The fourth-generation JL Jeep Wrangler may have been with us since 2018, conquering the deadliest off-road trails enthusiasts can throw at it, but in all honesty, we haven't been getting all the Wrangler we possibly could. Despite having a Wrangler packing a Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 engine under the hood, selectable four-wheel-drive, and some of the hardiest off-road equipment available off the shelf, we've been expecting a diesel variant, but until now, we haven't received one. That's all about to change, though, as JL Wrangler Forums has managed to get their hands on the pricing for the diesel engine, along with confirmation that it is now available for order on your 2020 Jeep Wrangler.
The 3.6-liter gasoline V6 in the Wrangler is no slouch with 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, and many are excited about the economy of the new 2.0-liter turbo gasoline four-cylinder with its 270 hp and 295 lb-ft. But on both of those, the peak torque is available late - at 4,800 rpm and 3,000 rpm respectively - and when you're off-road, you want as much torque as possible, and you want it as soon as possible. That's where the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 comes in, developing 260 hp and a whopping 442 lb-ft of twist, the latter figure arriving as soon as 1,600 rpm.
The new EcoDiesel engine - borrowed from the Ram 1500 - carries a price premium of $6,000 over the base price of a JL Wrangler, with $4,000 of that making up the cost of the engine itself, and the remaining $2,000 allocated to the beefed-up eight-speed automatic transmission that comes standard on all EcoDiesel models. This represents an increase of just $3,250 over the price of the auto-equipped 3.6L Pentastar V6. That means that fully specced, a Rubicon Diesel should cost in the ballpark of $59-60k.
As standard, EcoDiesel equipped variants will feature standard eco stop/start functionality, Dana D44 axles front and rear, an 18-gallon fuel tank, and a 3.73 axle ratio - 4.10 for the Rubicon diesel. All that torque should make off-road battles a lot easier, as well as towing, while mileage should be impressive, too. However, at this stage, towing capacities have not yet been made available, and the EPA has not finalized MPG ratings.
