Jeep announces a diesel Grand Cherokee
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Take a quick look around the light-truck market, and it's clear that diesels are the hottest thing on dealer lots right now - but oddly enough, it's not currently possible to get an oil-burner in a full-size SUV. Jeep has apparently identified this massive hole in the market and will announce later today that a diesel Grand Cherokee will be available for the 2007 model year.
Details are a bit sketchy at this point, but it sounds as if the vehicle will use a 3.0L Bluetec common-rail diesel from Mercedes - an engine that makes 221 HP and 376 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is said to be improved by "30 percent" (we're guessing this is compared to the somewhat thirsty Hemi V8), yielding a driving range of 425 miles on one tank. Towing capacity is also supposed to be impressive, but that claim will need to be evaluated further once we have more information. Like its smaller Liberty brother, the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel will be shipped from the factory with a tank of B5 biodiesel blend.
While it will be the only full-size diesel SUV available in the US when it debuts in the first quarter of next year, we have to remind Chrysler that it isn't the first (as they claim) - GM's Suburban, Jimmy, and Blazer were available with the 6.2L Detroit Diesel way back in 1982, and more recently, Ford offered its monstrous Excursion with a Powerstroke diesel engine until that vehicle's demise last year.
[Source: The Chrysler Group; the press release is available after the jump]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
debaser 11:37AM (6/01/2006)
Oh. Yes. Thank. You.
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MattS 11:44AM (6/01/2006)
finally a vehicle i would buy from jeep. you know if they'd let us HAVE diesels in MA...
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ku 11:50AM (6/01/2006)
the grand cherokee is a full-size now? it's barely larger than many compact suv's inside. the commander isnt even a true full-size!
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Jonathan 11:53AM (6/01/2006)
You neglected to mention the unfortunately short-lived (at least in the US market) VW Touareg V10 TDI.
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Professor Gascan 11:54AM (6/01/2006)
Volkswagen beat them to the punch. The 2007 Touareg V10 TDI is available for ordering right now. I'd hardly call it "full-size" but then again, neither is the Grand Cherokee.
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Michael Karesh 11:58AM (6/01/2006)
Gotta agree with ku. The Durango/Aspen is the closest thing Chrysler offers to a full-size SUV. And the Hemi is beyond moderately thirsty.
The 3.0 Bluetec (sp?) would certainly be far superior to the Italian diesel offered in the Liberty if the older tech diesel offered in the current E-Class is any indication. I was very disappointed by the Liberty diesel--it sounds, smells, and feels very much like people expect a diesel to sound, smell, and feel, which isn't good. Real-world MPG is also disappointing based on reports I've read.
My review of the Liberty diesel:
http://www.epinions.com/content_210733469316
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Master Blaster 12:03PM (6/01/2006)
Great. Now PLEASE let the USA get the 2007 Unlimited Wrangler with an optional diesel. PLEASE!!!
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Michael Karesh 12:06PM (6/01/2006)
Isn't the Touareg diesel supposed to return? Never drove one, but the specs are impressive.
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Bill 12:11PM (6/01/2006)
Go back a few more years...
Didn't the International Scout (or was it Scout II) have a diesel option?
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Oliver 12:24PM (6/01/2006)
VW Touareg has been available with a diesel for a couple of years now, so it is not the first
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jp 1:53PM (6/01/2006)
Full size....what?? Have you been in a GC. Does the industry even consider it full size? Are these the same people that told me my Rubicon gets 18 mpg highway? Right!
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Glenn A. 2:55PM (6/01/2006)
Yes, the International Scout had a Nissan Diesel diesel engine option (Nissan Diesel being the actual name of the company which produced the engines, and yeah, it obviously was part of Nissan group). The inline six diesel was available from (about) 1978 through 1980, and I believe the last year or two, it was turbo-charged to boot.
I recall seeing, about 12 years ago, an advertisement for "brand new" unused, new-old-stock, International Scout diesels which had sat in Arizona, unsold, since 1980. That would have been 14 years.
Gas was cheap. Who wanted an "orphan" diesel SUV?! Clearly not many people, since it took over 14 years to clear out that stock.
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Gary Blomquist 6:23PM (6/01/2006)
I don't think that the Scout was powered by a Nissan diesel. I believe it was a Perkins diesel. Perkins was British, I believe.
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Fabulo 7:51PM (6/01/2006)
Touareg, full size? Like Tahoe/Suburban full size?
Also, wasn't this 6.2L Detroit Diesel a NA engine? Diesel SUCKS. Turbo+Diesel is the good shit! Anybody ever drove a Golf SDI? You know what I mean!
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Raymond Peters 9:02PM (6/01/2006)
Chysler should take the lead ( in the USA ) with diesel engines, it has available with Mercedes.
I would love to have the diesel in my Sprinter Van in a Durango/Aspen.
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bhtooefr 9:16PM (6/01/2006)
We didn't get the Golf SDI here in the US. ;)
I do own a 1985 Jetta naturally aspirated diesel, though - 52hp out of 1.6L.
Oh, and back in the day, NA engines weren't half bad, compared to the gassers of the time.
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Fabulo 2:00AM (6/02/2006)
"16. We didn't get the Golf SDI here in the US. ;)
I do own a 1985 Jetta naturally aspirated diesel, though - 52hp out of 1.6L."
Lucky you!
I drove a Jetta III TDI (the 1.9, 90hp, 180lb/ft torque) when my cousin had a Golf III D. Wait, it was just a "D", not an sdi. That Golf was a dog.
Now in the US we'll never get the cool Diesel from overseas because of soot emission (and other crap) Plus, people hate Diesel, and you can't blame them when you've been following a ford F350 for more than a mile. Slow, noisy, stinky.
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MattS 7:44AM (6/02/2006)
The diesel Grand Cherokee will feature the new 3.0-liter CRD engine, built by Mercedes-Benz, that produces 215 hp at 3,800 rpm and 376 pound-feet of torque at 1,600-2,800 rpm. It will return an estimated 19 mpg in city driving and 23 mpg on the highway, the company said in a statement.
The Grand Cherokee CRD will have a driving range of approximately 425 miles and a towing capacity of 7,400 pounds. The 3.0-liter CRD engine will be available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, Limited, and Overland models.
-m
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Steven 11:08AM (6/05/2006)
If the Grand Cherokee is full sized then the Epedition and Suburban must be classified as Large/Super/Plump (I believe they are actually). No they were not the first SUV with a diesel just the most current. How many remember the Toyota pick-up diesel? I owned one for 200,000 miles around '81, absolutely bullet proof except for maintenance that was time consuming. My Liberty CRD can go from Chattanooga to almost Orlando which is near 30mpg pulling a boat trailer (3000lb.) Its rated at 5,000lbs. The gas version cannot tow this much or deliver this economy. Automakers are you listening to the real needs? How about a large size suv or van with a diesel? The Liberty is OK for what it is but a bit more room would be OK too. I think the Cherokee is a step in the right direction but it is not a Durango, Expedition or Suburban that needs the economy and the capacity.
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Joe V. 2:33AM (6/06/2006)
I'll be the first in line to test drive the new diesel Grand Cherokee. I've driven a 2003 Diesel Grand Cherokee as sold for years in Europe (with MB diesel engine equipped with 1st generation 1350 bar Bosch Common Rail). That MB diesel was disappointing in that it had not been appropriately packaged for NVH and accoustics. I was sorely disappointed with the Jeep Liberty and the selection of the Italian VM engine, and again, poor engine packaging for NVH. I hope Jeep takes a good look at the MB E320 CRD, the BMW 535d, and the Audi A6 d and accomplishes a diesel NVH package that surpasses gasoline, as the Audi A8 does at 70 mph (3 dB quieter in the cabin than the gasoline A8 !!).
As for the idiot above who thinks ANY diesels are non-turbo, his comments need to be disregarded entirely.
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