I did the $110 thing from Extreme Terrain. It sounds nice and only drones at one or two rpm with throttle in the perfect position. It's much louder with the top/doors on. Topless, no drone, barely hear exhaust.
I ran an EVC for about 3 hours, and took it off. It just makes the TB think you're giving it more pedal than you are. I bought it because I came off a 2.0T JLUW XR, and the Gladiator was a complete turd in comparison. I don't know if it was a matter of me just getting used to it, engine...
As long as Jeep knows they can get away with it, then yes, everyone will get fucked. I can hear all the fan boys now, "Not my Gladiator", yes, your Gladiator too: It will fail prematurely. With the manufacturing tech available today, these powertrains should last a minimum of 300,000 miles. Now...
I highly recommend you both try out that motor with the ZF 8HP. If I recall, the only problems Jeeps were having was a waste gate issue on the first ones built, and dealers were just installing an updated turbo. The only reason I'm running the golden turd, is because it's the only gasoline...