Regrets?

[Terminex]

GET THE DIESEL RUBICONI finally got to drive all engies. I had a jku, didnt like much. Had a gladiator but sold it. revamped 3.6 much better however. Long wheel base wasnt for me though. A pain going in and out of parking lots.. GET THE DIESEL!!!!!! it hauls ass! I dont wheel but I imagine its awesome and you'll have no regrets. TRUST US! The 2.0 is quick but once you hit 70mph its done. A true 4 cylinder wussy. If you look @ The 392 engine its so big that its not an ideal DD. it will throw u all over the road with its weight. The 3.6 e-torque is the nicest for me. It Has that high torque that gets you going @ 60 mph and keeps going. You know there's a 6 cylinders under the hood. FOR YOU, the DIESEL..In my humble opinion

Not sure what 2.0l you were driving. I cannot believe it was the JL.

i had a 2019 2.0l JLUS, and i loved. It was just fine at 75 mph even with the VERY strong winds we get here.

i traded it in on the 4xe. Even with all the extra weight on the 4xe Rubicon the 2.0l is still fine at 75mph on the freeway. (Even with the electric basically “off” using e-save charge mode)

To the OP, regarding your missing the truck. How much did you really need the bed of the truck? I am about to take my F150 out to my sister, because in the 2.5 years now that i have had my Jeeps, i have never used my truck. It just sits in the garage on a tender.

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[Rachel Ruby]

Look up some threads about the manual trans for the JL. Both for relibility and gearing.

Like a few others have already said, the ZF 8-Speed automatic is excellent. It really is. The gearing and programming is excellent. The automatic really transforms how the JL drives compared to the JK before it.

You can always buy a Mopar Max Care Extended Warranty for a good discount if you have any concerns.

Thank you

 

[KevinC11]

I have a JTR on 35" tires and the 3.6L with auto. It was the best driving Jeep I've owned and serves a true purpose of hauling material in the bed and feeling Jeep ownership in the cab and front end. I am a happy owner.

I just purchased a JLU Willys for my wife, on 33" tires and the 2.0L with Auto. It drives better than the Gladiator. The wife loves it and the smoothness of the transmission makes the ride much more enjoyable.

Owning both Jeeps with Automatics I will offer this. It is one of the best autos you can buy. It shifts better than anything I've driven. It provides more enjoyment and less awareness which allows you to enjoy the drive more.

KevinC

 

[Rachel Ruby]

I have a JTR on 35" tires and the 3.6L with auto. It was the best driving Jeep I've owned and serves a true purpose of hauling material in the bed and feeling Jeep ownership in the cab and front end. I am a happy owner.

I just purchased a JLU Willys for my wife, on 33" tires and the 2.0L with Auto. It drives better than the Gladiator. The wife loves it and the smoothness of the transmission makes the ride much more enjoyable.

Owning both Jeeps with Automatics I will offer this. It is one of the best autos you can buy. It shifts better than anything I've driven. It provides more enjoyment and less awareness which allows you to enjoy the drive more.

KevinC

Thank you for replying back and how much you love the automatic transmission

 

[Steph1]

This statement of the OP made me grin a little ''Don’t have to worry with the manual about overheating the transmission''

I was thinking that she's right... With the manual what you have to worry about, is the clutch setting the Jeep on fire

 

[Astro Jeep]

Why would you need to plug it in on the trail?

(Edit: I have been told that this is not how the Jeep Hybrid system works. I don't know if what I was told is the absolute truth for the 4xe, or not. It very well could be. Reader beware and do your own research.)

As soon as you run out of battery power you lose all the benefits of the hybrid. You also gain all of the disadvantages of the weight of those batteries. Load capability that could have been used for other items.

If I can not recharge it up on the trail to regain those hybrid advantages then I am stuck with the disadvantages.

I am not against the 4xE, but it would not be my first choice for an overlander. I think its niche is day trips to the trail, and around town.

 

[vegasblue]

I'm not going to get into engine choices but offer my opinion on the automatic. I love me a manual trasmission not going to lie. In fact the other ride is a Subi STI. That said, we spend the entire day on the trail. Sometimes, it's a three day weekend on the trail, rock crawling, whatever. It's nice not having to row gears all day long. I came from a CJ5 with the three speed, drum brakes, and leaf springs. As for the JLU vs. Gladiator, up to you and how you use it. Most my wheeling buddies have a utility trailer for when they need to haul stuff. Best of both worlds.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I suppose time will tell I just worried about the longevity of the automatic and the additional cost compared to a manual

Our 2019 JLUR has 46k miles on it and ~34k of those have been on 37’s and now 38’s. There hasn’t been so much as a hiccup out of the 8 speed auto. The zf 8 speed auto in my 2017 rebel has 103k trouble free miles including towing the Jeep through the Rockies (a shade over 8k lbs with the trailer. These autos are next level good. The gladiator is long and the departure angle isn’t great. It is compromised as an off roader. A small utility trailer will quickly make up for the pickup bed and you can wheel uncompromized the rest of the time.

 

[Zandcwhite]

As soon as you run out of battery power you lose all the benefits of the hybrid. You also gain all of the disadvantages of the weight of those batteries. Load capability that could have been used for other items.

If I can not recharge it up on the trail to regain those hybrid advantages then I am stuck with the disadvantages.

I am not against the 4xE, but it would not be my first choice for an overlander. I think its niche is day trips to the trail, and around town.

That’s not how hybrids work. You do realize none of the early hybrids were plug in right? Do you think they got an initial charge from the factory and then just lugged around the batteries and electric motor after that ran out? My company car is a c-maxx and I never plug it in, and yet every time I get in it it rolls out in electric only mode. Every time I step on it the electric assist is there. Maybe it’s magic, but my money is on the regenerative braking system keeping a charge in the batteries. On plug in hybrids, like the 4xe, the all electric mode has a limited range and you’ll quickly deplete the batteries beyond being able to run in electric only mode even if you plug it in. There is always enough power retained by the system that the electric assist works when the skinny pedal calls for it. There’s a long, winding, downhill stretch on my drive home that typically adds 5 miles of pure EV range just from the regenerative braking.

 

[Astro Jeep]

That’s not how hybrids work. You do realize none of the early hybrids were plug in right? Do you think they got an initial charge from the factory and then just lugged around the batteries and electric motor after that ran out? My company car is a c-maxx and I never plug it in, and yet every time I get in it it rolls out in electric only mode. Every time I step on it the electric assist is there. Maybe it’s magic, but my money is on the regenerative braking system keeping a charge in the batteries. On plug in hybrids, like the 4xe, the all electric mode has a limited range and you’ll quickly deplete the batteries beyond being able to run in electric only mode even if you plug it in. There is always enough power retained by the system that the electric assist works when the skinny pedal calls for it. There’s a long, winding, downhill stretch on my drive home that typically adds 5 miles of pure EV range just from the regenerative braking.

Welp, I learn something new every day. Thank you.

 

[aldo98229]

You seem to have your facts backwards:

1. Off-roading with an automatic is 100 times easier than with a manual transmission. I too started wheeling in a manual transmission Wrangler. Years later I discovered that it was so much easier with the automatic because I didn’t have to worry about the clutch and momentum. All I had to do was pick my line and go! I still enjoy shifting gears, but don’t miss it on the trail.
2. The Torque-Flite 8-speed automatic these Jeeps come with is one of the most robust, reliable, responsive, durable and refined transmissions on the market. Chrysler has been using this transmission for years on Rams, Grand Cherokees, Dodge Hellcats, SRTs and everything else, and has developed an excellent reputation. Moreover, the transmission is so well calibrated it is always in the right speed. The 6-speed manual, on the other hand, has had issues since day one. It already had a couple of recalls. The latest one involved a software update that reduces engine torque to prevent the transmission from overheating.
3. Wrangler is a much better trail rig than Gladiator. Gladiator’s long wheelbase is notorious for getting hang up on rocks. Yes, Gladiator is the most off-road worthy pickup you can buy, but it is still less so than a comparable Wrangler.

If I were to play Dr Phil for a moment, I’d think that you are getting cold feet out of fear of leaving your comfort zone, which is with manual transmissions.

Be as it may, if you had to make the switch one day, you couldn't have found a better transmission to do it with than this 8-speed automatic.

Good luck.

 

[R3TRO]

I'm a manual guy too... owned many sports cars and dirt bikes. This is by far the best auto I've ever driven. I think if I had a 2dr I'd still want the 6pd, but it just works for me in our 4dr. Surprisingly good in manual mode too. Very responsive and actually kinda fun. But quite honestly it just always knows what gear to be in, so unless you want to control a steep decent or towing a long grade, just put it in 'D' let it do its thing.

 

[Wabujitsu]

Pin both engines and the 4cylinder doesnt have much left after 70. I could feel the difference. However, off the line and around town the 2.0 is better.

You may have something wrong with your 2.0T. I’m on my second Jeep with that engine. Many times I have been cruising at 80 on the interstate, passed someone and in shock looks down to see I was doing 100MPH+. In my wife’s 3.6 eTorque Jeep, it has no guts over 70 MPH compared to my 2.0T.

I would have a mechanic check your engine for issues.

 

[viper88]

You seem to have your facts backwards:

1. Off-roading with an automatic is 100 times easier than with a manual transmission. I too started wheeling in a manual transmission Wrangler. Years later I discovered that it was so much easier with the automatic because I didn’t have to worry about the clutch and momentum. All I had to do was pick my line and go! I still enjoy shifting gears, but don’t miss it on the trail.
2. The Torque-Flite 8-speed automatic these Jeeps come with is one of the most robust, reliable, responsive, durable and refined transmissions on the market. Chrysler has been using this transmission for years on Rams, Grand Cherokees, Dodge Hellcats, SRTs and everything else, and has developed an excellent reputation. Moreover, the transmission is so well calibrated it is always in the right speed. The 6-speed manual, on the other hand, has had issues since day one. It already had a couple of recalls. The latest one involved a software update that reduces engine torque to prevent the transmission from overheating.
3. Wrangler is a much better trail rig than Gladiator. Gladiator’s long wheelbase is notorious for getting hang up on rocks. Yes, Gladiator is the most off-road worthy pickup you can buy, but it is still less so than a comparable Wrangler.

If I were to play Dr Phil for a moment, I’d think that you are getting cold feet out of fear of leaving your comfort zone, which is with manual transmissions.

Be as it may, if you had to make the switch one day, you couldn't have found a better transmission to do it with than this 8-speed automatic.

Good luck.

The JL 3.6 and 2.0 use a ZF sourced 8-speed automatic.

 

[AcesandEights]

I think it's pronounced regerts.

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