Delforce22

The sophisticated, state-of-the-art three-liter VM V6 diesel available in the Jeep Grand Cherokee comes at a significant cost: it is a $4,500 option, unless buyers go for the top-of-the-line Summit 4×4. Then, it’s $5,000, according to the HeraldNet.

The Grand Cherokee spans an impressive range of prices, starting from $29,790 (including destination) for the base Laredo rear-wheel-drive model; even that trim level includes an eight-speed automatic similar in design to those used by BMW and Rolls-Royce. The top model is the SRT, which tips the scales at $63,990 but is considered by many to be a bargain, when compared with similar models from luxury brands.

The V6, when coupled to the eight-speed automatic, is expected to provide acceleration similar to that of the first Hemi models with the five-speed. Currently, all Grand Cherokees use eight-speed automatic transmissions, including the diesel.

The VM diesel produces a bit less horsepower than the gasoline V6, but more torque than the gasoline V8 (SRT excluded); the added torque is especially helpful in a heavy vehicle like the Grand Cherokee. Fuel mileage is the prime strength of the diesel, though, with preliminary estimates of 22 / 30 for the rear drive version — much better than the V8’s 14/22 or the gas V6’s 17/25.

Diesel engines are typically more expensive than gasoline engines; the Cummins diesel in Ram heavy duty pickups, which is chosen by most buyers, sells at an even higher premium. The diesels’ greater torque, high compression rates, and exceedingly high fuel pressures require both greater precision and far more durable materials than typical gasoline engines.

Wally

iTrader: (1)

I was seriously looking at the GC to purchase this year...but i may just hold off and see what the diesel will be like now!! Saw it mentioned on some auto show i was watching....if its gonna be a turbo then things may just get very interesting when the tuners get a hold of it

Delforce22

Same diesel that's supposed to go into the 1500 Ram, guess it will be approx the same bump in price. Interested to see what the tow ratings are. The V6 Jeep is 5000 lbs and V8 is 6000 lbs currently.

Quicksilver

Hopefully the ratings are accurate/better then before, the previous diesel GC was a waste as it never performed well as they geared the pos 5 speed so poorly to it. Same motor in the heavier ML got way better real world numbers then jeep owners.

only thing is how pricey it is now and cost of diesel, would take me like 35-40k miles to recoup the difference at current prices and who knows what diesel will cost during that time or beyond. Wonder how it will lease though, the X5 diesels leased very well for what their price was, BMWs lease good anyway though generally.

Keith Atlanta

For what its worth, the Jeep GC is a great vehicle. It is domestic and is pricey.

6 years ago I priced out a new GC - the monthly payment was $600 something. I ended up buying a Range Rover with 10K miles on it for a $80 lower monthly payment since they amortize out with higher resale.

I still have the Range Rover - it has 150K miles on it, runs like a top with zero problems and has 1500lb more tow capacity (7700-8500 depending)

slpcamaross97

Volkswagen has been putting the diesel in the Tuareg since 2004. 2004-2007 was a twin turbo V10 diesel. Then in 08 we switched to the 3.0 single turbo common rail Bosh injection. I would buy this way before a Jeep diesel. Tuareg has more power, tons of towing capacity, With the high end build quality of Import. With top notch techs that actually know diag and repair.

teamsynergy

The wife has been bugging me about buying her the new Jeep GC and as soon as I saw it had a Diesel option... I was interested. I have a 10' VW Jetta TDi as my daily driver, and 13' Chevy 3500HD Crew Duramax as the toy puller.... love the diesels. However, the VW has had some problems surface with their Bosch common rail fuel injection system.... major failure with the pumps causing metal to go through the whole fuel system. Total cost to fix is approx. $7-8k. This started a couple years ago and VW has been intermitent to stand behind and warranty it whether you were within the warranty period or not. If I own the car for another 3 years (currently have 89k on it and put 20k on a year) this failure is hard to swallow. According to the forums, the Toureg has the same failure. There are a lot of finger pointers out there as to what the main cause is but the main point is, in two years time, Bosch still has not come up with a fix. Updated pumps are continuing to fail. I love my Jetta... car is fast, a blast to drive and gets 46MPG. However, I am not sure I would buy another due to this failure mode.... And, if the tech does not get every piece of metal out, say good bye to your new pump...

Now that I have side tracked this thread... Yeah, I think the new Jeep is pricey but what new tech isnt?

wannabe

More information here: http://www.automedia.com/Blog/post/P...el-Engine.aspx

Says it will be in the Ram 1500 at some point too...

Interesting

Captain YARRR

This could really be the perfect vehicle for me if it could yank my Dominator out for ten mile round trip to fill up instead of paying marina prices for fuel. Very interested to hear tow ratings.

Captain YARRR

I towed my Monterey 218 with a Cayenne. I loved how comfortable it was, how it handled and how much power it had. Did a great job towing. The downside is that the thing was a basket case. It had things breaking at 40k miles that an American vehicle would never break. Drive shaft? Really? C'mon. Then of course it was four times the price of an American vehicle.

Got rid of that thing in a hurry.