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Is the JL generation history in the making?

erickdiaz019

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I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts on wrangler reliability. With more competition from Ford and Toyota in the off-road space, is this going to make Jeep more sloppy in reliability because of the added pressure to make a better product for the next gen wrangler? Or will the added pressure make Jeep raise the bar even higher in reliability?

I wonder if the JL will be the last wrangler sporting the tried-and-trued 3.6 gasoline pentastar. So far, the JL seems super reliable (except for a couple things here and there under warranty). With Jeep offering complex hybrids, trying to offer electric by 2025, and Ford using turbos everywhere, I wonder if we are seeing the last years of simple, naturally aspirated engines in wranglers with the JL. Makes me want to hold on to my JL with the 3.6 to see how sought-after it might become.
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AcesandEights

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Your 3.6L won't become a collector's item any more than any other "engine" has made a vehicle collectible. All manufacturers will chase fuel economy numbers, however they have to make that a priority.
 

RockyMtnHigh

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The internal combustion engine will die. Not by 2025, probably not even by 2035, but it will die. Familiarity with the technology of today does not make it the best. No one was looking for steam engines when the ICE came around. Steam engines are cool now, but that's only because they're rare and a real piece of history. The mass produced engines of today will not enjoy the same spotlight.
 

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TeraFlex

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People have been saying this for years, but with different statements for different time frames and models. "My CJ is the last AMC made Jeep" or "my YJ is the last leaf sprung Jeep" to even the "my TJ is the last straight 6 NA engine'd Jeep" and so on. Every gen Jeep (Wrangler) from CJ to JK to even the JL and JT all have something special and different about them; and ultimately, every Jeep has it's own unique traits. You could argue on any gen Jeep for why's it's better for "X" reason. What it boils down to for us is the 7 slot grille and solid axle suspension. That's the key thing that makes all of them special.
 

Zandcwhite

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The only guys longing for the pentastar will be the same ones who still talk about how great the 4.0L was (while driving a current gen that costs a fortune more than a low mileage TJ). Nostalgia and fuzzy memories at best. The 4.0 was good for it's time, very reliable, and made good torque down low. It was also 150 hp and slow period. The pentastar is a better engine all around, but the second we can buy a straight 6 with a turbo that makes double the horsepower and way more torque through the rpm range, it will be the antique with fond memories but inferior in the real world. If the EV wrangler is well executed and has a 400+ mile range, the ice Wranglers won't stand a chance on road or off. Instant torque at any rpm is a different world, especially when crawling.
 

displayname

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The only guys longing for the pentastar will be the same ones who still talk about how great the 4.0L was (while driving a current gen that costs a fortune more than a low mileage TJ). Nostalgia and fuzzy memories at best. The 4.0 was good for it's time, very reliable, and made good torque down low. It was also 150 hp and slow period. The pentastar is a better engine all around, but the second we can buy a straight 6 with a turbo that makes double the horsepower and way more torque through the rpm range, it will be the antique with fond memories but inferior in the real world. If the EV wrangler is well executed and has a 400+ mile range, the ice Wranglers won't stand a chance on road or off. Instant torque at any rpm is a different world, especially when crawling.
I think your right, but honestly given how much longer charging takes, I hope we see a 600+ mile option before ICE goes away.

And people complain about the cost of gas / gallon. Wait until we hit $1kWh
 

Zandcwhite

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I think your right, but honestly given how much longer charging takes, I hope we see a 600+ mile option before ICE goes away.

And people complain about the cost of gas / gallon. Wait until we hit $1kWh
Charge times are misleading. My buddy road tripped his model 3 from Fort Collins, CO to our house in CA for Easter. The car will plan your charge stops for you, condition the batteries for optimal charge rates while en route, and never had to charge more than 16 minutes (staying in the 20% to 80% range maximizes charge speed). By the time you stop for gas, restroom break, and but some snacks your fuel stop isn't any quicker. On average, we get 250 miles out of a tank. Increase that range by even 100 miles and the charge time vs fueling time is a wash at best. Double it to a full 480mi, and there is no chance you stop for gas twice without losing ground to the EV. It would be interesting to see a motor on axle solid axle setup, similar to the rc crawler world, as I hope electric doesn't mean the end of solid axles.
 

toothirtyj

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Your 3.6L won't become a collector's item any more than any other "engine" has made a vehicle collectible. All manufacturers will chase fuel economy numbers, however they have to make that a priority.
... Unless you got it with the manual transmission. MT's will be gone soon...
 

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smokeythecat

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"...is this going to make Jeep more sloppy in reliability because of the added pressure to make a better product for the next gen wrangler?"

I'm trying to reconcile "better product" with "sloppy in reliability." Is the idea that in trying to make a better product they will in fact make a worse product?
 

Oncorhynchus

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The ultimate Wrangler rock crawler will sport a quartet of those Boston Dynamics robodog legs tucked under the fenders, ready to deploy on the trail as seamlessly as a set of AMP Research power running boards do today. Instead of whiny rotary electric motors they will be silent linear motors. Your rear view mirror and side mirrors will be replaced with a VR headset. And when the Empire’s stormtroopers come after you on their hoverbikes, you’ll press the OnStar button which will immediately call a battalion of Ewoks to come to your defense for which you will be billed the modest sum of one quadrillion yuan-pegged dollars automatically deducted from your Cadillacellantisfordwagen Bitcoin account.
 

Oncorhynchus

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The structural, power train, thermodynamic and kinematic components of the JL seem quite strong in both design and execution which lead me to believe they will be quite reliable. UConnect clearly has some modern design thinking and UX principles in its bones. But car companies are not so good at electronics and generally terrible at software. With modern ICE vehicles sporting millions of lines of software code I expect that the issue of software obsolescence may kill the reliability of many of today’s generation of vehicles which are electromechanico-software Frankensteins. Instead of mechanical resonance induced death wobbles, it wouldn’t be surprising if we start experiencing firmware-induced death wobbles.

I think we are in a technologically transitional epoch of automobile reliability rather than the culmination of multiple generations of incremental refinement.
 

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The car will plan your charge stops for you
Shudder. I don't want my car to plan my trip for me. What ever happened to individualism and taking a "short-cut" which takes an hour longer.

Think of all the data that Tesla et.al have to sell about you. Apple doesn't make that much selling iPhones, they make the money selling the data the iPhones collect.
 

brennaman

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The only guys longing for the pentastar will be the same ones who still talk about how great the 4.0L was (while driving a current gen that costs a fortune more than a low mileage TJ). Nostalgia and fuzzy memories at best. The 4.0 was good for it's time, very reliable, and made good torque down low. It was also 150 hp and slow period. The pentastar is a better engine all around, but the second we can buy a straight 6 with a turbo that makes double the horsepower and way more torque through the rpm range, it will be the antique with fond memories but inferior in the real world. If the EV wrangler is well executed and has a 400+ mile range, the ice Wranglers won't stand a chance on road or off. Instant torque at any rpm is a different world, especially when crawling.
I have heard others talk about the 4.0, saying it was good for it's time, but...
I thought the 4.0 w/ manual was a great combo. Slow, I guess, I don't "race" my wrangler anyway. The TJ was a little shorter and narrower wheel base, so I never drove it over 65 anyway. (well maybe a few times, but not often) But I never thought getting up to 65 while entering a hiway, I was any slower than the average vehicle. And like you said, it's torque was down low, (not like the pentastar) exactly where i wanted it.

The JL is a much better Jeep than the TJ when it comes to convenience, and comfort (not a whole lot more comfortable). But If I could have optioned my JLR with the 4.0, I would have in a heart beat. The Pentastar is reliable, they had their growing pains, but above average in reliability at this stage of the game. But I can say, I had 2 of the 4.0 inline 6, and I thought they were bullet proof. I think around 2002-2004 they had some problems, but i can't remember what that was. Luckily mine were very reliable, which is what I value most in an engine. Having the torque right where it should be was an added benefit.

Maybe I am being nosalgic, but they never left me stranded, and was fast enough for a box on wheels.:like:
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