How did you decide on your engine?

[viper88]

West Africa, thankfully I can source it elsewhere, but have to wait a few months…

Have you seen the blog about the guy who drive all through Africa in his Wrangler? He posted on this forum in the past. It was a interesting and fun read following his journey. I believe he's driven his vehicles through all parts of the world.


http://theroadchoseme.com/new-jeep-new-adventure-africa

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[Headbarcode]

This is the part #56029803AA.

Photo of paperwork from 1st replacement generator.

Back before 12v negative ground and alternators, vehicles had 6v positive ground and generators. After years in truck and heavy equipment repair, I've seen the older nomenclature still being used in dealer books on many occasions. Especially with the names that have been around since the positive ground days.

 

[Rogue Toad]

Went with the 3.6L simply because it had a good track record for reliability. I would have gone with the 2.0 if performance was the only consideration, because I did like how it felt when I drove it and the better fuel economy would have been appreciated.

But with Jeep already not being known as a pinnacle of reliability, and the 2.0 being made in Italy which is also not known for reliability...yeah, just couldn't. It seems there have been no glaring issues with the 2.0, so perhaps it was an overabundance of caution, but still makes me feel a bit more confident.

 

[John Galt]

Have you seen the blog about the guy who drive all through Africa in his Wrangler? He posted on this forum in the past. It was a interesting and fun read following his journey. I believe he's driven his vehicles through all parts of the world.


http://theroadchoseme.com/new-jeep-new-adventure-africa

Yes, I own both his books and have been in touch with him. Great guy and incredible adventure. I believe he is stuck in quarantine in Australia right now heading to his next adventure.

 

[Usethis83]

I have had 2 of the modern jeep motors so far with 1 on order. I had the 3.6 in my gladiator which was adequate with 37s and 4.10s in my flat area of driving. I just got a turbo 2.0 in a jl last week and so far I really like it. It zips around and makes good power in a useful (for me) rpm range. My 3.6 would have to twist much higher to get those numbers. I will have 37s on it soon and the same 4.10 gear ratio setup to compare apples and apples. Both are great motors. Fuel economy doesn't matter to me, but the 2.0 is a sipper. Yesterday I ordered a 392, like I said I dont care about fuel economy. How dare you!

 

[viper88]

I have had 2 of the modern jeep motors so far with 1 on order. I had the 3.6 in my gladiator which was adequate with 37s and 4.10s in my flat area of driving. I just got a turbo 2.0 in a jl last week and so far I really like it. It zips around and makes good power in a useful (for me) rpm range. My 3.6 would have to twist much higher to get those numbers. I will have 37s on it soon and the same 4.10 gear ratio setup to compare apples and apples. Both are great motors. Fuel economy doesn't matter to me, but the 2.0 is a sipper. Yesterday I ordered a 392, like I said I dont care about fuel economy. How dare you!

Living the life!

 

[angrynewyorker]

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 had a Rubicon with an eco diesel and liked it a lot, but decided to trade it for a Gladiator Rubicon with the diesel and had all sorts of emission related issues. Where I go wheeling every year there is absolutely no one who can work on a diesel up there and I don’t have time to be stranded or to mess around trying to get it taken somewhere where they can fix it, so I went back to a 2 door Wrangler Rubicon with the manual and the V6. I want as basic a unit as possible so if something does go wrong in Copper Harbor I can get it taken care of a lot easier than with a diesel. So minimalism drove my choice.

 

[Varilux]

Multiple experiences with early Ford Ecoboost 3.5L engines steered me away from the 2.0L turbo. Although the 3.5L is a great engine... now- it took Ford a few years to sort things out (primarily problems with timing chains and phasers). If the 2.0 turbos continue to get great reviews from their owners as time goes on, I would definitely consider one in a future Jeep, but for now the 3.6L is kinda like Ford's Coyote 5.0L- relatively simple, and tried-and-true.

 

[gch]

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.

You are correct.....reliability is key. I drove all 3 engines multiple times. The driving experience differences were not enough to justify picking one over the others. Simplicity rules. Unfortunately I had to take the mild-hybrid with the 3.6 but avoided turbos which are not happy intaking desert dust. I got 15 1/2 years out of my old LJ which I just sold for 75% of what I paid for it new. These new jeeps won't last that long but the 3.6 will probably do better than the other two. Now if I could just figure out what those two extra cooling tanks and that row of buttons under the center dash are for.....

 

[MuttHowls]

The 2.0 reminded me of my chipped Fiat 500 Abarth but with bigger balls. Owned the Abarth for 4 trouble free years and I anticipate the same/better longevity from my Willys. After all, same engine manufacturer .

 

[therealmateo]

There is no replacement for displacement. 3.6.

except when you compare the mustang 5.0 to the 392 challenger

 

[Dieseljuice21]

I went into the dealership thinking (I will only get the 3.6 Pentastar because of its proven track record.) But with the specific features, I wanted I would have either had to build what I wanted or locate it elsewhere (at the time there was one in an 800-mile radius) So I decided to drive a diesel they had which had all the other stuff I wanted. Expecting to still want the 3.6.....Well after feeling all of that torque and looking down at the mpg climbing past 30. I was sold and bought my green beast with the Cummins 3.0T Diesel.

 

[Na Kalohe]

I configured the 2.0 in 2020 and the added cost over the 3.6 was $2000. I'm so glad most prefer the 3.6 because configuring my 2021 Willys with the 2.0 with no added cost was the tipping point. Jeep must have had a surplus of 2.0's layng around because of lack of demand. Lots of pep and great fuel economy, which were my priorities. So if you don't plan on doing much rock crawling or towing a boat and trailer it's the best solution. If you do then get the 3.0 diesel. The 392 is overkill and right now way over priced.

 

[betsy]

3.6 , had one in my jk, zero problems , 100k miles.

 

[Francis405]

3.6, mine is a 2018, which I bought in 2019 used with only 2400 miles. I'm satisfied with the 6 cylinder, but I know that the turbo 4 is superior in most cases and would have probably gotten one if I bought new.

One of my friends has a 4 door Rubicon and has the turbo 4 and it has impressive power for a 4 door wrangler.

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