One owner’s recent dyno results suggest the 2021 EcoDiesel could be making as much as 495 lb-ft.
Jeep might be underselling the stump-pulling torque of the twin-turbocharged 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 in the Jeep Wrangler, it seems.
Last week, JL Wrangler Forums user 40″JLURD shared the results after taking his 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon EcoDiesel to an independent dyno in Southern California, showing as much as 397 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. Comparing that to the factory-claimed 442 lb-ft of torque as measured at the crankshaft is difficult; the old “15-percent” rule-of-thumb for estimating drivetrain loss rarely holds true, and there are a lot of variables, both with regard to the testing conditions and the dyno itself.
But if that 397 lb-ft at the wheels were to equal 442 lb-ft of crank torque, that would mean drivetrain losses of just 10 percent, which seems unlikely.
Why? Because the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon has a number of attributes that would, in theory, create more drivetrain loss than the average vehicle. All else being equal, automatics suffer greater losses than manuals, four-wheel-drive vehicles – even with the front axle disengaged – suffer greater losses than FWD or RWD vehicles because of the transfer case, and bigger tires tend to sap more power than smaller ones. Plus, we’d venture to guess that the Wrangler’s brawny Dana rear axle is a significant source of loss.
If we assume the “standard” 15-percent drivetrain loss, this Wrangler EcoDiesel put out about 467 lb-ft of torque at the crank. If we assume 20-percent loss, it put out 495 lb-ft.
Ultimately, we might never know how much torque the Jeep Wrangler’s 3.0L EcoDiesel actually makes, but the evidence seems to suggest that the engine is underrated from the factory. Just as important, the EcoDiesel represents something the Wrangler’s new arch rival, the Ford Bronco, doesn’t have: a torquey oil-burner that does its best work low down in the RPM range, where you’re liable to be spending most of your time off-road.
