N20jeep

So unless you've been living under a rock you already know about the JK.
Jeeps replacement for the TJ. Often refered to as a tank, soccer mom jeep, or turd by people who consider themselves "die hard jeepers". anyways, the Jeep JK wrangler has posibly been the best thing to happen to Jeep. It has sparked sales to people who were never "Jeep" people before. And spread the offroad bug to more people than ever. the longer wheelbase means a more comfortable on and off road ride, more interior space, and just a better overall feel. The JK's leave the showroom with a solid drivetrain, including a standard rear d44, beefy NV241 Tcase, smooth 6speed manual or auto, and the rubi's came with a front d44 with front and rear electric lockers, a NV241or t-case. and all jk's from 2007-2011 came with the lackluster 3.8 stroked minivan motor. this left a displeased feeling for many owners who felt the 200hp engine was very underpowerd, especially when larger tires were added. This has been the number 1 complaint i hear anytime i talk to JK owners.
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But, it seems chrysler has heard everyones cries and decided to do something about it. and that brings us to the point of this thread. the 3.6l pentastar direct-inject engine. this engine was promised to have a better powerband, more power (290hp/240lbs/tq), veriable valve timing, better fuel milage, flex fuel capability.....we will see....

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Today the first 2012 JK hit our shop. and of course, i had to take it for a nice test ride.
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The Jeep is 2012 4door, hardtop, with the automatic. (with 60 miles on it) so, first run down the street the jeep feels nice and tame, and is VERY responsive compared to the 2007-2011 versions. this alone by itself is very nice. and at low RPMs you can definetly feel the increased torque and better powerband. now it was time to put the hammer down and see what it has.

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I went down to an empty back road and came to a stop....then floored it. the tires chirped for a sec as the jeep was taking off. so far so good, the power feels great as its running out the rpm range. The VVT is astounding as the power just keeps increasing and the jeep keeps pulling harder and harder until a nice firm shift starts it all over again. now, as i was being impressed by that, i remembered that one of the huge complaints of the previous JK's was getting back up to speed after doing a U-turn. The combination of the weak motor, laggy drive by wire, and strict traction control made doing a u-turn a dangerous experience. as the JK has been known to cut power while doing a shart turn since the jeep will "feel" like there is a traction issue even though there is not. Well, i have good news...that doesnt seem to be the issue with this jeep. Also, during my drive i found that highway driving is just as impressive. Passing someone at speed is now actually a possibility, instead of just a faint dream.

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Overall the new motor has exceeded my expectations. and keep in mind that this test drive was done with a fully loaded 4door sahara model with a hardtop and automatic transmission...which is possibly the heaviest JK you can buy. I cant wait to drive a 2 door softtop version! And for only having 60 miles on the odometer, this jeep isnt even broken yet, and i expect the power feel to only get better. This new found power along with the stylish interior upate that was done for the 2011+ years make the new JK a very nice and capable Jeep that is sure the represent what the Jeep name stands for. Well done Chrysler, well done!

NickH

I have previously owned a 2dr manual JK on 35's and power was horrible, even worst after the lift (I however was on spyderlocks). I had to have my foot in it all the time. The new interior has caught my eye, I had the previous have painted doors. Easy to scratch up. The plastic was just as easy to scratch up and I tried not to put loose change anywhere. I really like the new JK's but the price associated with them is ridic and modding is also a expensive chore. However a unlimited JK on 37s remains my dream rig (with a Hemi stuffed under the hood). Thankyou for a review...any word of if the "truck" version is coming out...or is mopar just sticking with the kit?

N20jeep

as far as i know, the truck version isnt going to be a production thing. but, hopefully that will change.

NickH

I am however very curious to how one feels lifted on 37s, doors off and top off...geared of course. Maybe in a couple of years after the new motor bugs are worked out.

NickH

Bummer, I think that would have a rather large following.

N20jeep

hopefully, we will start getting the 12's in for bigger jobs like that.

i agree, but i also think a factory Hemi option would sell like crazy......but.....odds of that happening are slim

kickniteasy

this is why I don't buy a new car unless it's right off the truck (literally, I watched my WRX get unloaded and told them not to go fill it up) Glad they fixed the power issue, not glad someone's getting a new jeep that's been floored before break in.

N20jeep

this isnt the 60's....there is no such thing as a slow break in anymore. most modern PCM's will have writing that will elimite power if needed during the early miles. and motors come more than broke in by the time they reach the dealership floors.

if you honestly think flooring a modern vehicle will somehow damage it, then you are clueless. it's not being over-revved, its not having sustained high rpm runs.

besides, in my experience working in a machine shop building high performance motors, the only "break in" period was the 20-30 initial minutes to break in a cam. driving softly does nothing good to break in bearings and rings any better than running through the RPM's. but thanks for the concern.

XJPat

Great engine review. I just wish the rear interior door panels weren't so cheap. I love the jk unlimiteds' but everytime I see those door panels I can"t help thinking I'm not spending 33000+ for that, but then again I'm cheap.

kickniteasy

tell this to someone that is about to write a 30K check for a car. Just saying, whether you actually did damage or not no one wants to pay new car prices for a used car. I bet if you told someone that was about to buy that "I took it out and floored it to post a review on a forum" the deal would sour pretty quickly. My point is, this is why I only buy a new car if I see it come off the truck....if someone's going to floor it and I'm paying a new car price I sure as hell better be the first one to have fun in it. See also...the techs at the BMW dealer that got fired for taking a new 1M out for a joy ride.....not unlike what you did.

AZOTH99

I really like the JK we have, it is a really nice ride. The only complaint I have is I guess it's underpowered. For the stock tires it does fine, I've cruised over 80 MPH and it drives smooth at high (for a Jeep) speeds. Pretty easy to get bigger tires under it. as for the underpower, there's plenty out there to boost up the power in them now. I am curious about the pentastar motor though. Don't know if I like it yet. As I heard rumors about Jeep trying to make a non-user maint friendly motor. Something about them wanting a motor only the dealer does maint on. That would suck

anyway enough of my rambling

OttawaXJ

wouldnt put it past them, my next Jeep will most likely be a JK but I'll be buying one thats been hydrolocked and replacing the motor with a 350.

MannyLedezma

Definitely my only complaint about my JK. Having the unlimited, it is an underpowered pig. However, after adding a Diablo tuner and re gearing after lift and tires it's not that bad. Waiting for the 3.8 to die to either do a hemi or 4BT conversion. The interior is nicer, but I like my plain no frills cheap plastic interior.

xj_maniac_newb

id personally love a jeep brute

Burgy

Did I hear right that all new 2012 models receive the same transfer case as the Rubicon now? Also, what front axle and rear are they putting on the standard 2012 models? I'm thinking about buying a base model now that they put in the Penastar v6.