2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 CRD Quick Take

[69Firebird400]

Yesterday, Chrysler dropped off the latest vehicle in the Autosavant test fleet in my driveway - a gorgeous Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 CRD. Already, I've driven it more than I had driven all other diesels combined in my life. Now isn't a particularly delightful time to own a diesel, but it's still a pretty high-tech thing and the low-end grunt is nice.

The window sticker is around $43,600 and (though I haven't investigated closely), it appears to have nearly every option except for Sirius Backseat TV. It has nav, leather, xenon HIDs, QuadraDrive II, heated front and rear seats, Boston Acoustics speakers/MyGIG, plus the Mercedes-sourced oil burner.

Does anyone have experience with modern clean diesels? This one is 42-state legal (so couldn't be sold new in my own state of PA). I don't believe that it requires AdBlue - no mention of that in the manuals and no obvious place to add it. Bravely sticking my nose an inch from the tailpipe while it idled, I couldn't smell any telltale diesel odors. (It require ultra low sulfur diesel fuel). The exhaust system really seems to get HOT on this thing, though. At one point this morning, I was stopped at a red light, and I noticed some smoke wafting past my passenger side (the side the exhaust pipe is on). A fellow motorist looked at me with a concerned look, but the gauges all looked good and I didn't see anything too alarming, so I drove the last mile to my parking garage. I investigated the underside of the truck, and it smelled pretty hot, but there was no smoke coming out.

Although the owner's manual mentions glow plugs, I haven't seen any lights or such indicating that they were needed. It starts just as quickly as a gasoline-powered vehicle and settles into a smooth idle around 600 RPMs. Minor clatter is audible under the hood, but nothing from the exhaust end. Revving the engine gives a little bit of a diesel sound, but it's still very smooth and quiet.

Setting off from a stop, it feels slow for a second until the turbo spools up, then it takes off. The Mercedes-sourced five-speed auto shifts quickly and always seemed to be in the right gear. Redline is just 4500 RPMs, but it's just a small perception adjustment to know you're getting your grunt down low instead of up high in the engine's powerband. At highway speeds, it feels just like a gasoline engine (and road/wind/radio noise, while not excessive, drown out any remaining diesel clatter). It's a little bouncy at highway speeds, but it is a very capable off roader, so I can easily forgive that. Rack and pinion steering felt accurate, and the wheel felt good in my hands.

The interior looked great with two-tone leather (light grey/charcoal), faux wood, and faux chrome. The entire dash, however, is hard plastic. I was hoping for the same materials that are used in the 300C at least. I read on Edmunds this morning that the front seats also came from Mercedes; not sure if that's correct, but I had no problems with them.

So far I've gotten about 20 mpg from this thing. I was actually expecting more, but the ratings are 17/22.

Although I probably won't have to refuel it before they pick it up next week, I'm investigating ULS diesel-carrying stations to be sure I know where to go if I do need to get some.

Oh yeah, and I know you'll want pics; I'll do those in the next few days as I write the full review.

[PA Dweller]

It should get better fuel economy.

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

It should get better fuel economy.

Do you mean based on the ratings I should be doing better than 20, or do you mean because it's a V6 diesel it should be rated at higher than 17/22?

I was expecting to see 25 highway on the sticker, but it actually has better ratings than even the V6 gas engine, while giving nearly the same torque rating as the 5.7 liter Hemi.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

Do you mean based on the ratings I should be doing better than 20, or do you mean because it's a V6 diesel it should be rated at higher than 17/22?

I was expecting to see 25 highway on the sticker, but it actually has better ratings than even the V6 gas engine, while giving nearly the same torque rating as the 5.7 liter Hemi.

They should of designed the engine to get better than 20 MPG. I mean how many people are going to spend thousands extra on a Diesel engine, then pay a $1 more per gallon on Diesel fuel? If this vehicle got between 25-30 MPG highway I would have been impressed.

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

They should of designed the engine to get better than 20 MPG. I mean how many people are going to spend thousands extra on a Diesel engine, then pay a $1 more per gallon on Diesel fuel? If this vehicle got between 25-30 MPG highway I would have been impressed.

You're preaching to the choir. I agree with you. However, the diesel is probably a better tower, and gets better FE than any of the other powertrain choices. It's a pretty neat driving experience, though not one I'd be willing to pay $5 a gallon every day to experience.

Arguably the diesel would be a better choice in off road situations, though I doubt I'll have an opportunity to verify that firsthand.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

You're preaching to the choir. I agree with you. However, the diesel is probably a better tower, and gets better FE than any of the other powertrain choices. It's a pretty neat driving experience, though not one I'd be willing to pay $5 a gallon every day to experience.

Arguably the diesel would be a better choice in off road situations, though I doubt I'll have an opportunity to verify that firsthand.

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.

[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!

[69Firebird400]

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.

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.

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!

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.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

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.

Yea I thought the Diesel would be a $3k to $5k option. Still the price difference is fairly big and would prevent most people from buying. One thing the Diesel has though is better resale value. Since you driven a recent Grand Cherokee how did you find the rear legroom? I heard bad things about the second row legroom.

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Yea I thought the Diesel would be a $3k to $5k option. Still the price difference is fairly big and would prevent most people from buying. One thing the Diesel has though is better resale value. Since you driven a recent Grand Cherokee how did you find the rear legroom? I heard bad things about the second row legroom.

Stay tuned - I actually haven't tried out the back seat yet. I'm going to install the rear facing child seat tomorrow morning, which is actually the toughest test to pass in terms of rear legroom. It fit in an 09 Corolla test vehicle, so it damn well better fit in the two ton-plus Jeep...but it's hard to fit the rear-facing seats in most vehicles because they lean toward the front of the car and the front seats lean toward the rear of the car, making something like this: /\ (front seat on the left, child seat on the right). That same measurement doomed us to trade in our Pathfinder when we couldn't adjust the seats safely to make enough room for the baby seat and us to sit in front of it comfortably, although part of the Pathfinder's problem may have been trying to cram three rows of seats into it. I'll be sure to let you know how the space back there is, though. I was impressed that it had heated seats in the back at least.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

Stay tuned - I actually haven't tried out the back seat yet. I'm going to install the rear facing child seat tomorrow morning, which is actually the toughest test to pass in terms of rear legroom. It fit in an 09 Corolla test vehicle, so it damn well better fit in the two ton-plus Jeep...but it's hard to fit the rear-facing seats in most vehicles because they lean toward the front of the car and the front seats lean toward the rear of the car, making something like this: /\ (front seat on the left, child seat on the right). That same measurement doomed us to trade in our Pathfinder when we couldn't adjust the seats safely to make enough room for the baby seat and us to sit in front of it comfortably, although part of the Pathfinder's problem may have been trying to cram three rows of seats into it. I'll be sure to let you know how the space back there is, though. I was impressed that it had heated seats in the back at least.

Look forward to hearing your review. Heated seats in the back? I am impressed, I didn't expect that from a Jeep.

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Look forward to hearing your review. Heated seats in the back? I am impressed, I didn't expect that from a Jeep.

The back seat verdict: too small. We fit both seats in, but it was more snug than what we're used to. I'd never be able to buy a Grand Cherokee for my own use because of the lack of room inside for four of us.

I'm really liking the diesel engine, though...enough so that I was willing to put $20 of my own money toward a few gallons more diesel fuel (my original plan was to just drive it to a quarter tank, then let it rest in my driveway until they picked it up), but I want to drive it to work all week until then. Also, I got to see a Lexus IS-F at the pump next to mine. That's the first time I've seen one of those in the wild.

Yesterday we were going up some steep hills (paved, of course), at relatively low speeds (like 35 mph) and it just doesn't even have to try to climb things like that. It stayed in a higher gear and just pulled the jeep up the hill. It was pretty cool.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

The back seat verdict: too small. We fit both seats in, but it was more snug than what we're used to. I'd never be able to buy a Grand Cherokee for my own use because of the lack of room inside for four of us.

I'm really liking the diesel engine, though...enough so that I was willing to put $20 of my own money toward a few gallons more diesel fuel (my original plan was to just drive it to a quarter tank, then let it rest in my driveway until they picked it up), but I want to drive it to work all week until then. Also, I got to see a Lexus IS-F at the pump next to mine. That's the first time I've seen one of those in the wild.

Yesterday we were going up some steep hills (paved, of course), at relatively low speeds (like 35 mph) and it just doesn't even have to try to climb things like that. It stayed in a higher gear and just pulled the jeep up the hill. It was pretty cool.

I am surprised after all these years Jeep hasn't found a way to make the back seat roomier. Thats a serious issue and they need to address it. I guess the Diesel isn't all that bad, only if they can get a few more MPG out of them. How was the IS-F?

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

I am surprised after all these years Jeep hasn't found a way to make the back seat roomier. Thats a serious issue and they need to address it. I guess the Diesel isn't all that bad, only if they can get a few more MPG out of them. How was the IS-F?

I've seen them and sat in them before, so it wasn't really anything new to look at. The fender vent behind the front wheel is clearly the most "ricey" feature and the worst styling part of the car. (I had an IS350 for a week and really liked it except for - again - the lack of rear seat room; having fun with that car's 306 horsepower is what convinced me the CTS is probably the best car for me, since it's bigger). This IS-F was the bright blue color, which isn't bad looking.

Anyway, the guy who was driving it seemed like kind of an a-hole; I clearly was checking out his car and didn't say anything, but looked at it in a sort of complementary way (like he knew I was admiring it and not disgusted with him), but he didn't acknowledge me. He got in the car and fired it up, and it sounded great. It boomed for a second and settled into a V8 rumble. I drove away before he moved so I didn't hear the engine besides when he started it up, but it did sound good, as do most V8s.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

I've seen them and sat in them before, so it wasn't really anything new to look at. The fender vent behind the front wheel is clearly the most "ricey" feature and the worst styling part of the car. (I had an IS350 for a week and really liked it except for - again - the lack of rear seat room; having fun with that car's 306 horsepower is what convinced me the CTS is probably the best car for me, since it's bigger). This IS-F was the bright blue color, which isn't bad looking.

Anyway, the guy who was driving it seemed like kind of an a-hole; I clearly was checking out his car and didn't say anything, but looked at it in a sort of complementary way (like he knew I was admiring it and not disgusted with him), but he didn't acknowledge me. He got in the car and fired it up, and it sounded great. It boomed for a second and settled into a V8 rumble. I drove away before he moved so I didn't hear the engine besides when he started it up, but it did sound good, as do most V8s.

I never really cared for Lexus, to me they are bland rebadges of Toyota's (Which already are fairly bland). I just wondered since everyone that knows about the car seems to be making a big deal of it. I love people like that, but what are you going to do?