Is the diesel gladiator worth it?

[smoothbronco]

The pentastar does everything the diesel does and more. On a fuel and basic maintenance cost calculation it's going to take a while for the diesel to come out ahead.

I take it you haven’t driven the diesel? The gas pot is a dog

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[Gruffid]

As probably one of the earlier JT ecodiesel owners (I picked mine up just before last thanksgiving), here are my pros and cons to having the ecodiesel in our JTs.

Pros:
- Fantastic fuel economy (I’m getting around 25 MPG with my JTRD with A/T tyres and Mopar 2” lift)
- Awesome power for hauling/towing
- as a result of the diesel upcharge, you have a somewhat “limited edition” JT.

I think that’s it for the “Pros” list.

Cons:
- $6,500 pay to play upcharge (which if you’re only concerned about fuel, buys a lot of unleaded, and if you really want the power, that money could possibly pay for a HEMI swap or a supercharger for the 3.6L)
- increased price of diesel (in central Texas - at least 15-20 cents more expensive per gallon)
- decreased fuel capacity to make room for the DEF tank, negating the higher fuel economy, and therefore fuel tank range.
- DEF refill — two boxes every 4,000 miles or so.
- increased cost of engine oil and filter changes
- decreased availability of fuel stations
- fuel filler neck is small (regular petrol engine sized) so you can’t fill up at the “big truck” pumps
- if you travel into colder environments, you have to consider #2 fuel to keep your fuel tank and lines from freezing
- stock suspension (front springs) are not rated for the increased weight, ruining the ride, and (my opinion only) requiring you to shell out more cash for a suspension upgrade (some of us don’t intend to lift our trucks, thought I’m sure most of us do… so, maybe this is a wash - I just wish it wasn’t nearly mandatory) - oh, and forget a steel bumper and winch until after you put the lift on.
- decreased payload and towing capacities due to heavier weight of the diesel engine (my JTRD’s max tow is about 1,700lbs less than a 3.6L pentastar JT with similar options)
- engine is de-tuned to accommodate the reduced cooling capability of the JL/JT front end, so the engine doesn’t overheat
- do you think a snorkel would look cool? You need to make your own, because no one does, currently
- do you want an extended range fuel tank? You might be able to get the one that goes where the spare tyre goes, but I haven’t seen any specific aux tanks from either Titan or Long range America (they make one for the 3.6L

so, if you want to shell out the $6,500 upcharge and can deal with the cons, then the diesel might be right for you.

 

[Mastermind]

The diesel is $2000 more than gas (in USA)


$4000.00 option - $2000.00 diesel only rebate.

The transmission option is a non factor as nearly all are ordered with auto trans anyway.

I didn’t buy a Jeep for financial reasons, but let’s be accurate about reporting prices.

 

[Diesel Sting]

I like diesels in general. I actually sold a 2020 Silverado 2500 Duramax and bought my Gladiator. I usually get rid of them before I put any amount of mileage on them, heck, the Silverado only have 15K miles, but I also pocketed over $9K due to the market.
I had no intentions on upgrades due to the 06 LJ that I sink money into. However, 37’s looked really good and I couldn’t resist. It pulls them flawlessly. I just got back from a day drip to the beach, mostly highway, cruise set on 84 round trip and got 19.8MPG, hand calculated. This was right at 300 miles total.
I vote diesel.
If I visited forums and read all the negatives about my past and future purchases, I’d probably never buy anything. Looking for the bad reviews can sometimes lead to a rabbit hole.

 

[smoothbronco]

I like diesels in general. I actually sold a 2020 Silverado 2500 Duramax and bought my Gladiator. I usually get rid of them before I put any amount of mileage on them, heck, the Silverado only have 15K miles, but I also pocketed over $9K due to the market.
I had no intentions on upgrades due to the 06 LJ that I sink money into. However, 37’s looked really good and I couldn’t resist. It pulls them flawlessly. I just got back from a day drip to the beach, mostly highway, cruise set on 84 round trip and got 19.8MPG, hand calculated. This was right at 300 miles total.
I vote diesel.
If I visited forums and read all the negatives about my past and future purchases, I’d probably never buy anything. Looking for the bad reviews can sometimes lead to a rabbit hole.

Yep, can find bad reviews of literally anything

 

[devnull]

If I visited forums and read all the negatives about my past and future purchases, I’d probably never buy anything. Looking for the bad reviews can sometimes lead to a rabbit hole.

Whatever your vote is, read that 'Diesel Sting' said above first

I chose against the diesel even though it was really close. I have a lift and do all of my own work but am a historical gas guy and just didn't want to deal with it. The one I drove was pretty nice, but ultimately I decided to pass on it and went with the gas.

Compared to my JKU's, the Pentastar JLU/JT feels fast. Compared to my vette they are all insufferably and amazingly slow (and I dig driving them all for very different reasons).

I bought this JT three weeks ago and the vette has been in the garage since HAHA.

 

[Wat Dog]

Negative reviews are the only ones people pay attention to and I’m glad I didn’t. I had a twin turbo Ford Edge that I traded in for a diesel High Altitude and I couldn’t be happier. I get 25 mpg all day long and save money on fuel, as the Edge ran on premium. I can’t speak to the upgrades yet, I haven’t had mine long enough to really get into it but the power is glorious

 

[User_Name]

I bought the diesel for two reasons.

1. I think it’s cool.

2. It was more enjoyable to drive with the additional torque over the gas.

That was all the justification I needed, your results may vary.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

I don’t own the diesel model but I do love driving diesels. However, I drove them for work so I didn’t have to pay for the up-keep. Plus it was a 6.7L Powerstroke or a 6.6L Duramax so those are different monsters of driving experiences I suppose.

I say if it’s in your price range, then the diesel may be worth a try. For whatever it’s worth, I’m completely satisfied with the Pentastar though. And I’m coming from a Charger RT 5.7L daily.

Now that I’m reading this comment over, I’m realizing that it wasn’t helpful at all. Good luck OP ???

 

[The dude]

I had a gasser Rubi for 7 months put 14k on it. I have now owned the eco diesel for 6 months 20k miles. Would I trade back....:not a chance! are there cons, sure as with anything but it fit my needs and I love it way more than the gasser and I loved that one too..

 

[foo.c]

I take it you haven’t driven the diesel? The gas pot is a dog

Wanna race?

 

[smoothbronco]

Wanna race?

Pos motor screaming at 8k rpm, no thanks

 

[foo.c]

Pos motor screaming at 8k rpm, no thanks

You know you would lose, every which way.

 

[smoothbronco]

You know you would lose, every which way.

Ok

 

[Caraholic]

As with the ”give us a new power plant”thread-
in all my CJ,xj, tj, fsj…..none were fast.
I grew up knowing Jeep’s were slower. In the fast vs slow / if speed is the question, it should never include a Jeep. Deep low power should. That’s why I loved my online 6’s.
for the premium on a diesel- I bet you can run forced induction and a high capacity cooler for less….
my two cents

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