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How did you decide on your engine?

Steve JLUR

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I'm a firm believer in tried and true. That's the primary reason for me going with the 3.6. I had the 3.6 in my previous JKU. My wife has one in her current Grand Cherokee and had one in each of her last few Grand Cherokees. It's a reliable workhorse of an engine and mated to the 8 speed auto is the perfect combination for the driving I do.
If you want ā€tried and trueā€ you should have a flat head four, and a non synchro three speedā€¦
whatā€™s with all this OHV, VVVT, tuned intake runners, etc?!

Just kidding, but my point is that there is tons of ā€œtechnology,ā€ and new stuff in all modern engines. The turbo four has hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of miles under itā€™s collective belts (pun intended). If there were major issues with it weā€™d be hearing more about it by now.
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Kraty1

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Whatā€™s interesting is back in 18 when I got my 3.6, I considered the 2.0 but it was $1000 more. Fast forward 3 years and itā€™s swapped now with the 2.0 costing less!
 

Steve JLUR

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There is no replacement for displacement. 3.6.
Thatā€™s right, that is what forced induction is, baby! Ask anyone racing F1, top fuel, or funny car.
 

JJMalone

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Thatā€™s right, that is what forced induction is, baby! Ask anyone racing F1, top fuel, or funny car.
Service life and maintenance is just a tad different. ;) baby!
 

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Steve JLUR

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Service life and maintenance is just a tad different. ;) baby!
Yep, and every turbo car I have owned, five and counting, are still running with no major issues. a couple of them even have over 100k on them. If it is designed well, and maintained properly, it will run well for many miles.

Iā€™m not knocking the NA 3.6l. I just find some of the arguments against the 2.0lT ridiculous. Some people make things up to convince themselves that they made the best choice. Then get pissed off when someone else isnā€™t convinced by their reasoning. I made the choice I like, you made the choice you like. In the end we both wanted a Wrangler to do the things we want to do.
 
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txj2go

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I'm perfectly happy with the 3.6. When I was shopping the 2.0 cost more and was harder to find. When I found out about the additional complexity of it I decided to go the simple route.
 

johnnyj

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I wanted a JLUR that was as close to bare bones as possible. That ended up being my sting gray with only prox keyless as an option. Because of that, I was able to get her for 42k. She's got a 2.0t, which I had never experienced before in a Jeep but rolled the dice. Very happy so far, about to hit 12k miles.
 

multicam

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So true, everyone that eventually buys the new Inline-4 Turbo engine doesn't do back to the NA. We all come from the lagging power climbs and lack of power in the mountains and white knuckle passing of the NA V6. Jeep research showed that Wranglers needed more power and more of it on the low RPM range. Plus the v8 & i4 bring the FUN back to the Jeep. Like the i6 4.0 did in the TJs. Yes the NA v6 is a good SUV engine and which is why its in other Jeep models, my wife gots that covered. Now lets solve this engine sound perspective... with all the mods that Jeepers do, Im surprised to hear that the sound is still an issue when deciding. Just CHANGE or DELETE the muffler... Problem solved... GEEEZUS its like the cheapest DIY mod in the history of mods.
In summary:
Like having a fun Wrangler to drive, get the i4
Like going fast in the fast lane, get the i4
Like low end torque, get the i4
Like consistent & instant power at high elevations and when rock crawling, get the i4
Like quickly passing semi-trucks uphill on the freeway, get the i4
Like getting better MPGs, get a i4
Like telling people you got a NA v6, get a v6
Like having the best of both worlds, wait for the Turbo v6... or just get the v8!
I think youā€™re remembering the 4.0 with rose-colored glasses. I came from a jeep with that engine and compared to it, my 3.6L JLR is a rocket ship.
 

The_Paper_Cut

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Iā€™d gone and test drove the 2.0. I had a 3.6 already and knew exactly how it operated, felt, and sounded. When I tried the 2.0 it felt pretty much the same. I honestly canā€™t say the pep everyone is talking about really felt like much more than the 3.6 can do. Plus it seemed like there was a lag between when you slammed the gas down and when the Jeep actually took off, which I really didnā€™t like.
Plus like you the sound was super important to me. Iā€™d never driven a 2.0 before, but that thing literally sounded like an electric lawn mower or something. I hated how weak it sounded, even though the 3.6 doesnā€™t sound like a monster truck or anything, it was still a lot better than the 2.0 in my opinion. For mpg I didnā€™t really care because Iā€™m buying a Jeep. All the tests Iā€™ve seen have the 2.0 just barely inching out the 3.6 (by only a few hundredths of a second). Plus the 2.0 requires premium fuel or something other than regular for optimum performance, so while you get more mileage youā€™re also paying more for gas. Plus the idea of a 4cylinder on something like a Jeep didnā€™t sit right for me. At the end I just figured the 3.6 was the better choice.
 

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Maverick909

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The choice was simple. I wanted a standard transmission. That put the choice to 3.6 or 3.6. I did test drive the 2.0t with the 8speed it drove nice and it was quick but I wouldnā€™t be happy if I didnā€™t get the 6speed manual
 

Lugwrench

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I thought the most important thing in an off road vehicle was reliability and that argued for the good old Pentastar. Iā€™d been driving one for nine years, though, and I really wanted a change for my new Jeep. I decided to live with the risks and go for the diesel. It feels like my old 4.0 at 1400 rpm, which I love, but with way more power above that. I love it. Only downside was I had to settle for an automatic. Luckily, as we all know, itā€™s a great automatic.
 

4xFUN

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When I ordered my JLR, I drove both the 2.0T and the 3.6...Both were a good driving experience, overall though I liked the 'feel' of the 3.6 and for me it was the best choice. I thought with a CAI, Cat-Back and a tune the 3.6 would really wake up...I decided instead of just a tune, I would supercharge it!

However, if I were ordering a JLR today, I would order the 2.0T as the only 3.6 option (with 8 speed auto) is the 3.6 eTorque. It's a personal choice, but I'm just not an eTorque fan...that said, I have a buddy that absolutely loves his new JLUR 3.6 eTorque!

Though I am not a betting man, if I were I would bet the farm that Jeep offers new exciting engine choices for the 23' model refresh...Thank you Bronco for the competition!
 
 



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