Thoughts on diesel Grand Cherokee

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Bandito440

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Hello folks. I test drove a 2014 Grand Cherokee Limited today. It has the VM Motori turbodiesel and a ZF 8-speed transmission. It has all of 9,200 miles.

I love it. The diesel is plenty powerful and the interior is much more luxurious than anything I've owned before.

My concern is the reliability. I've had disastrous luck with Chrysler products.

Does anyone have one of these, or any thoughts on the vehicle? If time allows, I'll be test driving a Volvo XC-70 and diesel GMC Canyon tomorrow.
 
I originally was looking at the diesel, but ended up with the gasser - 3.6 Pentastar. I love it, but I've had good luck with Chrysler products in the past.
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It's comfortable, quiet, rides nice. Handling is great, the cooled seats are excellent. The UConnect and gauge cluster are a treat. 900 watt 19 speaker stereo. What's not to love?
 
The Jeep will hold its resale the best,
I don't know enough about the Volvo, other than Mack trucks. some European things can get finicky finding parts and/or service (times where you can be hundreds of miles away from a Euro mechanic or a Volvo dealer)

The GMC would be fairly comparable, but the value would fall quicker than the Jeep.

All have "issues" and "coulda/can happens"

pretty much, pick your poison IMHO.

I personally would hit the Jeep the hardest, getting a good deal on a Jeep is hard anymore, "Volvo was cheaper and that's a higher scale European make" and so on...
 
Spent a lot of time researching JGC. Early diesel builds like the one you are considering develop poor driveability due to carbon build up in the cylinder head, corrected by replacing the head. Also some problems with the camshaft rotating on the sprocket, it is not keyed.
Looked at the gas v6 as well but seems to have a flaky 8 speed transmission. If I were buying, it would be the hemi version. The transmission is an 8 speed but a different build.
My 2 cents.
 
I just did some research. Looks like its a steady $8,000 more for a diesel one. $30k vs $38k. In order to break even on the fuel economy savings, you'd have to drive over 350,000 miles. Just to break even.

I'd much rather have the 3.6L, it has plenty of power and is proven to be reliable.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I just did some research. Looks like its a steady $8,000 more for a diesel one. $30k vs $38k. In order to break even on the fuel economy savings, you'd have to drive over 350,000 miles. Just to break even.

I'd much rather have the 3.6L, it has plenty of power and is proven to be reliable.


As cool as it would have been to have a diesel, I just couldn't justify it. I went from Central Phoenix to Goodyear today = 26.2 MPG round trip with the 3.6 going 78 on I-10 and a few miles of surface street each way to get to the freeway from home and to my destination.

Growing up my parents had an XJ Cherokee with a 4.0 and that thing got teens on the highway! Amazing the fuel economy the new Jeeps get.
 
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone.

I'll drive a few more vehicles before I make a decision.
 
Out of the three you mentioned I would go with the Canyon, except I'd probably go with the gas version. Also, I wouldn't be so sure that it won't hold it's value as well as the Jeep. Pickups tend to hold there value pretty well in certain parts of the county.
 
Just to add in I also looked at the diesels when I picked up my Grand. A couple things turned me off from it...

Only slightly better fuel economy. It certainly rated better, but factoring in the initial extra cost of the Jeep, plus the fact that diesel is usually more expensive, it was almost a break even.

I've gotten 23-24 with cruise set around 65, with 70 its more like 21-22. Mine may be a bit worse due to the offroady tires, gearing and a little added weight (rock rails, and shielding underneath).

If the diesel was the same price, I probably would have considered it more. You also mentioned reliability. While from what I saw the diesel didnt seem too bad, the Hemi's are pretty [censored] reliable. Mine is only at 27,000 miles, but no issues so far. I've heard great things about the 3.6 V6 also, so if you dont need the extra power that could even be a better option.
 
The diesel version will be superior on the long trips, especially when fully loaded and/or towing or long commutes to work. That low end torque is very nice on hilly terrain, head wind etc. Also the diesel will not be so eager to downshift and will hold the top gear longer. For driving around town and shorts trips, gas engine wins every time.

Even just comparing my in-laws 2011 Jetta TDI to the gasser cars, IMO it is superior for long, highway commutes. It revs nice and low and there is so much low end torque that the tranny hardly ever needs to get out of the top gear. Even with minimal fuel savings, I would prefer a diesel option if I were accumulating lots of miles.
 
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I would love to have one but i don't think i would ever buy into that diesel engine anytime soon. Tons of people having warranty engine replacements on the Rams. I would want to see a few more years of someone elses headaches before i got in.

Until i see that diesel really prove itself i would rather get an honest N/A V8 suv like a Tahoe/suburban/silverado.
 
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts so far.

I drove the Chevy Colorado today, as there aren't any diesel Canyons nearby. I like that too, and nursed 30 mpg out of it on the highway with cruise control set to 65. The 2.8 Duramax is more truck-like that the 3.0 EcoDiesel. It's less refined and has a little diesel rattle, which I like. It's a nice little truck. The Volvo is next.
 
Well, unlike everyone else... I actually own one, so no speculation.

I like diesels. I don't like filling up. We like to drive long distances and we are in the country in high desert Northern Nevada and in high altitude. Wasn't interested in a gas motor for this vehicle.

That being said, this was perfect for us.

I was concerned with possible issues, so I bought the longest extended warranty I could.
At 15k, so far so good.

The $ spread between 3.6 gas and diesel was $3k in SF Bay Area, where I bought it new. Real market, not some speculation based on MSRP.

The MPG rated mileage is not what you get. Set cruise and you are in the low 30's, which gives you a pretty good range. Otherwise, mid 20's for us.

Very stable in inclement weather and with snow tires, a great truck in snow and ice.

The diesel gets you bigger brakes and rear axle then the 3.6, which is always good.
The VM 3.0 is not brand new and has commercial applications in Europe.

At altitude, the turbo keeps the power up there, unlike a n/a gas motor especially on long mountain grades and passing.

I thought it was a good value (a little under $40k) for what you get. A poor-man's ML350, so to speak, since it was engineered with the help of Mercedes back in the day and supposedly shares some component/chassis/running gear design.

As for what you read on the internet; seems like you hear more from those with problems who post on every site in multiple, so there appears to be more problems... then those who you don't hear from that have no problems.

Hope this helps...
 
If you do decide on a Jeep GC 5.7 Hemi
Consider a Durango 5.7 Hemi.

You can sometimes find a used Durango with the same or more features as the GC, at a sometimes lower price.
Jeep is a name that could sell anything at any amount and people will eat up, so the demand for even used jeeps is high.

The Durango you could more than likely find a bargain for
 
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