Which engine to order with Rubicon (canceling a 4xe order)

[Chainringtattoo]

This is a decent thread and everyone can make a case for the engine that suits their needs. I went with the diesel.

I live 90 minutes from Moab so my weekend wheeling involves 100 miles on the interstate to get there and another 100 back. I'm in the process of adding one ton axles and 40s. With the 3.6 and 2.0 I wouldn't get the range to go to Moab, wheel and get back home on one tank of fuel, especially after adding several hundred pounds more weight. It's not a big deal, but not having to get fuel before returning home is nice, especially if I'm coming off a trail north of Moab. I'll easily be able to do that with the diesel.

Further, the diesel just makes more sense when adding more weight and bigger tires. It's a beast of an engine and the torque will make rock crawling a breeze.

I don't care about more maintenance. I wheel a lot so maintenance is part of the fun for me. I haven't done my first oil change yet but I doubt I'll let the dealer do it when I'm ready. I prefer turning my own wrenches whenever possible. And I can't feel the extra 400 lbs. It seems light compared to my old JK but that's about to change.

The only downsides I can see is how complex the diesel is. If something goes wrong with the emissions I won't be able to fix it. And I don't like how exposed the DPF and DEF tank are but skid plates will take care of that. Most times finding fuel is a not a problem but I did almost run out of fuel going through Kansas because I let it get too low and then the station I stopped at was out of diesel. I had to backtrack 10 miles with no room to spare. I did not like that. Now I fuel up a lot earlier. Yeah it goes through DEF faster than I thought but 440 lb ft of torque gets me over that issue.

Sponsored

 

[viper88]

I totally respect anyone who does due diligence on a expensive purchase.

I get what you mean about anything BMW. BMW=Bite My Wallet!

Surprisingly JLR pricing for me is not so different from 3 years ago. There is more standred equipment on the 2022 Rubicon so it actually might be cheaper than a 2021 for the same equipment. I was able to sell and buy a 3 model newer JLR for just about the same money.

Back in '19 I bought a 2019 JLR for 7%-under invoice. I sold that '19 JLR back in May of 2021 for more than what I paid all-in, taxes and everything. I ordered a 2022 JLR on 11/19/21 for 5%-under invoice because Affiliate was not active for Wranglers when I originally ordered on 11/19. The dealer will honor the extra 1% discount for Affiliate through Tread Lightly if it becomes active by the time I take actual delivery. Someone on this forum just posted Affiliate was valid on 2022 Wranglers again. Fingers crossed!

I did notice a few dealers started discounting less lately. So prices might be on the way back up? I noticed this starting in late Dec, 2021.

It is confirmed. Affiliate is back for 2022 Wranglers so I am getting another 1% of invoice off. ....

Maybe NOT? I just called FCA Affiliate Rewards and was told only the 4xe was eligible.

 

[Glovetown]

Which wrangler generation / transmission was your 3.6 in? The 3.6 8spd in my JL 2 door executes highway passing with plenty of punch.

Mine was 2013.

 

[WVJEEPZ]

I went with the 2021 ecodiesel JLU Rubicon. Pulls hills like a champ and certainly beatS the mpg I got on my previous JKU. Not noisy at all. 100k drive train warranty.

 

[GGolds]

Hey all,

I've read through a lot of these threads but I'm interested in getting some fresh thoughts on this question. I have been waiting for a 4xe for months and reading the endless issues and shutdowns, I'm going to restart the ordering process (woe is me!). In doing so, here are my engine considerations.

1 - It will be a rubicon. I will take it off road but really not a ton. Live in PA and likely will see more trails than actual rock climbs.
2 - I will have the tow package but won't tow much if ever.
3 - Will have standard wheels and no lift.
4 - Will have a mix of commute miles (20 miles/day at 30-45 mph) and longer 4-6 hour trips once every couple months.

What I want: Mostly reliability. But also some nod to fuel efficiency and fun.

Really tossed up between the three engines: V6, 4-turbo, and ecodiesel. I'd pull the trigger on the diesel but I feel like its reliability is somewhat a concern and it is loud (is it?). Love to hear more about it. V6 is the most reliable but its MPGs blow and it's kind of the middle child--good at a bunch, great at nothing. 4-turbo gets good mpg and a nice jump from the gun but I hesitate with the meager 4-banger. Is it really any fun? Anyways welcome the thoughts.

At least I can get the Sarge Green if I go through with this.

Why cancel the 4xe. My Rubicon 4xe has been perfect. Also, the $7500 for the down payment because it's a hybrid meant I didn't have to come up with extra down payment money. The 4xe is a GREAT very strong engine better then the 6. So I'd go with that if you don't want the 4xe. The 4xe is FAST fyi.

 

[Kiki392]

Get a 392.

All other answers with a different engine suggestion are wrong.

I concur.

 

[WorkingMan]

Hey all,

I've read through a lot of these threads but I'm interested in getting some fresh thoughts on this question. I have been waiting for a 4xe for months and reading the endless issues and shutdowns, I'm going to restart the ordering process (woe is me!). In doing so, here are my engine considerations.

1 - It will be a rubicon. I will take it off road but really not a ton. Live in PA and likely will see more trails than actual rock climbs.
2 - I will have the tow package but won't tow much if ever.
3 - Will have standard wheels and no lift.
4 - Will have a mix of commute miles (20 miles/day at 30-45 mph) and longer 4-6 hour trips once every couple months.

What I want: Mostly reliability. But also some nod to fuel efficiency and fun.

Really tossed up between the three engines: V6, 4-turbo, and ecodiesel. I'd pull the trigger on the diesel but I feel like its reliability is somewhat a concern and it is loud (is it?). Love to hear more about it. V6 is the most reliable but its MPGs blow and it's kind of the middle child--good at a bunch, great at nothing. 4-turbo gets good mpg and a nice jump from the gun but I hesitate with the meager 4-banger. Is it really any fun? Anyways welcome the thoughts.

At least I can get the Sarge Green if I go through with this.

Get the Pentastar V6 - It has a very strong record as a reliable and relatively efficient engine. I love mine. When I'm driving 2 lane roads 60 MPH or less it get 25 MPG. Combine city/highway is about 22 MPG. I have a stock 2 door.

 

[Chainringtattoo]

$23.97 per 5-qts - https://www.amazon.com/Pennzoil-550...ynthetic/dp/B01M6YFM58/ref=asc_df_B01M6YFM58/

$25.60 oil filter - https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-...dp/B0986XV8CX/ref=psdc_15727201_t5_B08G8K3Q42

$75 total

That's the wrong oil. This is the correct oil. I have not been able to find it in the 5 qt bottle yet. Also, I've seen some people have issues with the non-Mopar oil filters. The cheapest Mopar filters I have been able to find were $44.00 here.

 

[Iggy]

I'm guessing but am thinking there will be about 50% in favor of the Pentastar 3.6, 35% for the 2.0 Turbo, and 15% for the ecoDiesel. Just a guess.

I live at 4,600' and regularly drive over 7,000'+ passes in the Sierra. I wouldn't have anything other than the 2.0 Turbo. For a non-diesel, the 2.0 turbo builds torque fast and low, and is quite torquey on the road. The automatic is well matched to the 2.0's power parameters.

The diesel would be great, but not for $6,000 (including transmission) and only a small increase in towing capacity which you say isn't important for you.

The 2.0 gives me 22-23.5 MPG at 4,600+ feet of altitude. That is about 4-6 MPG less than a diesel.

The bottom line is that the two gas engines are about equal, but the 2.0 is more eager and gets a bit better MPG. The diesel is great for power but is expensive to buy and maintain.

 

[00 Trans Ram]

That's the wrong oil. This is the correct oil. I have not been able to find it in the 5 qt bottle yet. Also, I've seen some people have issues with the non-Mopar oil filters. The cheapest Mopar filters I have been able to find were $44.00 here.

You don't need to put MS-12991 spec oil in the diesel. It's just oil. It lubricates parts. It's not magic. The manual says "recommends", not "will blow up if you don't use". Here's the language:

" For best performance and maximum protection under all types of operating conditions, the manufacturer recommends engine oils that meet the requirements of FCA Material Standard MS-12991, and that are API SN certified and meet the requirements of FCA LLC. "

Just get good quality oil, and good filter, and be done.

 

[ODell81]

I love my 4xe and have a similar daily commute. 11 miles each way. I am running on 37 inch BFG KO2s with a winch and Rock Slide Engineering steps and get to work on 50% of my battery. I have plenty of power. My first tank I used 13.7 gallons and went 830 miles. The second tank I got 1000 miles on the same 13.7 gallons. I do have a level 2 charger both in the garage and at work. With the cost of electricity here in Oregon 12 cents per kilowatt hour all total including the 27 gallons of gas I have spent less than 12 cents per mile. I haven't had any issues with the 4xe which came off the assembly line in October.

 

[bajanut]

This is a decent thread and everyone can make a case for the engine that suits their needs. I went with the diesel.

I live 90 minutes from Moab so my weekend wheeling involves 100 miles on the interstate to get there and another 100 back. I'm in the process of adding one ton axles and 40s. With the 3.6 and 2.0 I wouldn't get the range to go to Moab, wheel and get back home on one tank of fuel, especially after adding several hundred pounds more weight. It's not a big deal, but not having to get fuel before returning home is nice, especially if I'm coming off a trail north of Moab. I'll easily be able to do that with the diesel.

Further, the diesel just makes more sense when adding more weight and bigger tires. It's a beast of an engine and the torque will make rock crawling a breeze.

I don't care about more maintenance. I wheel a lot so maintenance is part of the fun for me. I haven't done my first oil change yet but I doubt I'll let the dealer do it when I'm ready. I prefer turning my own wrenches whenever possible. And I can't feel the extra 400 lbs. It seems light compared to my old JK but that's about to change.

The only downsides I can see is how complex the diesel is. If something goes wrong with the emissions I won't be able to fix it. And I don't like how exposed the DPF and DEF tank are but skid plates will take care of that. Most times finding fuel is a not a problem but I did almost run out of fuel going through Kansas because I let it get too low and then the station I stopped at was out of diesel. I had to backtrack 10 miles with no room to spare. I did not like that. Now I fuel up a lot earlier. Yeah it goes through DEF faster than I thought but 440 lb ft of torque gets me over that issue.

I also have the 2.0 Turbo auto transmission and 36k miles, no problems whatsoever runs great, great mileage, my use is like yours mostly daily driver and in the desert (Baja) so mostly sand and occasional rocky terrain the boy does awesome very happy and if you see the graph most of the torque and HP is in the usable range between 1800 rpm's and 5000 rpm's to get the same torque the 3.6 you need to be in the upper 5000 RPM's who revs the motor that high? when you can get it at 2500 rpm's with the 2.0 turbo, my understanding (I may be wrong) is that it is not a "new" engine, that it is new for a wrangler but it's been around in the Fiat world for a while? Anyhow I installed a Speedform throttle controller and it makes a huge difference I normally run it in Eco mode 1 around town and saves gas, but when I need pep just bump it up has 4 modes and 9 levels each mode. P3-level 9 (performance 3 Mode - is the top mode) you barely touch the accelerator and it burns rubber !! .... Well my two cents and my personal opinion.

 

[bajanut]

By the way I made some calculations on how long it would take to recoup the $4000 extra you have to pay for the Diesel engine (only the engine) and using an average of $3.75 per gallon (a year ago, now in California is $4.80 avg per gallon) it was before the diesel engine came out and the expeculation was 30 mi/gal. I calculated back then it would take you driving the jeep diesel 82,135 miles (compared to 2.0L engine) and 71,111 miles (compared to the 3.6L engine) miles to make up for the $4000 difference in price, and that is assuming a 30 miles/gal for the diesel and 22 mi/gal for the 2.0 and 18 for the 3.6. How many years is that? with an average of 20k miles a year is 4.1 years and 3.5 years respectively to start "saving money on gas" . . and that was then, now with the new prices of gas the price of oil changes and that the diesel does not give you 30 mi/gallon (it says 25 mpg average), you have to tack more miles driven = more time to make up for the difference in price. So don't tell me you save in gas, no you don't you pay upfront for that and handsomely. So if you are going to buy it it will not be for the fuel saving but for the torque that's it.

 

[bajanut]

check this article I think my numbers were extremely conservative on the diesel over the 2.0T fuel savings

https://www.cars.com/articles/2020-jeep-wrangler-ecodiesel-real-world-fuel-economy-414306/

So fuel savings is not an argument since you pay upfront and will take you "a few years" to start "saving in fuel" So yes, no argument on twice the torque, but how many times are you going to need that much torque ? are you going to be climbing rocks every weekend?. Again my two cents.

 

[viper88]

It's great to have available choices. Why can't everyone just buy what they prefer?

Personally I had a '19 JLR 2.0T eTorque and loved it. I absolutely loved the 2.0's driving dynamics. The extra torque was noticable. It help hide the weight of the JL. It was a perfect match with the ZF 8-speed automatic. The eTorque start stop is much better than the ESS system. The extra torque at start up, the 1/2 tire rotation is noticable. It has extra cooling lines and a 48V battery but it was problem free. Unlike some early ESS vehicles. Bad ESS Aux 12V batteries still are causing issues. Just do a search on this forum for ESS related problems. Unfortunately the 2.0T is no longer available without the ESS system with the 12V Aux battery for 2022. I did not want ESS with the aux 12V battery. As a result I ordered the 3.6 eTorque with my 2022 JLR. The 3.6 is definitely smoother, has slightly better NVH, and has a much more liner power delivery. It is not as much fun to drive though. I will miss the 2.0T. MPG is probably a wash because the 3.6 requires regular gas where as the 2.0T required premium. I think both engines are reliable. I do feel ESS is more prone to issues if you have a bad aux battery.

Sponsored