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Why No Turbo-Four in the Jeep Gladiator?!

By William Maley

· 1,775 views

  • Comes down to towing capability

We have been wondering for some time why the mild-hybrid eTorque powertrain was missing from the Gladiator's available powertrains. The eTorque powertrain pairs a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder with a 48-volt mild hybrid system. This not only improves overall fuel economy, but provides slightly more torque than the 3.6L V6 - 295 vs. 260 pound-feet. We assumed the reason came down to possible issues with towing. It seems our hunch was right.

The Drive reached out to FCA to see why the Gladiator wasn't being offered with the eHybrid. This was the response from the spokesperson.

"The 3.6-liter engine can handle the temperatures seen while towing."

Reading between the lines, it seems Jeep doesn't expect eHybrid powertrain to handle the towing duties of a pickup truck. The Gladiator is rated to tow a max of 7,650 pounds, beating the Chevrolet Colorado Diesel by 50 pounds.

Source: The Drive

    • User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Rising Star

    riviera74

    Premium Subscriber

    Wise decision.  Save the hybrids for Chrysler cars and minivans.

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    • Grand Master

    G. David Felt

    Premium Subscriber
    38 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

    Wise decision.  Save the hybrids for Chrysler cars and minivans.

    But I thought RAM had a Tow capable 48V Hybrid system already? Why not use it here?

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    • Grand Master

    Robert Hall

    Premium Subscriber
    Just now, dfelt said:

    But I thought RAM had a Tow capable 48V Hybrid system already? Why not use it here?

    Maybe packaging issues?   The RAM has a lot more space than the Wrangler/Gladiator under the hood...

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    • Enthusiast

    William Maley

    Editor
    36 minutes ago, dfelt said:

    But I thought RAM had a Tow capable 48V Hybrid system already? Why not use it here?

    That's hooked up to the V6 and like @Robert Hall said, they may have run into some packing issues.

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    • Thanks 1
    Newbie

    ocnblu

    Members

    No benefit to the system.  Ram Rebel E-torque is rated for 22 MPG and gets 17.5 in real world testing over to the TFL... worse than the high-powered 6 cylinder in the Raptor and the good ol' 5.3 in the Chevy Trail boss.  All that for a hefty price premium over the normal Hemi.  LOL.

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    • Collaborator

    daves87rs

    Members

    Well, if you’re out in the middle of nowhere, where are you going to charge it? ? 

    Just not sure of the use in a Jeep.....

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    • Grand Master

    G. David Felt

    Premium Subscriber
    31 minutes ago, daves87rs said:

    Well, if you’re out in the middle of nowhere, where are you going to charge it? ? 

    Just not sure of the use in a Jeep.....

    FCA 48V hybrid system assists the ICE power train with much added instant torque and reduced fuel consumption. You can run it on pure gas and still get the electric benefits, you just would not have pure electric range till the battery was charged up.

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    • Haha 1
    Collaborator

    daves87rs

    Members
    1 hour ago, dfelt said:

    FCA 48V hybrid system assists the ICE power train with much added instant torque and reduced fuel consumption. You can run it on pure gas and still get the electric benefits, you just would not have pure electric range till the battery was charged up.

    Yeah, I know-just being sassy.. ? 

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    • Haha 1
    Mentor

    smk4565

    Members
    On 12/6/2018 at 10:57 AM, Robert Hall said:

    Maybe packaging issues?   The RAM has a lot more space than the Wrangler/Gladiator under the hood...

    An E-class has a 48 volt hybrid and 6 cylinder under the hood, if it fits there, I am sure it would fit in a Jeep.

    They have a turbo 4 in the Silverado, so how can they make it work and not overheat but Jeep can not?

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    • Grand Master

    G. David Felt

    Premium Subscriber

    Seems the First Jeep Gladiators are rolling off the assembly line finally.

     

     

     

     

     

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    • Like 1
    Collaborator

    daves87rs

    Members
    On 12/6/2018 at 10:17 AM, riviera74 said:

    Wise decision.  Save the hybrids for Chrysler cars and minivans.

    Agreed...

    Less Jeep mess to clean up......

  • Quote
    • Grand Master

    G. David Felt

    Premium Subscriber
    9 minutes ago, daves87rs said:

    Well, as long as I can charge it... ? 

    Choice does humans good! :D 

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    • Newbie

    ocnblu

    Members
    9 hours ago, dfelt said:

    Choice does humans good! :D 

    Sure, at an estimated TEN THOUSAND dollar premium over a normal Wrangler, I am sure they will sell like hotcakes off an electric griddle.

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    • Grand Master

    G. David Felt

    Premium Subscriber
    3 hours ago, ocnblu said:

    Sure, at an estimated TEN THOUSAND dollar premium over a normal Wrangler, I am sure they will sell like hotcakes off an electric griddle.

    Who says it will cost an extra $10K? ?‍♂️

  • Quote
    • Grand Master

    Robert Hall

    Premium Subscriber
    1 hour ago, dfelt said:

    Who says it will cost an extra $10K? ?‍♂️

    I guess that was inferred from this paragraph at the linked story..

    Jeep said that the Wrangler plug-in will launch in 2020. It will likely cost a fair bit more than a basic Wrangler, considering the fact the base Pacifica Hybrid is about $13,000 more than a base non-hybrid version. Some of that is probably due to equipment differences, but the hybrid powertrain will still probably command a premium of a few grand.

     

    History has shown that no matter the price of options, the Wrangler still sells well..

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    • Like 1
    Grand Master

    G. David Felt

    Premium Subscriber
    16 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

    I guess that was inferred from this paragraph at the linked story..

    Jeep said that the Wrangler plug-in will launch in 2020. It will likely cost a fair bit more than a basic Wrangler, considering the fact the base Pacifica Hybrid is about $13,000 more than a base non-hybrid version. Some of that is probably due to equipment differences, but the hybrid powertrain will still probably command a premium of a few grand.

     

    History has shown that no matter the price of options, the Wrangler still sells well..

    Agree the wrangler will still sell well.

    Was curious, so off to the Chrysler website to see what details were.

    Pacifica Limited has a $44,445 MSRP.

    Pacifica Limited Hybrid has a $45,545 MSRP

    I am expecting Jeep to keep the price tight like this too!

  • Quote
    • Grand Master

    Drew Dowdell

    Editor-in-Chief

    $10,000 over a base Wrangler, but they won't sell the hybrid as a base model. It will be a premium optioned model and then get the hybrid powertrain on top of it. 

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    • Like 1
    Newbie

    ocnblu

    Members

    Yup, and the Ford Bronco will have removable doors and roof as well, with the side mirrors attached to the a-pillar, unlike the Wrangler/Gladiola, which have the mirrors attached to the doors.  Ford has a better idea here.

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