daily driver, at about the 10k mark, so most of the mileage has been sitting tall and heavier on 38's.

I was born and raised in the heavy equipment repair industry, so motor choice was where ocd made sure that I took my sweet time. I spent months doing back to back test drives of both the 3.6 and 2.0 motors, never mixing Rubicons with non Rubicons due to the final drive ratio difference. I ended up spending about 15-20 minutes behind the wheels of over 100 different Wranglers. Not once did I enjoy anything about the 3.6 motor. Also, a work accident cost me part of my hearing ability, so I never knew what motor I was hopping in, but could never make it out of the parking lot before knowing without a doubt. I'd wait until getting back to read the sticker for confirmation. Also, every drive was on long Island new York, which is only 400 feet above sea level at its highest point. I shake my head every time I read a claim about both motors feeling the same unless at some high elevation.

The best advice is to go test drive both motors to see which one speaks to you. Test drive a bunch of them.

 

[Headbarcode]

Anything specific you do for maintaining them?

Top shelf fuel and oil is the only secret. And obviously, regular oil changes. Personally, I only ever feed mine 93 octane Mobil fuel, pennzoil platinum full synthetic 5-30, and a mopar oil filter from the mothership. I never flog it, but also don't drive like Mr Magoo. Motors last the longest with quality fluids and when making power without regularly being pushed to their maximum capacity.

 

[Headbarcode]

Always make sure you have oil. I would burn through oil fairly quick compared to non turbo motors. Get a catch can do things to let it breathe

That's quite a blanket statement, and a dangerous one at that, especially without technical specifics. A handful of us have heavy mechanical backgrounds and can keep up, so please elaborate deeply.

 

[MonLee]

Went with e torque 3.6.
Used to drive a grand caravan as a company car and always loved how it sounded.
I like buying regular gas and not feeling like im missing out on performance by doing so.
Premium gas is expensive.
Ill never buy premium gas again.
Premium gas is great for turbos but does basically nothing for N/A unless your racing in a heat wave while someone shoots a blowtorch down your intake, premium might help you if you get into that situation.
I like regular gas.
Regular gas is just fine for N/A engines.
Regular gas is cheap and useful for generators and other appliances.
Premium gas is stupid for generators lol. Unless its in direct sunlight, in a heatwave, and your neighbor is shooting a blowtorch into the intake of your generator. Premium might help in that situation.

 

[lpasq]

Can I expect 120,000 miles out of it without much maintenance fuss? Any known major maintenance work I need to known about?

Search these vehicle applications if seeking reliability insights for engines built in Termoli Powertrain Plant, Italy. That is origin since 2016 launch of the "hurricane" for European and United States markets.

2016- Alfa Romeo Giulia (952)
2017- Alfa Romeo Stelvio
2018- Jeep Wrangler (JL)
2018- Jeep Cherokee (KL)
2018- Jeep Grand Commander
2021- Maserati Ghibli Hybrid
2021- Maserati Levante Hybrid
2021- Jeep Wrangler 4xe
2022- Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe (WL)

Not sure if they started up the US plant that was said to begin stateside Q2 2021 United States market production.

 

[lpasq]

T4 2.0 8-speed just over 5k miles now on JLR. 4k of which on a crawler built 37s w/4.88s. SoCal desert, mountain twisties and freeways. Moab trails. Cross country trip across Rockies. Days on interstate travel. Daily highway round-trip work commute from city to 'burbs. I can recommend engine/trans combo without question. Deleted muffler and drop in an axelback open pipe for some acoustics.. Don't compare this drive train to legacy 6 cylinder motor w/manual, Apples v orange. Instead, drive it to see if the seat of your pants gets happy. Different stroke for different folk.

 

[MudHunter]

Went with e torque 3.6.

<snip>

Premium gas is expensive.
Ill never buy premium gas again.
Premium gas is great for turbos but does basically nothing for N/A unless your racing in a heat wave while someone shoots a blowtorch down your intake, premium might help you if you get into that situation.
I like regular gas.
Regular gas is just fine for N/A engines.
Regular gas is cheap and useful for generators and other appliances.
Premium gas is stupid for generators lol. Unless its in direct sunlight, in a heatwave, and your neighbor is shooting a blowtorch into the intake of your generator. Premium might help in that situation.

This is why I went with the 3.6. I had a JKU years back with the 3.6 and the old (grumble) transmission. Driving the 3.6 in a 2-door with the 8-speed was like "holy crap!" Didn't test the turbo. I had to put premium in my Camaro that I'm trading on it, and I still have to put premium in my motorcycle. The extra MPG in the 2.0 is largely outweighed by the extra cost of premium, at least for the type of driving I do.

 

[viper88]

I'm so close to pulling the trigger on ordering a 2021 JL Rubicon 2-door. But the only way I can go is the 8-speed auto/4cyl turbo. Is it really that good??

I owned a '19 JLR with the 2.0 and eTorque. I did not have a single issue with the engine or eTorque in the 2.5 years and 21K miles I owned it. I would not hesitate to buy the 2.0T or eTorque again. Same with the 8-speed automatic. The ZF 8-Speed is the best torque converter automatic made. The 2.0T matches the ZF 8-Speed REALLY well.

 

[Headbarcode]

A lot of people think the 2.0L has a lot of turbo lag, but it turns out it’s the crap throttle response. A pedal commander fixes that issue, but I’ve noticed the 3.6L seems to have better throttle response compared to the 2.0L.

I fully agree with your comment about the programmed delay in throttle response.

My previous vehicle had a 1.6 i4 turbo motor, which had a noticeable lag. The rpm's responded near instantly to throttle input, but boost took a second or so to kick in and push. It made me wait for larger gaps in cross traffic, to avoid being a dick to other drivers. The JL 2.0 in stock form has a similar delay, but it's in the rpm's reaction more than the turbo.

I added the EVC iDrive throttle controller, and it's a whole new animal. The delay between the throttle pedal and throttle body butterfly valve is completely gone, and there's a couple dozen levels of sensitivity adjustments to choose from that narrows the length of throw to get to wide open throttle. It's funny that I can now shoot gaps in traffic easier, without being that guy, with a 5500lb JLUR lifted 4" and on 38's than I could with a sportier 3100lb torque vectoring awd crossover.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Mine was largely a process of elimination.

Couldn't afford the 392.

Didn't need a diesel.

4xe was a bad fit with my use case (not much city driving).

That left the 2.0 and the 3.6. Lots to love about the 2.0, but it is currently saddled with ESS, which I did not want. That left the 3.6 eTorque. I'm impressed with what I've read about the eTorque system, and I've owned two Pentastars previously. Made a good fit for what I wanted.

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