Quote:
Originally Posted by PA Dweller
Doesn't the Hemi make enough torque to tow? Yea I know its fuel economy is probably only 16-18 MPG highway but the Hemi is like what a $1000-$1200 premium? The Diesel must cost a few thousand more than the Hemi. I know a few hardcore fans will probably buy the Diesel, but the majority will buy a gas powered Cherokee. Remember the Jeep Liberty CRD? I only ever seen it once.
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Yes, of course the Hemi makes enough torque to tow. The diesel's power curve may be slightly in its favor, since the torque comes online at a very low RPM, but I'd probably pick a V8 gasser instead of a V6 diesel if I had to tow, without having the chance to try both with a loaded trailer.
The diesel premium isn't that bad actually. It's just a $1,655 option on the Limited. However, you
must get the Limited to get the diesel; if you'd like the diesel engine without the glitz of the Limited, you're out of luck, and would end up paying thousands extra for stuff you don't want or need.
EDIT: Just checked TrueDelta; the price of the diesel is about $800 more between the Hemi and the diesel for both the Overland and the Limited - however, the Hemis have an $8,000 rebate and the diesels have a $6,000 rebate, so that jacks up the difference to $2,800.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ctaylorzl1
Its all the "Clean Diesel" emmision restrictions on the engine that ruin the fuel economy. My Ram is a 96, and it weighs at well over 3 tons and I average almost 20mpg! The fuel economy is actually pretty good, you were just hopping for more, and "over hopped". Most people would be extatiac to get 20 mpg in their full-size, but being a big premium over the other engines and diesel @ 5 dollars a gallon does cut into modest mpg gains! I say rid it of the mileage robbing emmision equipment in leiu of current fuel prices, and see what its like to get 25(or mabey more) in a big full size 4x4! I would love to see what GM could do with the Duramax with all its new technical efficiancy improvements without all the emmission equip! But we all know that wont happen!
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Good point about the emission controls likely choking it a bit. It's not really a true "clean diesel," per se, because it's only 42 state legal and doesn't have the urea injection system, but it does require ULS diesel fuel. Plus it barely smells at all - probably even less than a gasoline engine does.
And relative to the gas powered Grand Cherokees, the diesel does come out on top economy-wise. The GC just isn't all that big of a vehicle, so I was expecting it to do a little better than it's doing. But still, it's down now to 18.5 mpg, and that's not too bad considering I haven't been babying it, and on that same commute in a far smaller Lexus IS350 test car I got about 17 mpg, and the Jeep is still pretty new (just 2,200 miles).
My latest discovery for humoring myself is to hold the brake and floor the gas from a stop to get the turbo spooled up, then let go of the brake. The wheels spin for about 3 feet until the 4wd kicks in.
