Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel

[Bionic_Man]

After a long search, (low mile vehicles are hard to find), I pulled the trigger on a 2014 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel about two weeks ago.

Today was the first time I had a chance to tow with it as I helped a buddy pick up his new to him 21’ Cobalt. The boat weighs around 5500 pounds, and after the repeated hate threads I see here I had very low expectations of how it would handle this load.

I towed the boat from its previous owner to my house - around 50 miles of interstate. I was very impressed at how it handled the load. The Jeep itself felt very stable - not once did the tail try to wag the dog. And the engine/tranny combo really couldn’t have performed better. I set cruise at 65, and the EcoDiesel held it there the whole trip. There is one decent hill on the way home, and just for grins, I picked the speed up to 75 MPH and the Jeep didn’t flinch.

I’ve run two tanks of fuel through the Jeep since I bought it, and the EVIC actually matches up to my hand calculation very well (has averaged right at 25 MPG for the two tanks). And I don’t know if that accuracy will carry forward to towing, but the EVIC showed 15-20 MPG most of the way.

I know there are plenty of people who don’t like the small diesels, but I certainly see their place, and I think the Grand Cherokee is very well matched for it.

The next vehicle I will be replacing is our Yukon XL Denali. I hope that the new 3.0 finds its way into either a Burb or an Ex. If it does, that will likely be our next vehicle.

[NJRVer]

Our '18 Grand Cherokee diesel just turned 9,000.
25mpg average.
Love it.

[stsmark]

Thanks, my Diesel Jeep was an 87 Wrangler that my son and I put a 4BTA Cummins in.
Extended frame, full width Dana 60’s on and on. It loved the Rubicon, perfect for Little Sluice.

[womps]

Bionic Man wrote:
I haven’t seen a regeneration message. It does have a DEF gauge on the EVIC.

You are correct on the gauge.

[Bionic_Man]

I haven’t seen a regeneration message. It does have a DEF gauge on the EVIC.

[womps]

jenwined wrote:

stsmark wrote:
A quick question, how do they handle DEF on the Grand Cherokee? Where’s the filler, tank size, indication. Is there a regen indication? Just curious.
Thanks

Its next to where you fill up. 10K miles or so, you fill it up. You start getting a warning at 500 miles. Yes, you get a notice on your car when it cleans itself, if thats what you mean.

I had 2 Grand Cherokee diesel Jeeps. I don’t remember it letting me know it was cleaning itself. I do remember a notice telling me to drive at highway speeds until notified otherwise so it could properly regenerate. That only happened a couple of times but was still a pain. The manual also states different idle times before shutting down, up to 5 minutes, again a pain. I never adhered to this but others I talked to did.

[jenwined]

stsmark wrote:
A quick question, how do they handle DEF on the Grand Cherokee? Where’s the filler, tank size, indication. Is there a regen indication? Just curious.
Thanks

Its next to where you fill up. 10K miles or so, you fill it up. You start getting a warning at 500 miles. Yes, you get a notice on your car when it cleans itself, if thats what you mean.

[stsmark]

A quick question, how do they handle DEF on the Grand Cherokee? Where’s the filler, tank size, indication. Is there a regen indication? Just curious.
Thanks

[ACZL]

OP, at next oil change sub 2 qts of oil for 2 qts of Hot Shot Secret Stiction remover. You'll thank me when you see all sorts of white smoke upon re-start, but IT WILL clean things up. Trust me. AND it's NOT snake oil.

[ShinerBock]

Great review. I am trying to convince my wife to get a diesel Grand Cherokee or Wrangler for her next vehicle. I think that is the perfect size of vehicle/application for this engine and its power output.

I don't think people hate small diesels. Most of the threads I have seen have been with some small diesel owners claiming their trucks can do things it cannot like keep up with a 3.5L Ecoboost or tow 9k lbs up a 7% grade at 75 mph when the horsepower says they can't and others bring them down to reality, but that doesn't mean people hate them. I would say the same if it were a gas engine with the same output.

Also, just because someone prefers an engine with more power doesn't mean they hate the less powerful option. It just means they prefer power over fuel economy. There are some vehicles where I think this engine is a great fit, and others where I would prefer a more powerful option.

[Bionic_Man]

blofgren wrote:
Interesting, thanks for the review! I thought the Yukon was for boat towing chores......:)

It still is. We are a 4-vehicle family. 😉

[blofgren]

Interesting, thanks for the review! I thought the Yukon was for boat towing chores......:)

[parker_rowe]

Awesome.

Can't wait to see how the new gladiator does, especially when they add the eco diesel.

Should be nice for smaller campers.

[Cummins12V98]

Nice looking rig! Personally I would have to remove anything that says "EgoDiesel" on it!

BTW a boat will tow straight as an arrow, it's the TT's you may have issue with!

[garyp4951]

Thanks for the good review.