Grand Cherokee CRD diesel
Anyone with an owners report on this new vehicle?
It's ridiculously gutsy from a standing start, even with the relatively heavy Quadra-Drive II four-wheel drive underfoot. It's no surprise, because the engine puts out 376 pounds-feet of torque at 1,600-2,800 rpm, as well as 215 horsepower at 3,800 rpm. What makes this engine stand out, though, is how quiet and smooth it is. It's definitely the most refined diesel engine I've ever driven in a car — or light truck, as the case may be.
The 3.0-liter V-6, which has been used in the Grand Cherokee overseas, is a Mercedes engine that is arguably the most advanced small diesel made. When you start — and particularly when you stop — the engine there's no vibration that shouts "diesel."
The new engine is the foundation of Mercedes' Bluetec system, which promises record-low emissions when operated on low-sulfur fuel. The Grand Cherokee CRD isn't currently Bluetec, though it does include a particulate trap to catch all that diesel soot we Americans object to. One could say the car is diesel-ready, in a sense. When low-sulfur fuel hits the pumps here within the next year, Jeep can begin to sell Bluetec versions that make the engine as clean as possible.
Expect to see the Grand Cherokee CRD in early 2007, except in non-diesel friendly states like California.
Jeep GC Diesel
It's ridiculously gutsy from a standing start, even with the relatively heavy Quadra-Drive II four-wheel drive underfoot. It's no surprise, because the engine puts out 376 pounds-feet of torque at 1,600-2,800 rpm, as well as 215 horsepower at 3,800 rpm. What makes this engine stand out, though, is how quiet and smooth it is. It's definitely the most refined diesel engine I've ever driven in a car — or light truck, as the case may be.
The 3.0-liter V-6, which has been used in the Grand Cherokee overseas, is a Mercedes engine that is arguably the most advanced small diesel made. When you start — and particularly when you stop — the engine there's no vibration that shouts "diesel."
The new engine is the foundation of Mercedes' Bluetec system, which promises record-low emissions when operated on low-sulfur fuel. The Grand Cherokee CRD isn't currently Bluetec, though it does include a particulate trap to catch all that diesel soot we Americans object to. One could say the car is diesel-ready, in a sense. When low-sulfur fuel hits the pumps here within the next year, Jeep can begin to sell Bluetec versions that make the engine as clean as possible.
Expect to see the Grand Cherokee CRD in early 2007, except in non-diesel friendly states like California.
Jeep GC Diesel
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Glad to hear you like your GC. Keep us posted on mileage and overall driving experience.
There are some downfalls that I'll bring to your attention as well. Oil changes at the dealership crowd 200 dollars Canadian. They're only required every 6000 miles but still. I find the dash cheap and " to plastic" for my liking and there is a poor standard warranty. You need an extended warranty to get proper coverage.
I considered this vehicle long and hard before I went ahead and purchased it, but have no regrets whatsoever.
Since this is a Mercedes engine, are you absolutely required to get your oil changed at the dealership to preserve your warrantee? Also, what speed do you generally drive on the highway to get 25 MPG?
As far as speeds, I drive above posted limits and pay no attention to trying to conserve. That would probably mean at least 120k or 70 miles an hour.
I have noticed fuel consumption increased since the colder temperatures arrived. That is usually the norm for all vehicles and it was only a mile or so per gal.
It is in all aspects very good in the freezing rain and snow with no problem starting in the cold weather.
Very pleased with the vehicle so far
I only have 420km on it,and still have just under half a tank of gas left.The torque is awsome,and braking exceptional.No problems so far,although there was a small crease in the leather drivers seat,and a small thread of stitching hanging from the leather wrapped wheel,minor stuff.I hope to get many years from this truck.
I am the proud owner of a 2008 Jeep GC Overland diesel. I love this vehicle. I find the seats very comfortable, the ride is great and the engine is fantastic--both for city and highway driving.
Passing is no problem and gas mileage is terrific (meeting and sometimes exceeding sticker values). I also love all of the tech stuff---uconnect phone, mygig, nav, and so on. Even has heated seats for the backseat.
Compared to the 06 hemi I had...I'll take this one....and spend more time on the road rather than putting in gas...
I wish they would have kept the automatic fold-in for the mirrors (as I had on the 06 GC)...that is handy for parking in a narrow garage...
The only minor negative point I might make about the engine is the slight hesitation that sometime occurs when the engine is shifting into turbo mode....
Would I buy another one....absolutely.....
perhaps even a 2009...with the rumoured bluetec Cummins diesel...don't know which engine would be better?? Cummins vs Mercedes??
so canadian 24 city 31 highway converts like this:
24/1.2 = 20 mpg city usa
31/1.2 = 26 mpg highway usa
Come on summer
This am I noticed some water leaking through the right hand console where you would put your hand to grab the handle on the inside of the windshield,upper right trim if you will.I opened the plug on the panelling and about 1/4 cup of water spilt out.The panelling itself was soaked.I then checked the panelling on the left hand console and sure enough,that was also wet.I took the vehicle to the dealer and they said that some cherokees are having the same problem.
If you open up your sunroof and look at the seal in the front along the roof frame,you will see two little holes,each connected to a tube which leads down into the frame of the vehicle along both sides of the windshield.Apparently any moisture in your sunroof drains along these tubes.If these tubes get moisture in them,they could leak,atleast thats what the dealer told me,as this could be the only cause of the panels inside my jeep getting wet.Obviously,completely unacceptable for a 50g vehicle.My truck goes in for service in the am so I will post what they find. :mad:
ps - c'mon man, stick with either english or metric units, make a commitment one way or the other!
For comparison my '06 Volvo S60 D5 Geartronic, (185bhp/295lbft), has returned just shy of 30mpg, (that's US Gallons), over the last 4000 miles - i.e. since I bought it. Most of that has been town/urban with the occasional good run and far too much "floor it & smile" driving. Keeps me happy, even with ULSD being the equiv of circa $8.40 per US Gallon in my area. Around London the cost of Unleaded has now broken the $10 per USG barrier and ULSD is slightly more expensive.
No, I know the S60 isn't a Grand Cherokee but it's hardly a lightweight, either.
We are such cry babies
Do you know what folks are getting for mileage with the Grand Cherokee CRD? I looked at them here and the back seat was too cramped. I just wish my Sequoia was a diesel instead of a gas guzzler. Biggest problem for me is the short range with only 26 gallons. At 17 MPG on the highway I don't feel comfortable pushing it past 350 miles between gas stops. That is a pain when my Mercedes Sprinter would go 500 and my Passat TDI would go an easy 600 miles.
Hopefully someone will open a class action lawsuit so that I can get involved. What a scam!
There are a few dealers selling the diesel from $19,999 to $21,999.00. For 4X4 add $2,000.00 to either of the prices.
What happened is that when many of the diesels were manufactured the fuel sat in the tank too long and went bad so Jeep or the dealers had to pull the fuel tanks, clean out the lines and anything that involved the fuel system. Then they were sold with the full factory warranty and the repair was disclosed in writing to the buyer. Only owning the vehicle for a week makes it hard for me to talk about how great I think it is, but one thing I know is that when the diesel hit the market at around $40K I was very disappointed because I am a fan of diesels. At $20K I am one happy camper.
If you want to check on availability you can go to auto.trader.com and using a zip code of 75042 and do a range of 75 miles. Should come up with Greenville Chrysler and Bonham Dodge/Chrysler.
Good luck to all.
Thinking this would be a substantial improvement over my Silverado that gets 15mpg. I love my truck but also have a 107 mile daily round-trip commute to consider, and a boat to tow.
The gearing is extremely thick and tight on the low end - all 5 gears are only abour 10-15 mph apart so the RPM I checked tonight at 70MPH is quite high for a diesel at about 2600 so its not in the sweet spot like I had with the Liberty CRD I had - would cruise at about 2200 at that speed. Having said that there isn't much movement on the tach from 65-85 - maybe a couple hundred at best from what I saw. All things considered though comparing a liberty CRD (had it for 80k miles) and this WK CRD is not even close. The transmission is a 1000 times smoother and it ALWAYS has get up anywhere in the range. The transmission seems to be constantly working and keeping you where you need without knowing it - and the accelaerator pedal feels almost endlessly deep compared to the Liberty CDR. I actually only floored the WK once when test driving and it was a long push and was REALLY strong and smooth all the way through to about 80.
Having said all that - I wish it had a 6th gear too because the RPM's would come back into the sweet spot while crusing. I am getting 21.2 MPG right now but its 50/50 city-highway. I have no idea why they didn't add it but all things considered I would rather have it thick on the low end than top end. I am really happy with it and disgusted they didn't keep it alive and stopped at 2008. -- Andy
Enjoying the vehicle, time will tell on overall satisfaction. What it came down to for me was the complete package consisting of: amenities, RWD, diesel and it is a mid size SUV that had a price of $20K. I do not think there is another vehicle that comes close to this deal.
Wish you'll good luck with your jeeps.
The front page of the Dallas Morning News auto section on Sunday did a review of the SRT-6.1L Grand Cherokee and the mileage was listed at 11 and 14. So that helps the disappointment of the freeway mileage a little. Hard to believe my 4 speed auto Dodge diesel gets better highway MPG at around 23-24 for a much heavier and larger vehicle with a whole lot more motor. But as we know the gearing makes a big difference.
Consumer reports says that this is one of the better vehicles to come out of Chrysler, take it for what that is worth to you.
Good luck to all.
I have Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel 2007 with P 245/65/R17 tires. I would like to buy new aftermarket rims. My question is how far I can go in size of the rims and tires and not compromising factory specification, that include also winters set of wheels and tires.. Any help appreciated.
Thank you.
What did you do with your Liberty?
2008.5 GC Laredo North Edition.
Ont, Canada
The last diesel GCs made were 2008.5s last ones built Dec, 08. These are 2009 GC with 2008 emission certified diesel engines, hence 2008.5, to conform to 2009 specs they would have been required to have Urea exhaust injection i.e same as Mercedes Benz uses. I assume production stopped as they did not sell enough of them.
The urea exhaust injection for 2009 does meet CA emission regulations for the 3 Liter diesel (Mercedes Benz sells this engine for 09 in CA), but appears Chrysler did not have enough sales to warrant the engineering expense for that system.
You are correct the second row seating is tight.
I have driven the new GL320 CDI and liked most but the 7 speed transmission. It is the same running gear as the ML320 that would be the competitor for the GC CRD. Go sit in the ML and you will see just how much roomier it is. I really did not get a chance to wring either one out so it would be impossible to say anything about the handling. I have since learned that the transmission has two modes and I was in the Sport mode which I did not like.
There is always one way we can all go, to look in to getting the engine reprogrammed so it will be calibrated differently. The 07 has the mercedes 4spd automatic with overdrive, my opinion, when the transmission shifts from 4th to overdrive the rpm should go down to around 1900-2100rpm not shift from 2400 to 2400rpm which mine currently does. What is the purpose of overdrive when it isn't doing its job? I feel like i am driving a 97 Ford f350 crew cab 4x4 powerstroke automatic with the rpm numbers and mpg.
Transmission and turbo recalibrated i believe will do the job, if it can be done.
We can only blame Chrysler for the body problems, not the powertrain, that part is completely Mercedes.
I apologize to Mercedes for my previous comment.
Note to you guys/girls with 2007-08 diesel GCs the oil change schedule for 2008.5 models is 12,500 Miles (20,000 km) or 12 Months (Not to be exceeded!!) there is no service "A" or "B" schedule. engine computer monitors engine use and will notify you by the EVIC (dash computer read out) if you should change your oil sooner than above schedule.
2008.5 GC Laredo diesel.
high, it vibrates through the whole car. Dealer replaced the module, but it still
shakes. Dealer says he can't do anything else as per chrysler. Car has 14000 miles. I really like the car. It's still under factory warranty. Any suggestions? Dan224
I'm looking for some assistance with the above codes. They are the result of the Electronic Throttle Control warning and check engine like coming on. I've been able to reproduce the codes and warnings with hard acceleration, but also with steady city cruising.
I've reset the codes, numerous times, and also had the codes and check engine light reset themselves!
I've run fuel dryer, and fuel conditioner twice, because i thought I picked up a tank of bad diesel, without results. Latest has been to replace the fuel filter. The codes apparently refer to high and low pressure at the solinoid on the fuel rail. Of course Chrysler won't just sell the solinoid and would prefer I spend $1000 for a new fuel rail.
Has anyone run into this issue with the diesel?
your assistance is appreciated.
The dealer says the turbo failed and that there is a wiring harness that runs through the engine that has suffered water damage and shorted out.(Service writer may not have provided accurate description). the only water this JEEP has ever seen is from rainstorms. Anyway I am getting a little nervous. I bought the 5 year / 160,000 extended warranty. Looks like this would have been a big bill to swallow without warranty coverage.
We also had a transmission solenoid replaced recently(about $800 if not on warranty) and a front axle shaft splined section was not fully seated in the front differential and it spun leaving my wife stranded. that was also close to a $1,000 repair had warranty not covered it.
so I expect we will be somewhere in the $5,000 - $7,000 worth of warranty repairs in the last 8 months.
Might have to get rid of it while the warranty still has 20-30 k left on it.
Difference in my situation was that the Chrysler said it was the fuel intake actuator, and wasn't covered under warranty and I also bought the extended warranty too, but no dice.
After getting it "fixed" and a significantly lighter waller, 17 days after I got it back, it is starting to act up again! The ETC light has come on and off twice and the check engine light is now on. This is actually making me quite fustrated. I can't wait to hear what Chrysler is going to tell me on this one!
The problem was originally linked to the Positive Crankcase Ventillation (PCV) valve being clogged. However, what was discovered was that it is more likely that the turbo failed due to over servicing of the oil during oil changes, which then destroyed the PCV valve and blew out the seals to the turbo.
I've only had the vehicle serviced by Chrysler, but it's not a common car to work on. It is an easy mistake for a mechanic to over service a diesel engine, and if they do, it is worse than underservicing the engine! The engine oil will build up too much pressure and will blow out seals, not be allowed to cool properly, and will not lubricate your engine as designed.
I always check my engine oil level now immediately after an oil change, even by an authorized Chrysler mechanic. Don't let them tell you that more is better. More is worse and less is bad. Insist on proper maintenance.
We concluded that the Mercedes engineers who designed the 3.0L CRD V-6 engine had consumed far too many Schnapps and Pilseners while designing this engine. There is just no excuse for some of the blunders they made when they put this one together.
In addition to the other noted problems in my earlier post we also had to rebuild the rear differential at 120,000 kms. My Oil sampling program showed it was going at about 90,000 kms but of course they would do nothing until it actually did fail.
That extended warranty I bought paid off in Spanish gold bullion. So now we stuff gasoline into a 2011 Ram Hemi truck.