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Question: How good is the 2.5 i4 in a jeep wrangler?

(Posted by: Theo on 2010-02-27 19:34:47)

Im looking to buy a wrangler online thats from 1997 or younger and i noticed that on my budget most of them are 2.5 liters i really want a manual I6 4.0 but like i said those are rare at my budget if i were to buy a 2.5 liter manual would that engine be good? im thinking it would be too weak for some highway travel 70mph+ cause i know it should be fine for offroading but i dont know if it would be powerful enough all around

Posted by: schnor_schnor on 2010-02-27, 20:12:03

You will be much happier spending the few extra bucks on an I6. Alot of people talk about not even being able to hit 65mph in their 4 cyl wranglers. The I6 is one of the most reliable engines out there. Yes the 4 cyl will be ok for offroading but you would be much happier with the 6 cyl for all around performance. If you have to do highway driving, if you feel like you will need a decent amount of power at anytime, if you feel like you might be doing some hardcore offroading, rock crawling, or mudding, and if you want a vehicle that feels like it has enough power to pull its own weight up steep hills and at least go the speed limit on the freeway, get the I6 4.0L. My 4.0L can feel sluggish sometimes. the 4 cyl has even less power. They are geared differently but will be much more sluggish than 6 cyl jeeps. If you ever plan on lifting it and putting larger tires on it, then you really want the I6. Like i said earlier. you will be much happier to spend a little bit more on a 6 cyl jeep.

Posted by: calnickel on 2010-02-27, 19:51:24

Not a lot of power, but really good for 4x4 (less weight, less fuel burn, plenty of torque in bull-low). They are just as bulletproof as the I6 (actually the same engine with two cyls hacked off). Get a 5 spd if you can.

Posted by: das.frettchen on 2010-02-27, 20:02:47

Well, like the previous answer says, it would do great off-road and would give you better fuel economy. I have a '98 with the 4.0L I6 and let me tell you, it has great power in the low end and accelerates easily.. however even with the 4.0L at highway speeds a head on wind can easily prevent you from going 70mph unless you have the pedal smashed to the floor. I've put 25,000 miles on my Wrangler in the last year alone so that statement comes from experience on the highway with it. It's not uncommon when driving like that to see your miles per gallon as low as 12 or worse. So long story short, I have never experienced a Jeep with the 2.5L on the highway but I can't imagine how hard it would be to go 70mph with the slightest head-wind.

Posted by: JeepByBosk on 2010-02-27, 20:03:32

If you keep it pretty much stock, you will be very pleased with both the highway performance and gas mileage. It will run 70-80 mph with no problems. However, If you put larger tires on it, you are going to bog down on the highway. My son has a 95 that came with 2.5L and 32 " tires. It was almost too much for the 4 cylinder. We have since replaced the 2.5 with the 4.0 (don't attempt unless you have a lot of extra cash just laying around. Check out the pics of "bonesaw " on the link below.