How did you decide on your engine?

[631_Islander]

What were the driving factors that lead to your engine choice? I've been on the fence between the 3.6 and the 2.0T. I'm leaning towards the 3.6 because of the long track record, smooth power, and the sound, sound is oddly important to me. What I don't like is the reduced fuel economy and lower power compared to the 2.0T. I've owned turbos in the past with terrible curves making the gas pedal feel like a toggle switch.

My JLUR will be on 35's and a daily driver with a very short commute to work and day trips out of town through the mountains about once a month. Next year I would like to try some 3 day overlanding trips here in the PNW. I think part of my hang up with the 2.0T is a turbo seems strange in a wrangler, but that's just me and I would get used to it, it's proven to be a good engine so far. I'm not excited about premium gas though.

For choosing an engine the most important considerations, in order, are reliability, enough power to feel confident in all driving conditions, range, fuel economy, and maintenance cost.

I custom ordered my 2020 JLUR around late July 2019. Back then I chose the Pentastar due to reliability and the fact that it runs on 87 Octane (91 is recommended for the Turbo 4 and 89 is required).

Now 2 years later, I could have gone either way as the 2.0 Turbo also seems to be a solid choice. No regrets on having the Pentastar as it made sense back then for me as the 2.0 was still too new for me from a reliability perspective. I believe close to 70 or 80% of JL and JLUs that get custom ordered even these days are still ordered with the Pentastar due to its perceived reliability and age.

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[blnewt]

3.6 w/ the deluxe rear main seal leak, love the motor, the leak not so much! I'll probably fix it myself as I don't have a dealer service near me that I trust

 

[2500 hd]

I have liked the 3.6 in the last couple of Jeeps that I had; So I just bought another one..

 

[AlgUSF]

Easy, the only one that offered a MT. 3.6

Same here. I wanted the 6MT and FCA made the decision for me.

 

[1quick1]

When I bought mine there was 1 engine option.

 

[thegame81]

392 made my pee pee hard.

 

[AlgUSF]

The specific loading on bearings, piston thrust faces, cam journals, etc are much less on 3.6 v6 then a 2.0 i4 with the same torque and power. Turbo makes exhaust valves run hotter and is probably the most vulnerable part with any oiling problem. I don't think the turbo will go 100K (not the engine, the turbo itself). No way I would believe the 2.0 will match the 3.6 on long term high mileage reliability. My opinions are based on 62 years of car ownership of about 50 cars including a few with positive intake system pressure, corvette z06's, mustangs, many 4x4s etc.

There is something to be said for simpler, I wish the 3.6 was simpler but the CAFE standards won't allow it these days. I like taking my 2002 Civic 5MT to the mountains because it is super simple to fix almost anything minor (remember a 10mm socket and open end wrench). I can't tell you how many times I've push started that car (I went a whole week without a starter once). I wish I could push start my 3.6 6MT Wrangler as if you're 6-10 miles out in the back country at a trail head it is a little hard to find a jump. Think about it, you don't need much of an incline in 4L to turn that crank enough to push start it (the JL is to smart for it's own good).

 

[_olllllllo_]

Easy, the only one that offered a MT. 3.6

Exactly, my transmission chose the engine. The manual transmission only likes the non-torque (BSG) 3.6 because it believes in the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) principle.

 

[fjernen]

2 cents of free internet experience/advice/warning/rambling...

Warning regarding my mindset....

I am having a mid-life crises 2nd one in my life. This one at age 51 and I have a serious health issue that could decide to kill me at any time. My daily driver has been a jeep wrangler since 1993 with all 7 (93 sport, 94 sport lifted, 98 sport, 00 sport lifted, 05 Rubicon, 08 JKRU with every option available) all of them being purchased new. Price wasn't an issue but the sticker on the upcoming 392s made my wife say NO! so it wasn't an option.

I was planning on buying a Tesla 3 but I wanted one last look at the wranglers. I went to the dealership that had a decent selection. I drove 3 configurations of the JLUR and one plain jane with the 6 speed each of them I had for about an hour. All were very similar in options. In the wrangler I really only wanted Rubicon and heated seats and steering wheel.

First I drove the 3.6 Pentastar V6 with the 8 speed. It was definitely more peppy than the tired 08 that was always anemic in performance of any kind. Especially with the terrible gearing in the manual that came in the 08s. Looking back... I think the new car made it much more palatable over the the 08 but nothing special. If it had been the only option I would have bought a tesla.

Next I drove the plain jane... After driving a manual transmission since 1986, I was done with that.

I drove the 2.0 Turbo... Wow that was fun.... Did I really just let the tires loose at that light? Unexpected after 28 years in a wrangler that never squealed the tires. It was fun to drive. The motor was a bit noisy but honestly no one drives a wrangler for comfort and quiet. I was worried about lifting the jeep and regearing and the high revs. It was a concern.

I drove the Diesel last. 442 ft pounds of torque and the best gas mileage in any vehicle I have owned. Really? With that much torque it should be no problem to add 37s with no regearing and still be able to tow a couple of 4 wheelers behind it. I am/was aware of the added costs of a diesel so I had no illusion of saving money on gas. MPG has never been a reason I have bought a new car. The tesla was for the 3.1 0-60 and semi autonomous driving and the cool tech as I am a gear head and a techie.

This diesel must have sat for a bit because they made me an offer that was as good as the 2.0 Turbo.

I am 6k miles in and I have no regrets. I drove it 3k before my lift was installed. I drove it on a daily 48 miles round trip commute, I took several 300+ mile road trips on freeways with 85 mph limits and twisty back roads. I have since added a lift and 37s and it still goes great. My mileage is still 22+ mpg which is 5 more than my stock 08 ever got. I have no regrets.

(Edit) The slow high torque low rpm is amazing for rock crawling. I can't be happier with its off road performance.

This is just my opinion and experience... I could be wrong.

 

[RoadiJeff]

With us, it wasn't so much what engine it had as it was which trim package. My wife wanted a Bikini Pearl Rubicon JLU. The one she ended up buying was a 2020 Recon, which just happened to have the 2.0T eTorque in it.

 

[JLBoucher]

3.6L is the only one that's available with a 6MT. And it's bullet proof. Easy.

 

[aldo98229]

What is not bullet proof is the clutch...

 

[LarryB]

I think that most people would be fine with either engine, to be honest. They both offer some pros and cons that most people would be able to live with.

I drove both, so here is my unofficial score … The 3.6 is a proven engine, but it is not without its issues. There is a significant reduction in low-end torque in the v6 compared to the Turbo, both in numbers and in real-life application. However, the turbo did seem to have more turbo lag than I thought it would have, more than my wife’s last two cars. It also is recommended to run on premium, which I didn’t love.

With the shortages in cars being available across the industry, you may not have as much of a choice as you once did. I only went with the 3.6 as there aren’t a lot of base Sports available in my area.

 

[Wheelin Matt]

Test drove the diesel and the 2.0, the diesel felt more planted and solid. The 2.0 felt ok but the diesel just felt better to me so I bought it

 

[AnnDee4444]

Short trips are a good way for carbon buildup on the direct injection 2.0.

Can you please send me a link to where someone is having carbon buildup issues on the 2.0?

I'm still "old school" and don't want to drive anything with a 4 cyl.

Doesn't get anymore old school Jeep than this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willys_Go_Devil_engine

There is no replacement for displacement. 3.6.

Except for technology. See the link above for an example of what 80 years of advancement does to the power output of 2-liter 4-cylinder engines.

For laughs, I did a quick rudimentary calculation.
The 2.0t will have more HP than the 392 at over 25,000' altitude. But unless you bolt on a propeller and wings, there are only 41 places on earth where that happens and if you get there in a Jeep, I'd be seriously impressed.

Nice! This is my kind of math.

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