Based on information found in a very dry document from FCA to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding the arcane art of Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) decoding, it appears that the upcoming next-gen Jeep Wrangler JL will have two engine options: a 285 horsepower V6 and, more interestingly, a 368 HP turbo 2-liter four. Take this with a big grain of salt, but here’s what we’ve seen.
These juicy engine details were found by occasional Jalopnik contributor and skilled wader through tedious documentation, Bozi Tatarevic. The red highlighting was done by FCA’s Vehicle Safety & Regulatory Compliance Program Specialist to highlight name changes from model year 2017.
Here’s the interesting parts:
The red bits are the focus, where we see the (New) Wrangler’s engine choices, and that 368 HP turbo-four. That engine is FCA’s all-new Hurricane engine, and if that 368 HP is true, it’d be one of the highest-output 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines anywhere. Ford’s 2.3-liter turbo-four Ecoboost engine, by comparison, makes only 310 HP.
I hope they’re planning to sell new Wranglers with that V6 for a lot cheaper, because it’s hard to tell why anyone would choose that over the I4, unless you really, really adore natural aspiration, I guess.
We reached out to Fiat Chrysler to learn more and will update if we do.