Im not saying it would be more reliable then a 4.0, its proven for years how reliable and good of an engine it is, Im just saying you could definitely put boost on it and have decent power and not be scared to drive it anywhere. I think that the 2.5l doesnt get as much credit as it deserves. It's no power house, but it has good low end power and with the right gearing, i have always been able to keep up in traffic.
The easy thing to do would be to swap in a new engine, i know this. But i dont like being normal or doing **** easy. And honestly, you could piece it together and do it for probably around 1000, ive talked to several people who've done a 4.0 swap and were in it more then that.