I still like them and if the wife and I can find a diesel one that's not priced so absurdly we plan to snatch one up. Part of that is due to the lack of diesel options out there as well, because they're rare and they're going to be more rare in the future.
The trajectory of regulations is not trending toward logic and sound engineering. It seems that this massive industry is being led by government regulators that got in place by showing up and getting better than 50% on multiple choice tests and religiously quoting slogans.
And again I'll make the point that what maintains our vehicles is not HP. Torque and the torque curve and the gearing is what you should be looking at unless you're racing and even then you're looking for torque and then you also want to ensure you've got the RPM range too. I have 160 hp, I can't beat a 4.0 with acceleration, but I can load up and get on the highway and put it in 5th gear and never down downshift until I pull off for my exit. A 4.0 can do the same with the right gearing, because it's just torque and driving at the correct RPMs.
For factory type gearing and what kills me on most compact trucks is their lack of torque. 300 ft lbs with anything 4.10 and numerically smaller a great way to keep your modern transmission from constantly shifting for a vehicle that's roughly 5,000 lbs. Because I tend to tow a bit more often, my preference would be around 400 ft-lbs so my transmission isn't shifting as often. Now with the the 3.6 Pentastar, which is a "sporty" high revving engine, the torque is a bit low, but with a gear change it would be ok. However its better suited IMO for something lighter duty, though it is a good fit as far as cooling and some other considerations of the Jeep.
Looking around at the ED and the tunes you can get 400 ft-lbs around 1,500 rpms. It's a turbo vehicle so yeah there's a delay, but when you're towing, anticipation is just what you do and as far as off-road, diesel is awesome, especially with a proper tune. I tend to like to just lightly touch my throttle so the lag really is a non-issue for me anyway, because I don't mind being passed when accelerating. Plus Jeep tends to like to run fuel lines near exhaust so they can burn a few Jeep BBQs, which I'd rather avoid too, though that'll be easier to deal with than when they decide to go EV and someone slips on a rock and punctures a battery and there's no way to put the fire out.
When I'm towing, especially our camper, it can be difficult getting into refuel the vehicle, so I like to minimize the times I have to fill up and getting sub 10 mpg with a gas engine is kinda awful, but with the diesel I think I'd get about 14-16 mpg once its tuned and deleted while towing. My preference is to bring a couple of fuel cans for emergency and refuel when not hooked to the camper.
Cooling is still a gamble, but diesels like heat to a point, but removing the EGR cooling load might be enough to do the trick, but it very well might require slowing down on really steep grades or going with 4.10s or a transmission cooler or turning off the AC or going with a smaller tire or putting it in D and not OD. The deletes are difficult for these engines, but the alternative makes the diesel an unreliable option IMO. However vs building my own diesel Jeep truck, I'll be time ahead, if it will even stop me from building one.
Don't get me wrong I think for most people they should get the Pentastar and I think if they offer a 392 or V8, that it'll be the best option for most people. I can't stand V6s, because I like to keep vehicles for decades and the only reason I'd go V6 diesel is because of how rare the diesel options are and when a diesel is working I love the way they operate.
For all of the new engines though I suggest doing your research on how the coolant is flowing between the block and the head and how the EGR is designed, because a lot of EGR can act like bombs, though now they tend to just blow up your head gasket and often the coolant flow of the new blocks and the different material of the head and block is inadequate during operation and after operation and will take out your head gasket prematurely and when figuring out your head gasket is bad you will often mess up the bottom end too, which is often designed to handle just a little more than its max rating, but let it miss a few times and its damaged ready for the dumpster.