Mopar to Jeep: Do the Wrangler and Gladiator EcoDiesel Even Lift Kit, Bro?

Jeep is in the throes of rolling out the Wrangler family’s first-ever diesel engine option (dubbed EcoDiesel by the brand). It’s also adding the same turbo-diesel 3.0-liter V-6 to the 2021 Gladiator pickup. Thing is, though, a great many Jeep Wrangler (and Gladiator) owners like messing with their SUVs (or trucks): adding accessories, replacing the stock wheels and tires for aftermarket units, and lifting the suspensions for more ground clearance. While these EcoDiesel Wrangler (and—in the future—Gladiator) owners could probably bolt on the same suspension upgrades that work on these Jeep’s gas-fed equivalents (the parts would fit, after all), they’d be better off exploring Fiat Chrysler Mopar accessories arm’s catalog, which offers an even better option.

That better option is a new diesel-specific 2.0-inch suspension lift kit. You see, the diesel-fed Wrangler and Gladiator models are notably heavier than their gas-powered counterparts. Take the Wrangler, for example. Jeep claims the EcoDiesel model weighs 4,862 pounds wet—413 pounds heavier than the standard four-door Wrangler Unlimited with the 3.6-liter V-6 and an automatic transmission. (We’re comparing only four-door Wrangler to four-door Wrangler—automatic to automatic—because the EcoDiesel engine is only available on Unlimited models and pairs exclusively with an automatic gearbox.) The diesel Wrangler also out-porks the Wrangler Unlimited when it’s equipped with the SUV’s available turbocharged 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine by a noteworthy 384 pounds. These disparities are expected to carry over to the Gladiator, too.

Mopar’s EcoDiesel-specific suspension lift kit, therefore, is tuned to account for the diesel V-6’s extra heft. As with other Mopar accessories, the kit also carries the added benefit of not messing with your new diesel-fed Jeep’s warranty—and the setup even includes a two-year, unlimited-mile warranty of its own (or the remainder of the Wrangler’s and Gladiator’s three-year, 36,000-mile warranty—whichever comes first). That’s not something you can count on from an aftermarket kit. Besides, Jeep engineers helped put this 2.0-inch lift kit together, which ought to ensure a certain amount of cohesion between the chassis and suspension an aftermarket setup might not meet.

The kits for the EcoDiesel Wrangler (part no. 77072399AE) and Gladiator (part no.77072469AC) cost $1,495 (not including installation) and include four 2.5-inch-diameter Fox shocks, new springs, bump stops, front control arms, and anti-roll bar end links. Hardware and relevant bushings are also included, and the entire kit is a bolt-on affair, meaning no cutting or drilling is needed to install it. Mopar even tosses all the components together into a cool reusable wooden crate, which can be repurposed to hold the original factory parts. (We’d probably turn it into a nifty-looking’ coffee table or something).

Besides raising the Jeeps’ suspension heights by 2.0 inches, the Mopar EcoDiesel lift kits are claimed to increase suspension articulation by 18 percent. Customers keen on upgrading their wheels and tires to meatier stuff (so, with an outer tire diameter greater than 33 inches) can also buy Mopar’s $125 speedometer calibration kit that accounts for the bigger rolling stock. The Wrangler EcoDiesel Mopar lift kit is available now; the Gladiator EcoDiesel setup will arrive later this year.

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