Jeep made the controversial decision to drop its 8-speed automatic from the 3.6-liter V6 engine…with predictable results.
Since the Jeep Wrangler SUV and Gladiator pickup just came off their mid-cycle refreshes, we weren’t expecting much beyond minor tweaks for the 2025 model year. That’s not quite what we got, as the automaker did indeed announce one major shift back in September: The Wrangler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 powertrain would go manual-only. Now, after suffering some backlash — or “enthusiastic requests”, as Jeep more euphemistically puts it — the 8-speed automatic is back on the menu with the good-old Pentastar.
Why does it matter? Well, some folks were none too pleased about their only automatic option now being a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four or even the plug-in hybrid 4xe. Sure, you get roughly similar output to the Pentastar, as the four-pot manages 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque to the V6’s 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque…but a lot of people just prefer the V6. It’s been around for quite awhile now, and has a better reputation compared to the relatively new 2.0-liter option (we didn’t have the best luck with ours, though that was five years ago).
Still, it’s not all sunshine and roses when we get down to brass tacks, or dollars and cents, more specifically. Yes, you can once again get the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with an 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic, but it’s a hefty $4,500 premium over the manual transmission. So, on that basis, the 2.0-liter turbo with its 8-speed auto, for $2,500 over the V6/manual combination, is still the less expensive option if you’re looking for the least expensive automatic option.
In its release, Jeep did not mention whether the V6 pairing with the automatic means you’ll once again be able to upgrade the Sahara from the 2.0-liter turbo, as the street-focused Sahara has always been automatic-only across the entire Wrangler JL generation. (I put the question to Jeep and will post an update if/when I get an answer). For 2024, upgrading to the 3.6-liter V6 on Sahara was a $2,000 up-charge over the 2.0-liter four-cylinder. On other trims, you more or less pay $2,000 for the V6 engine upgrade plus $2,500 for the transmission change over the 6-speed manual.
Jeep should update its build and price page to reflect the 8-speed’s return to the V6 engine, if it hasn’t already. With this update, we return to status quo, where you can get the same sort of trims with the same powertrain configurations as previous years. Jeep is still building some 6.4-liter Wrangler 392 models for 2025, though the recent “Final Edition” suggests this will be the last model year for that particular combo. With recent leadership shakeups and the brand’s about-face on nixing the automatic from the Pentastar, though…well, never say die, right?
