Thats funny, I thought these were out already. I drove one a few weeks ago. I guess thats ok fuel economy for an SUV?

Thats brilliant when you compare it to the hummer

Mercedes diesel? Ugh. what a POS. What it needs is a Duramax diesel. ****, all it needs is everything and even still it own;t be as nice as a Trailblazer or Envoy

talk about over priced

WIth roughly a $2000 price increase over non-diesel models, it’d take a a few years to recoup that in fuel savings. Worth it? Depends… how long are you going to keep it? Factor in the number of days you’ll have it in the shop. It IS a Chrysler, afterall.

Nevermind. The fuel economy sucks, it gets about 3mpg better than a regular Cherokee. Edmunds has a gas powered GC at 17/23, not much better with the diesel. But lots more torque!

OVER PRICED are you kidding me? thats rediculous. How can the Hemi be cheaper than this, ugh.

o.O
holy chun’ka ‘change batman!

I guess they’re trying to march the Grand Cherokee upmarket. Not understandiong their strategy though. Compass, Liberty, 4 door Wrangler now this ?

Moderators:

Why don’t you lock-out GMnumberone4ever’s account? It will make everyone else here happier to post on the site without having to read his childish and immature nonsense.

Jon.

It’ll sell like hotcakes, just watch. When Liberty CRD came out, there was a waiting list. Even with the premium price. Why? Cause its one way a normal American can NOT support foriegn oil. People are willing to pay more to NOT support Arab Oil. If I had one, I can go down the street to a local green station who sells Bio-Diesel and E-85, and top off the tank with B99, and off I go burning bio-fuel grown and processed in Oregon. I’d pay $5k more, and be happy knowing my money is staying local doing good things, and not supporting some arab militia across the globe.

yeah but the difference is this is a bit more than $5k over base.

you could have an SRT-8 for the same cash

A4: yeah you could, but they serve 2 entirely different purposes, someone looking at this wouldn’t even glance in the direction of the SRT-8. I understand your point though, being enthusiasts naturally the SRT-8 appears very quickly on the radar, but I can see how someone might trade that kind of raw power for more utility, usability, and economy.

yeah but honestly you can expect someone to pay almost 40k for a base model V6 diesel with 230hp and barely any significant change in fuel economy. This thing doesnt get 35-40mpg, rather its in the low 20’s at best. An F-series with a V8 power-stroke diesel can be had in base form for under $30k, and that pushes out 350hp, and 650lb/ft. If this diesel pushed out at least 320hp and 500 lb/ft, i could justify the $40k price tag… but it has such little power and such miniscule mileage increases that its not an economical decision.

AND the F-series gets 18-20mpg on average

Overpriced. Underpowered. Enough said.

Towing capacity will be much better with the CRD.
Those of you who constantly rake American vehicles are just as bad as gmnumberone is. People who live in glass houses….

lol as if with 366 tq it will be underpowered. Grade 1 called. We have some real einsteins here.. Edmunds just tested this motor in the new e class and Raved about it.

The main issue I see is only making it available in Limited trim. That being the case, midsized SUVS seem to be flaoting more towards the higher end clientele so this should be a non issue.

Either way great move.

p.s. I myself would so SRT8, but that has nothing to do with practicality and everything to do with a **** eating grin (and pounding the hell out of the TrAIDSblazer SS .. )

Er, aren’t those prices in the range of something far better in the DaimlerChrysler stable, namely the Mercedes ML??!!

Moderators:

Why don’t you lock-out GMnumberone4ever’s account? It will make everyone else here happier to post on the site without having to read his childish and immature nonsense.

Jon.

Comment by imageWIS, posted on January23 at 4:58 pm

it goes both ways here, homeboy1234 is just as bad but thats ok because he dont like americans.

$40,000 for a piece of american ****???? hahahahahaha what is the world coming to?? haha

Comment by homeboy234, posted on January23 at 3:56 pm

why not just close the site down while youre at it.

anyways, this thing has the torque to 4×4 over anything, i like it alot.

I agree its overpriced.. but what i find is interesting. why only 376lb ft of torque? the mercedes E320 cdi has 399lbft of torque… but hey whatever, in germany the fuel they have over there also called “jungle juice” is way more potent than it is around here. but seriously…

STOP DISSING CHRYSLER NOW! they arent POS’s like they used to be, chrysler was a POS company before mercedes came along, bought them out and Dr. Z turned them around, now i dont know about you, but I would like to see you guys buy a company, and turn it around from filing chapter 11 to making a profitable company that has its quality up to todays standards.

I just like the fact that to compare it to the regular gas powered one, what did it get, i could have sworn its best MPG was like 20mpg on the highway, so 25mpg on the highway is a big improvement.

That’s the cost of diesels my friends. Not sure what all of the complaining is about. Not to mention you’re getting a Benz engine in a Chrysler. What more could you ask for?

Diesels are not cheap. This fact has been written about a million times on here. THUS the reason more vehicles out there not having a diesel option. The only price points they fit into are in the higher end markets, like BMW, Mercedes, and $40k+ trucks (hence Limited models only). Chrysler is taking a big gamble here. Factor in 30 cents more a gallon for diesel with only a 3mpg gain as mentioned above, I doubt this engine will generate too many sales.

I am amused by the assertion that the Grand Cherokee is a “full-sized SUV”.. far from it, in fact! The larger Durango and Aspen are considered “mid-sized”, and the GC is considerably smaller.

well if you want it, youll pay for it. It has a premium price because of the emissions technology. Toyota and Ford (if i remeber right) have stated they would not bring diesels into US because they would not acheive a cost savings in long term…and the emission technology is getting pricey.

A4 yeah I guess you’re right, the fuel economy is hardly better and neither is the performance, only the price is increased by a lot, definitely not a good mix. I certainly would look elsewhere

Uh, A4, if you can get a F series with a powerstroke with comparable seating (that would be the supercrew) and 4WD for less than $30k then it has been totally submerged in salt water at some point, or worse.
If not, then buy it, drive it to Oregon and sell it for at least a $5k profit.
Local Ford dealers are selling this rig for $11k below MSRP at $34k and change.
Not that I think the Jeep is a super bargain, but Jeep makes good vehicles. This is a good start down the diesel road for them. Hopefully we will see the diesel that the Wrangler has been screaming for for decades, very soon.

Regardless…the current GC sucks!!! I am so disappointed.

sounds steep!

Does this require that damn Urea stuff the other Mercedes diesels require??
All we need is one more fluid to buy for daily driving.

BTW: Overpriced and won’t sell. Especially since (around here at least) you can buy gas for $1.95/gall and diesel was $2.79/gal last time I looked.

I bet everyone on this site will be retracting their statements if it hit 3 dollors a barrol. Plus people are thick enough to pay thousands extra for a Hybrid, knowing it takes more time to earn back the extra you spent compared to diesel but the prius still sells.

People, people. Simmer down and read between the lines again. They price quoted the two most expensive trim levels for the Grand Cherokee: the Limited and the Overland models come pretty much fully loaded, hence the expensive price tag. Unfortunately, they’re not offering the diesel on the base and mid-level models, which would be much less expensive.

Those of you complaining about the $2k price premium for the diesel versus gas and trying to do a break-even analysis with the fuel cost are forgetting one key thing: you get back the entire diesel engine premium on resale when you sell a used diesel vehicle. Take a look at the average used diesel vehicle sale prices versus their gas counterparts: used diesels ALWAYS command at least a $2k premium versus the same gas model, sometimes more. So its really not costing a premium that you need to make up in fuel savings to make it worthwhile.

yeah a4 you are pretty much correct on that one, i was just suprised about how much more torque this has than the standard v6, i see a lot of grand cherokees out here that cant 4×4 for anything, but thats probably the driver. there is no way i think this is junk but there is no way i would but it over the hemi(not the srt8). does the hemi model have the cylinder deactivation mode?

I would like to compile a list of you detractors who have cried ad nauseum here for US automakers to embrace the diesel. Now, Jeep takes a baby step and all you can do is foam at the mouth at a price quote, make foolish comparisons with a full size heavy duty pickup and on and on.
This site is reaching rock bottom.

Overpriced maybe? But I guess nobody’s looked at the price of vehicles these days. The sticker of a Grand Cherokee Limited with a Hemi is damn near 40k already. The Overland is over 43k. The diesel option is available on the Limited and Overland models only. Its not unlike some competitors only offering the Hybrid option on the top packages only. They will have no problems selling these.

i hate diesels

Stuart, if gas hits $3+/barrell again, I hardly think people will compulsively go out and buy an SUV with a diesel engine. You are so locked into your ideology, you fail to see the reality in the situation. Let’s take a look at some numbers shall we?

Let’s compare the standard GC to the diesel.Gasoline in my neck of the woods is $2.10, and diesel is $2.50 to $2.60, but we’ll use $2.50 because I’m ****y as hell. We’ll use EPA estimates, 17/23 for the gasoline engine and 20/25 for the diesel. Crunching the numbers through a 20,000 mile year, having driven 12,000 miles in the city, and 8,000 on the highway, who is the victor? It’s the gasoline engine coming in at an estimated $2213 vs $2300 for diesel in cost of fuel consumption. In terms of clean air, both are essentially equal in that diesel has been brought up to gasoline standards.

This diesel solution is clearly not the answer everyone is looking for. It’s another kneejerk reaction to situation that is not as bad as it’s been made out to be. The engine will not sell many units at all.

Fatstrat - I’m with ya on the comments hitting rock bottom. There are plenty on here where I just have to shrug my shoulders and move on. The way I see it though, the majority of people who come to this site do not post comments, thousands of viewers and only a couple hundred posters. I don’t expect to change the minds of individuals like Stuart, LamboZ, Deantj, GarbageMotorCo, and the others who consistantly are of a left leaning ideology. But I do hope that my insight effects those who are passing through that might not have their minds made up yet. Don’t give up! And don’t ya dare leave me to fend off the Al Gore worshiping hoodlums alone! Afterall, the majority of them are just kids and they know not what they speak of yet. Getting that first meaningful paycheck does wonders to someone’s political point of view.

I will now sit back and watch as the hate fills the room….

No hate here Piablo. It would be great if more people would be less biased on here. I love domestics, doesn’t mean I hate the offerings from Europe and Asia. Have an open mind, don’t just flame anything that isn’t your preference. If your that kind of person just move on when you see something about the manufacturer you don’t like. The bickering needs to stop. That doesn’t mean constructive criticism isn’t wanted though.

agreed there guys, a little too much bias here, i would like to say anybody from lln ends up in riverside ca, i will buy them a brew…..domestic or imported your choice.

As a GM fansite, I don;t understand the constant barraging of negative comments towards the General. It’s complete BS and those who don’t support GM need not waste their time posting.

Piablo, CTS an Fatstrat, we need to ban together and continue to fend off these foolish import humpers and you guys are doing a great job.

Haha you guys were lumped together with GMnumberone4ever by the man himself! hahahahaha

LOL! Gee, thanks bb_454!

GMnumberone4ever - I appreciate the good words, but doncha think you might be as bad as they are on the opposite end of the spectrum? Maybe? I know you do it to piss the ‘import humpers’ off. I get it. They are all begging for you to be banned, it’s too funny, too hypocritical. But there are plenty of ways to do so without fighting fire with fire. My weapons of choice are facts.

Bravo Piablo.
Hey! that rymes!!

“Let’s compare the standard GC to the diesel.Gasoline in my neck of the woods is $2.10, and diesel is $2.50 to $2.60, but we’ll use $2.50 because I’m ****y as hell. We’ll use EPA estimates, 17/23 for the gasoline engine and 20/25 for the diesel. Crunching the numbers through a 20,000 mile year, having driven 12,000 miles in the city, and 8,000 on the highway, who is the victor? It’s the gasoline engine coming in at an estimated $2213 vs $2300 for diesel in cost of fuel consumption.
Comment by Piablo, posted on January24 at 11:15 am ”
Piablo - your calculations are flawed. You’re comparing EPA estimates of the 4.7 V-8, which doesn’t have nearly as much torque as the diesel. When comparing gas to diesel, you need to compare gas engines with equivalent torque output. In this case, it’s the 5.7L Hemi, which has identical torque output. EPA ratings for the Hemi are 14 city 19 highway. Run your numbers again, and you’ll find the diesel has the fuel cost advantage.
Plus, diesel fuel prices will likely drop in the future. It is abnormal to have diesel prices such much higher than gasoline, and is a temporary function of the recent switch to ULSD. Normally, diesel fuel is cheaper than gas.

Here in CA, diesel is much more than gas and has been for years. It’s a tax grab considering diesel takes 20% less energy to refine, though that decrease may be tempered by filtering out all the sulphur to make ULSD.

Piablo, judging from the dozens of comments I’ve seen you leave, you’re just as biased as I am, or any of the individuals you mentioned above. You put yourself on such a high horse, referring to me and others as people whose opinions regarding politics, automobiles, etc, are far beneath yours simply because of the strong opinions we have. For someone toting themselves to be such an objective person, you show as much bias as any of us, and in reality your opinion is worth no more than mine. I don’t expect to change your opinion, just as you say you don’t expect to change mine, but don’t for one second act as if my opinion is less meaningful than yours simply because it’s different. Yes I have a, as you call it, “left leaning ideology”, but your comment about Gore shows you might have a bit of a “right leaning ideology”. Why, because I tend to be more liberal, does that make my views less important, or real? Because I don’t buy the bull you say about figures like Al Gore and others? That’s not truly a logical argument, because in theory you could be just as wrong as you seem to think I am. You think you’re high and mighty, but in the end, you’re just like us, and you’re most certainly not.

Z06ified. you are spot on! Nobody seems to have listened to your post, but I’m very glad you took the time to type it.

most diesel motors run forever… one of the reasons why they hold their value so well. I haven’t seen a diesel rebuild under 250,000 miles. My father’s old ‘84 MB 300SD Turbodiesel was still running relatively well at the 292,000 mile mark when he donated it.

I want my next daily driver to be a car that I can drive into the ground, and take a long time doing it. If I don’t want to go the japanese route and still want to ensure a long engine life, I will go diesel.

Wow, everyone is reasoning with one another. I would say it’s a good thing, but I think most of us that post are in the automotive industry, and that’s not how things work. It’s kill or be killed.

for them to kill and succeed theyd have to make this cost significantly less than a comparably equipped Hemi.

Nicely put Z06ified. The Diesel market in America will grow, and grow nicely. Even if Toyota and Ford miss the boat.

As Bio-Fuel capable vehicles, the Federal Gov should give tax-breaks on Diesel passenger vehicles just like they did for Hybrids. (Never happen, but hey.) ANYTHING to encourage americans to cut foriegn oil dependance. And I love big power, Gas Guzzeling carburated BigBlocks, and screaming 400hp 4 cyls just like you guys, but as a whole this nation needs to find a new way when it comes to energy and transportation.

We have Synthetic oil, when do we get Synthetic Gasoline, or Synfuel, at the pump? Something a normal old 1985 F-150 could burn, that performs as well as standard unleaded, and doesn’t come from a hole in the ground in IRAN. E-85 is great for modern vehicles, but it’s still atleast 15% unleaded, and can’t run in older vehicles.

Here’s a nice little Wiki bit on synfuel…

The United States Department of Energy projects that domestic consumption of synthetic fuel made from coal and natural gas will rise to 3.7 million barrels per day in 2030 based on a price of $57 per barrel of high sulfur crude (Annual Energy Outlook 2006, Table 14, pg52). Synthetic fuels require a relatively high price of crude oil in order to be competitive with petroleum-based fuels without subsidies. However, they offer the potential to supplement or replace petroleum-based fuels if oil prices continue to rise. Several factors make synthetic fuels attractive relative to competing technologies such as biofuels, ethanol/methanol or hydrogen:

The raw material (coal) is available in quantities sufficient to meet current demand for centuries
It can produce gasoline, diesel or kerosene directly without the need for additional steps such as reforming or cracking
There is no need to convert vehicle engines to use a different fuel
There is no need to build a new distribution network
While at present synthetic fuels are primarily produced because of subsidies, they are a proven technology that offers the potential to solve the energy crisis due to the depletion of oil (Hubbert peak), at least for the next hundred years.

Hmm, a 100% oil free unleaded fuel, that will happily run in an old pickup, and require no changes to the distribution system or the vehicles that burn it. This technology may well carry us through until Hydrogen is truely a feasible reality for the masses. Sure it’s still burning fossil fuels, and not as Green friendly to burn as hydrogen, but it’s conflict free. Personally I’d rather end WAR for oil first, and then worry about cleaning up the tail pipes.

Hey…does anyone realize that diesel is more expansive than regular gas???? If the gas ever hits $3/Gal..diesel would not be too much different.

Elvio - Exactly, that’s the point.

Z06ified - Hard to disagree with you on reliability of diesels. They do have a better resale value, agreed. Is the extra added value at resale exceeding the extra cost at purchase? But one thing is for sure, the value of your dollar today will always be more than tomorrow. Most people purchase on that principle, some not even knowing it. Besides, the pick-up market is a bit different from the SUV market. SUVs are traded on the 5 year plan where as pick-ups have a much better chance of being held onto beyond 5 years. Men get attached… Point is, at the 5 year mark, the disparity between a diesel SUV versus gasoline SUV will most likely be the difference in cost.

Now with regards to my comparison not being a fair one, I do disagree. So the engine I cited has more horsepower. The diesel has more torque. Each engine will do better in certain areas. Besides, the purpose was to show that the diesel 6 was not the answer to gas consumption by any means. If it means anything, I’d purchase the diesel too because gas consumption is not the top of my priorities.

LamboZ - You overheard that!? Sorry, I was talking to Fatstrat, I didn’t think anyone else could hear me.
Try making legitimate arguments besides flaming all things domestic, and I’ll take you off my special list. And Al Gore is a jack ass. It’s a fact, not opinion.

‘Shut the hell up’ indeed A4.
You made quite a leap in comparison that had a few holes in it. I mearly pointed it out, and at the same time showed you how to make a little $.
I am not defending the fictional price (fictional because we will not know what the vehicle will sell for until someone actually walks onto a lot and buys one).
Any dealer is going to want to get the highest price for their product. At this early stage in the game is is ALWAYS best to over estimate and come to market lower, than to under estimate, and alienate those hoping for the lower price.

I really don’t get you americans. First you cry about not having diesel cars available. Then when you do get access to them you start crying about the price. If you don’t want to buy because of the price then you don’t have to buy it just go buy a petrol FULL STOP.

At least give Jeep the credit for bringing diesels back to america. The high price will be worth it when you drive the Grand Cherokee. The engine is probably the best diesel V6 engine avalable on the market around the world. What you should be complaining about is the high sulphur diesel that you have especially since we europeans have had low sulphur for like a decade.

P.s. Hope they put this engine in the 2&4 Door wrangler.

Hey Stuart, we had cat’ converters on our cars back in the 70s (by law) whereas it took europe 20 years to jump on that air-cleaning bandwagon, so drop the BS on sulphur diesel. Fact is 98% of people here dont burn the stuff because our governments don’t tax-rape us on gas as bad as yours, so it is really irrelevant.

Ricardo you stupid or something. Our high tax means better more sophiticated technology is needed to make cars more affordable. You get $3 a gollon for like two months and suddenly all your domestic maker are in trouble.

The reason why Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mercedes etc have so much better cars is because they need to to survive in Europe. If the government don’t tax rape you then your domestic makers definately do. That Ford Focus was a a good car when I had it some 10 years ago. Where almost on our third and you………

That’s more like it…..

“But one thing is for sure, the value of your dollar today will always be more than tomorrow.”
True. But the time value of money on $2k over 5, or even 10 years, at stock market average rates of return, is hardly significant.

“Now with regards to my comparison not being a fair one, I do disagree. So the engine I cited has more horsepower. The diesel has more torque. Each engine will do better in certain areas. ”
Torque is the true power output of an engine. Horsepower is derived from torque using a mathematical formula. The only reasons diesels have lower horsepower relative to their peak torque output is because of their lower RPM operating range (redline is usually half that of a gas engine), and their longer stroke.

Diesel buyers look mostly at the torque numbers - horsepower is a distant second.

My Suburban diesel has only 195hp, which most people would laugh at pulling a 6,500 lb. vehicle. But it has 430 lbs. of torque at only 1,800 RPM’s, and that’s the number that matters. It’s the 430 lbs. of torque that enables my truck to nearly match the acceleration of a big block (454, 7.4L) gas version, and tow the same, while getting better fuel economy than the small block gas engine (350, 5.7L).

“Besides, the purpose was to show that the diesel 6 was not the answer to gas consumption by any means. ”
I do agree that this particular 6 cylinder diesel from Benz isn’t generating impressive fuel economy numbers for its output. Not sure why that it is, but it could be gearing, transmission, or weight of the vehicle. Most diesels would do better on the efficiency front.

I know for a fact that the diesel in my Suburban gets 33% better fuel economy than a big block gas version with similar torque output. The efficiency differential is higher when towing.

When did GM ever put a diesel in a Surburban?

back in the early to mid 90’s were the last diesel suburbans.. my uncle has one

I hope they put it in the wrangler too… but it cant be the most expensive model!. A base diesel will need to cost at most $3k over a similarly equipped gas counterpart if dropped into the Wrangler.

I would love a Duramax Tahoe about now. Not available until 2009 I think though.

You guys sure like to piss all over each other.

Mmmmm Golden Shower, Hahaha

Z06ified - Nice response. I don’t disagree with most of your points. I’m just not sure if they are relevant here. My overall question is regarding the target customer. is the target customer of a GC diesel the same person who looks for the diesel pickups? If so, then I would say your points are valid. I don’t think it’s the same customer though. I think the person buying a diesel GC has more in common with those who buy diesel cars. And those customers I would argue do not have torque at the top of the list. The Jetta TDI definitely does not fit in that category or the Benz’s either for that matter. This diesel in the GC is basically in the middle of the road. It has some performance, more than a car, but less than many other trucks. I just don’t think it will be too popular. It doesn’t sport enough for either customer we’re talking about. As far as the $2k goes, it’s nice to see someone conscious of TVM! It’s the 5% interest or more accruing on the 5 year loan that I would be more concerned about.

Gee deantj, thanks for making my point for me. In fact, you make it everytime you post.
Also thanks for breaking out the thesaurus so you could fill in the spaces between the f-bombs.
You are a real brain surgeon.

Two bones to pick:

1) Starting at $38k+ for the CDL is way too expensive. DaimlerChrysler should be trying to encourage a smaller carbon footprint and responsible vehicle purchasing practices by keeping price for diesel vehicles lower.

2) The EPA fuel ratings are disappointingly low. Are they kidding with this 20/25MPG nonsense? Why don’t they yank the CDI out of the Mercedes-Benz ML-class and get around 22 city / 35 hwy??

I think diesel engines are an easy start for US auto industry to begin making vehicles with better fuel mileage. It’s been proved a long time ago overseas that diesel engines are much more reliable in long run than gas engines.
For Chrysler to try selling those cars for $40k-$45k it’s a joke, in the game they play right now are the only loosers. Are you people for real? You can get Audi Q7 for this money, much more reliable, luxurious and sporty. If the american auto manufacturers wants to beat in sales and quality all those great import car brands, first you must bring the quality at list equal, performance is almost there, and sell for less than those boring japanese and expensive euro imports, and I’m 100% sure we will NOT need anymore bumper stickers with: “Buy American”.
Everyone will have in driveway a Ford, Dodge or Chevy.