Rumors are flying that the Jeep Wrangler could have the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel by 2018.

Rumors have been flying for years that the Jeep Wrangler JK will soon be available with a diesel engine. It only makes sense. Diesel engines have loads of torque starting way down low in the rpm band, and they typically get better fuel mileage than gasoline engines of similar displacement. It has not really been a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when” the Jeep Wrangler would get a diesel engine.

The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine cranks out 420 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm.

Even more obvious is the choice of that diesel engine for the Jeep Wrangler. The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel that has been a smash hit in the Dodge Ram pickup truck is surely the best pick. The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel is a V6 no larger than the current 3.6-liter gasoline engine standard in the vehicle, and it produces 240 hp at 3,600 rpm and 420 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm. Compare that with 305 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque coming out of the 3.6-liter gasoline engine.

It was just a little more than two years ago that Jeep CEO Mike Manley talked about a diesel engine for the Wrangler being “on the radar,” and recently SEC documents filed by the vehicle manufacturer offered that the Wrangler will get an eight-speed automatic transmission in 2018. This is a powertrain combination currently found in the Ram pickup truck and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, so the Jeep Wrangler is, we would think, the logical next step.

The latest talk from a yet undisclosed source is the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel will definitely be in the Jeep Wrangler by that same year. However, as usual, our inquiries for official confirmation were politely returned with the infamous “no comment” statement. What do you think the odds are that the Jeep Wrangler will have a diesel soon?

The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission are already used in the current Ram pickup truck.