Jeep News: Why No Turbo-Four in the Jeep Gladiator?!

[William Maley]

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

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[riviera74]

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

[David]

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?

[Robert Hall]

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...

[William Maley]

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.

[Drew Dowdell]

No place to put the batteries maybe? The back area of a RAM is a lot larger than in a Gladiator

[ocnblu]

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.

[daves87rs]

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.....

[David]

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.

[daves87rs]

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.. 😉 

[smk4565]

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?

[David]

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

 

 

 

 

 

[daves87rs]

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......

[David]

On 12/6/2018 at 7:17 AM, riviera74 said:

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

 

6 minutes ago, daves87rs said:

Agreed...

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

Too Late, the Wrangler PHEV is out already on the roads being tested.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/03/20/2021-jeep-wrangler-phev-spy-photos/

 

[daves87rs]

1 minute ago, dfelt said:

 

Too Late, the Wrangler PHEV is out already on the roads being tested.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/03/20/2021-jeep-wrangler-phev-spy-photos/

 

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

[David]

9 minutes ago, daves87rs said:

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

Choice does humans good!  

[ocnblu]

9 hours ago, dfelt said:

Choice does humans good!  

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

[David]

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? 🤷‍♂️

[Robert Hall]

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..

[David]

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!

[Drew Dowdell]

$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. 

[David]

This is very cool read on how JEEP is planning to make the Gladiator stand out in the crowd starting with the removable doors.

https://www.autonews.com/future-product/jeep-gladiators-conquest-plan-stand-out-crowd

I had no idea that in the US, 1,400 trucks are sold a day here. WOW are we Truck Crazy!

[ocnblu]

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.