Torquey EcoDiesel impresses AutoTrader on the road and in the desert, but it’s not the only great engine Jeep offers in the Gladiator.
The most obvious great thing about the newest version of the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel is that Jeep decided to offer it in the JL Wrangler Unlimited. A wonderful side effect of that is it opened the door for the Gladiator getting the torque-rich turbodiesel V6, too. AutoTrader‘s Jeff Glucker recently tested out that combo in the Southern California desert.
Of course, to get there, Glucker had to take the highway. The drive out was roughly 115 miles – perfect for finding out how fuel efficient an engine can be. Glucker was pleased with what he discovered. “It’s just a really good engine with lots of range. We barely used a quarter of a tank to get out here.”
The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 continued to impress once Glucker got to his destination. Jeep only offers it with an eight-speed automatic, but that wasn’t a shortcoming to him.
In fact, he saw it as a strength. “I actually prefer the eight-speed on these modern Jeeps. I think the clutches on the manual gearbox Wranglers and Gladiators is the weak spot. The gearbox itself is OK, but the clutch kind of stinks.”
Out on the trails, the EcoDiesel’s 442 lb-ft of torque joined forces with the Rock-Trac 4X4 system to get Glucker up loose, slippery inclines with ease. “It’s just easier to put it into 4HI, set it and forget it. You do not need 4LO for this, but 4LO, with the torque of that diesel engine and the transfer case on this thing, I mean it can go over anything.”
Of course, that capability comes at a price. In the case of Glucker’s test truck, it’s a pretty steep one: $65,000 – a few thousand of which paid for the Pentastar-to-EcoDiesel upgrade. Glucker was happy to have it. He ranked the Pentastar V6 as the third best engine Jeep offers. That doesn’t mean the EcoDiesel, even with all of its efficiency, torque and climbing ability, got the top spot, though.
That honor went to the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder…that’s not available in the Gladiator.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
