2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Diesel, Price, and Review. By now, the Jeep Wrangler JL is an all-too-common sight on the roads, especially around our home base in Colorado. Whether in two or four-door variants, from the base Sport up to this fully-loaded Rubicon, I saw about 5,000 other Jeeps that looked just like mine in my short time with this 2025 Jeep Wrangler. Despite that, I still felt special, and that’s all down to what’s under the hood. Now, you can buy a brand new Jeep Wrangler with FCA’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine.
This 2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon EcoDiesel borrows its engine from the Ram 1500 pickup. It has the same 260 horsepower, as well as a large helping of torque, at 442 lb-ft. You are limited on which specific versions of the Wrangler you can equip with the EcoDiesel. At time of writing, you can only get it in four-door Unlimited models with the eight-speed automatic transmission.
At time of writing, a winter storm recently rolled through our neighborhood. What better way to test this Rubicon which, by the way, already blew me away with its eye-popping $64,380 price tag. Yeah, we now live in a world where a factory Jeep Wrangler costs well north of $60,000.
Can you live with the diesel?
Coming into this weekend, there was just something that doesn’t quite compute in my mind when you put together the concept of “Wrangler” and “diesel”. On paper, though, it should be a match made in heaven. You have all that low-down torque for slow-speed off-roading. On the other hand, you also have improved fuel economy over the old warhorse, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6. Fire it up, and you’ll be left in no doubt what you’ve bought thanks to the classic diesel clatter. FCA did work on making the engine quieter in this generation, and there’s more sound deadening so the loud noice doesn’t penetrate quite so easily into the cabin. That said, it still does sound more or less like a truck, especially when it’s cold.
2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon EcoDiesel Snow Review: Is The Ultimate Wrangler Really Worth The Hefty Price Tag?
Reliability is still an unknown quantity, but you can’t deny all that extra torque comes in handy.
Most of you won’t mind that, I know. TFL’s own Tommy Mica thinks the diesel is fantastically cool, and it’s all the better since you can actually hear it. That’s hard to argue, and I think I ‘d get used to the engine after a bit more time. Once it warms up, it’s actually pretty smooth and quiet as diesels go.
Even better is that it is quick thanks to all that torque. It’s definitely no Pentastar, as I left my gas-powered cohorts in JLs and JKs behind at the lights. Now, this generation of VM Motori’s engine seems to be more refined than previous EcoDiesels, which have had their issues. I can’t speak to long-term reliability, but the diesel did feel like a solid powertrain as it left its first impressions. Then it should, considering it’s a whopping $4,000 over the base gasoline V-6.
It’s got it where it counts…off-road
That premium does pay dividends in terms of fuel economy, as we found out in real-world testing. That video is coming up, but the short version is that it does indeed meet (and exceed) its EPA fuel economy ratings on the highway. Driving around town, however, the fuel economy I experienced– about 20 mpg– was nothing spectacular.
So, if you make long highway trips to work or want a fuel efficient road trip machine, the EcoDiesel certainly passes muster in that department. Take note, if you do opt for the EcoDiesel, that the model has a smaller fuel tank than the Unlimited models with either the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or the 2.0-liter turbo I-4. Whereas both those cars have a 21.5 gallon fuel tank, the EcoDiesel only has 18.3 gallons at its disposal, since you also have to consider the DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) tank.
You can only get the EcoDiesel with an eight-speed automatic, but at least you get a proper gear lever, and another to manage the transfer case.
This is a Rubicon, the best of the best Jeep has to offer from the factory. Front and rear locking differentials, electronic sway bar disconnect, a true two-speed transfer case that you engage by pulling a proper lever. I’m not going to let the opportunity pass to test the 2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon EcoDiesel off the beaten track. Despite the recent 3-6 inch dusting of snow, what you can’t see in the pictures here is the trail still covered in ice. Yikes.
The Wrangler Rubicon’s Off-Road Pages give you a comprehensive look at everything you ‘d want to know while off-roading.
Staying warm and comfortable, and having fun
” Whatever,” I thought. “It’s a Rubicon, surely it can handle the snow”. And indeed it does. This top-dog Wrangler came equipped with a set of severe snow-rated BFGoodrich KO2s. We have a history with those tires here at TFL, and they performed no less admirably on the Wrangler Rubicon Ecodiesel than anything else we’ve had. What also came in useful, though, was the Jeep’s Off-Road Pages app. While you do get indicators in the digital part of the gauge cluster to tell you what everything’s doing, this provided a more comprehensive view. On the 8.4-inch Uconnect 4 display, you can see which of your differentials are locked, whether the sway bar is disconnected, your steering angle, altitude and even your GPS coordinates. Dig further, and you can also keep an eye on accessory gauges (like transmission temperature) and your pitch and roll when you’re going over tricky obstacles.
Add to that the optional Sky One-Touch power soft top, heated leather seats, automatic climate control and the cool looking LED light group, and I honestly came away from the experience wanting to buy this Wrangler.
Verdict: It’s the perfect machine for a select few
I expected the 2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon EcoDiesel to be remarkable off-road, and it was. It’s also good around town if you don’t mind the diesel sounds, and it gets decent fuel economy. I came away with a similar attitude to the Toyota 4Runner, actually. As an everyday car, the Wrangler isn’t perfect. It does have loose-feeling steering and a firm ride thanks to higher spring rates to accommodate the heavier engine. But, as an indomitable force off-road and its characteristic Jeep charm, you can’t help but like the Wrangler.
Where my opinion differs from one of the Wrangler’s chief competitors is on price. On the TFL scale of “Buy It”, “Lease It”, “Rent It” or “Forget It”, the $64,380 price tag puts this firmly in the “Sorry, can’t even come close to affording it” category. Really, this specific combination is suited extremely well for the Forest Service, who could use the economy and the torque as well as the off-road capability.
2025 Jeep Wrangler MSRP Price and Release Date
They’ll almost certainly rise thanks to continued strong demand, although arrival of new competitors like the Ford Bronco and Land Rover Defender could temper the increase. Base-price estimates here are the manufacturer’s destination fee, that has been $1,495 on the 2025 Wrangler. Expect the 2025 Wrangler Sport MSRP to begin at $30,000 in two-door form and $33,500 in Unlimited guise. Estimated base charges for the ’20 Sport S are $33,000 and $36,500, respectively. Search for base prices of $40,000 for the two-door and $43,500 for the four-door Rubicon, with the Moab trim pushing the starting price to around $50,000 and $53,000, respectively.
To those estimated base prices, expect to include $2,000 to replace the 6-speed manual transmission with the 8-speed automatic. Add another $1,000 for the turbo four-cylinder engine. The ’20 Wrangler Sahara will again come only being an Unlimited with the automatic at an estimated base price of $42,500 with the V-6 and $43,500 with the turbo four. Most shoppers will select the four-door Sport S or Sahara and will likely spend at least $45,000. Discounts aren’t probably be much of one factor, but Wrangler has a good record of reliability and a highly skilled one for resale value, with a few of the highest residuals in the whole industry.
