I have been looking at repowering a Land Cruiser with a diesel option of some sort but, recently stumbled upon a 2021 Jeep Wrangler with the VM Motori 3.0L V-6.
My only real experience with this powertrain is with the Ram 1500 and the inability to repair or otherwise fix its transmission. Personally, I have had a mixed feeling about the Jeeps but, they do work well in rougher country which is what I am looking for. Crushing bit stretches of Asphalt at speed to get to my destination is where I think the Jeep is weakest for me but, on secondary paved roads to really bad 4x4 trails, the Jeep seems to really work extremally well.
The diesel Jeep seems to offer >400ft/lbs of Torque at ~1400RPM so, it seems like a good powertrain for off-road use assuming reliability is there. Getting ~550 miles of range with one tank of fuel is attractive too.
What would I be looking at in terms of general reliability, durability, and the common Jeep mods people typically make for a more "overlanding" focus, not rock crawling. For mods, I am thinking about mild suspension lifts, modestly larger tires (nothing super crazy but, 35"~37" is likely which seems easily supported with no, or light mods), bumpers, and a drawer system. A roof mounted tent is possible but, unlikely as I own a Taxa Tiger Moth for anything not super aggressive so, dropping the trailer for day trips to more remote areas is likely for my travels. Would a manual transmission conversion be a reasonable thing to do or, is that not really feasible due to an obscure motor/transmission interface that is a total "unicorn" exercise?
At ~$40K, I could get a Lexus LX570 or a nicely prepped Series 80/LX-450 with some money left over for travels and farkles.
So, is the Jeep Wrangler in Diesel form a good option for me? Will it be reliable in remote locations without good dealer support? Can I de-smog it for use overseas where DEF and pollution concerns are not a factor?
TIA,
Sid
My only real experience with this powertrain is with the Ram 1500 and the inability to repair or otherwise fix its transmission. Personally, I have had a mixed feeling about the Jeeps but, they do work well in rougher country which is what I am looking for. Crushing bit stretches of Asphalt at speed to get to my destination is where I think the Jeep is weakest for me but, on secondary paved roads to really bad 4x4 trails, the Jeep seems to really work extremally well.
The diesel Jeep seems to offer >400ft/lbs of Torque at ~1400RPM so, it seems like a good powertrain for off-road use assuming reliability is there. Getting ~550 miles of range with one tank of fuel is attractive too.
What would I be looking at in terms of general reliability, durability, and the common Jeep mods people typically make for a more "overlanding" focus, not rock crawling. For mods, I am thinking about mild suspension lifts, modestly larger tires (nothing super crazy but, 35"~37" is likely which seems easily supported with no, or light mods), bumpers, and a drawer system. A roof mounted tent is possible but, unlikely as I own a Taxa Tiger Moth for anything not super aggressive so, dropping the trailer for day trips to more remote areas is likely for my travels. Would a manual transmission conversion be a reasonable thing to do or, is that not really feasible due to an obscure motor/transmission interface that is a total "unicorn" exercise?
At ~$40K, I could get a Lexus LX570 or a nicely prepped Series 80/LX-450 with some money left over for travels and farkles.
So, is the Jeep Wrangler in Diesel form a good option for me? Will it be reliable in remote locations without good dealer support? Can I de-smog it for use overseas where DEF and pollution concerns are not a factor?
TIA,
Sid