| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
I posted this in the Jeep suspension thread, but I'm so tickled with the truck I had to post it here. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 3.0 EcoDiesel:  3.0 DOHC direct-injection turbodiesel with variable-geometry ball-bearing oil and water cooled turbo. 240hp, 420lb-ft, whisper-quiet. Built by VM-Motori (Fiat), been using them overseas for years. The engine is designed for longitudinal or transverse mount. Main-bearing girdle design, with four-bolt caps on each bearing. Banks is making a version of it for the US military as a "generic" engine for multiple platforms. http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/1208dp_banks_vm_motori_630t_v6_diesel_engine/ I got it Saturday. By Thursday, it had more than 1900 miles on it - drove from MD to FL on Monday, back on Thursday. 27.7 MPG overall, cruise control set for 80ish, tight engine, brand new. HIGHLY recommend this truck - tons of luxo-toys (heated/vented leather front seats; heated second row seats; heated steering wheel; 8.4" touchscreen nav; adaptive cruise control; blind spot monitoring; backup cam; park assist front and back; factory HID's; much much more), tow rating is 7200 lbs, and it took second place in the 4 wheeler of the year contest (second only to a MUCH more expensive Land Rover Sport). http://www.fourwheeler.com/vehicle-reviews/1402-2014-four-wheeler-of-the-year/ ...you'd never guess it's been nearly ten years since I bought a new car, wouldya??  | ||
| Kev_m |
Sweet! We've got a 2012 Limited with the V6 that has been great on and off road. I think you're gonna like it! | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I have been eagerly awaiting this engine+Ram1500. Seems like just what the doctor ordered. I just purchased a 2004 Quadcab with a thirsty but effective hemi 5.7 | ||
| Ratbuell |
'14 will have the EcoDiesel in a Ram 1500. That should change the market completely - people want "trucks" for some reason, but don't want / need a "heavy-duty" truck...and you have to go HD to get a diesel. A light-duty diesel should turn the truck market on its ear. It's about time. Since I have my '01 2500 Cummins (4x4 quad cab long bed) for a 'truck' (contrary to the market I use it as such - construction materials, 2000lb+ in the bed, towing heavy for the RV dealer where I work)...I wanted a "car" - my Ram is too damn big to drive downtown for a night out, park in the deck or on the streets, maneuver in one-way streets, or park at work every day...it can be done, but not easily and not fun. I had a '98 5.9 Limited years ago and loved it. Sold it to buy a house. I also had an '05 Magnum R/T with the Hemi - effective and fun, but thirsty (still have the remains, it was t-boned years ago and I bought it back to put the Hemi in my '72 Satellite wagon). But after 2k miles in a week...I'm already loving this '14!  | ||
| Ourdee |
I need to drop that into my 02 TJ. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I've had a few VM powered vehicles over the years, notably an Alfa 164 which was an absolute train, I loved that car & it still pulled strong when it finally smoked into the scrapyard with near on 500,000 km on the clock. Also an Opel Frontera (Isuzu Rodeo) & even a late 90s Jeep Grand Cherokee which was a complete heap of crap. If the lump's as good as the reviews I've read it'll be a cracker. I'm still wary of another Jeep though. | ||
| Teeps |
Nice, though I'd hardly consider it a 'toy'; more like a toaster or other mundane appliance that makes life easier. Never was much a car guy... | ||
| Xdigitalx |
Diesels And then there is : | ||
| Daddio |
Ratbuell, just out of curiosity, and if you don't mind me asking, but what did that Jeep set you back? I may be in the market for something to replace both my old AWD Safari van, and, the Missus' Mini Cooper S. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
She's a beauty. | ||
| Ratbuell |
It was pricey - sticker was over $57k but I know the dealer so I paid significantly less than that, and got 1.24% for 84 months. Bear in mind, I got the Summit - top of the line, at least in non-SRT - with the diesel. You can get a Limited diesel for as low as mid-30s, it all comes down to how many other toys you want with it. The diesel is available on Grand Cherokee Limited, Overland, or Summit models but not on the entry-level Laredo. With the Summit, the only options are colors, powertrain (the diesel, a 3.6 gas VVT V6, or the 5.7 Hemi); rear DVD players; a CD changer; and a block heater cord. EVERYTHING else is standard. jeep.com has a nice "build and price" function on it. I figured, I haven't had a new car or a car payment in nearly a decade...I want something nice, so I'm gonna get something nice My newest vehicle besides the Jeep is my '01 Ram 2500, and I still own the first car I ever bought new...so I'm planning to be in this one for the long haul (another reason I went diesel - longevity). | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
We just got a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland with the V6 for my bride. Love it. Truly a luxury car. Just drove from MI to KCMO and averaged 20mpg at 80ish. Going to tow a uhaul back to MI, so i'll have a mpg update then. | ||
| Kev_m |
Even our Limited came with Nav, heated leather (front and back), memory seats/mirrors/radio, dual zone temp, xenon headlights, auto lights and wipers etc. Stickered in the low 40's, but easily bought in the mid 30's. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Sure, you *can* get most of the Summit stuff on a Limited, but you have to order it as an option. Biggest change from Limited to Summit is Quadra-Drive II, versus Quadra-Trac II - QD2 will send torque to any single wheel through electronic limited slip diffs; QT2 can send to whichever AXLE has the most traction. Summit also has the air suspension (QuadraLift), tech group (nav, heated AND ventilated front seats, adaptive cruise contol, forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, front and rear park assist, adaptive HID headlights with auto-high beams, and auto wipers), and a kickin' *19 speaker* stereo. One thing you cannot get on Summit, though, is the OffRoad group 2 which includes recovery hooks, skidplates, and "trail rated" badges - mainly because the Summit has 20's standard, and the ORG uses 18's with more tire sidewall. But skidplates are easily added. Front tow hooks can be added as well...but not as easily. Believe me, I used the heck out of "build and price" for months. When it came down to it, I had optioned a Limited to within a couple grand of a Summit. I didn't like the 18's, they looked like hubcaps to me - but I liked the Limited more than Overland because Overland had tan carpet in the tan interiors; Limited gave you a black carpet with the tan seats (I ended up getting all black in the Summit). But the final straw....was the interest rate. It was literally less than $25 a month to go Summit, versus a loaded Limited. Is it overkill? yeah....but what the hell. I work too damned hard not to have something nice to tool around in | ||
| Court |
>>>Is it overkill? I've fallen for Intelligent 4 wheel drive after it proved itself during the storms last year. I also confess to starting to view stuff like HID lighting, blind spot monitoring and self parking (the car will put itself in a place it there is room for a soda can between each bumper) as normal. I chalk it up to old age . . :-) I started, with 38,000 miles on the 2013 in 12 months to trade as soon as the new Macan came in but I'm spoiled. Love the color you got Rat . . . | ||
| Kev_m |
We specifically didn't want most of the differences. QT II is fine for our use (mostly beach/dunes). Didn't want cooled seats, or blind spot monitor, or adaptive cruise, or Quadra-lift. The heated memory seats, homelink, Nav with backup camera and all that were standard. The only thing we added was the OEM tow package. | ||
| Nillaice |
'14 will have the EcoDiesel in a Ram 1500. That should change the market completely - people want "trucks" for some reason, but don't want / need a "heavy-duty" truck...and you have to go HD to get a diesel. A light-duty diesel should turn the truck market on its ear. My brother and dad both have extended cab trucks with 6 and 7 liter diesel power plants, but seldom need or use all 600 ft lbs of torque. They both wish that they got better mpg, or atleast better mp$. I'm happy with my 06 4 door v6 tacoma I've found that a 4 door truck is a great and useful vehicle for me and my family. It adds passenger seating to the most useful and adaptable vehicle platform. It's my opinion that most people like to have a 'truck' or if they don't have an open bed with a tail gate that hinges down, people still like to call their vehicle a 'truck' for some reason. But No matter the reason I think that a man and his truck is a beautiful thing. I'm looking forward to a light duty diesel truck seeing production. And a few years after, Id look forward to being the second or third owner of one  | ||
| Strokizator |
Hey Rat, congrats on the new vehicle. Last Jan I bought a new Chrysler T&C van. Got it for $7000 below sticker and it came fully loaded. Now I doubt I'll ever be able to buy another car without every gizmo available; they're just too nice. Like a few other guys here, I'm anticipating the new Ram 1500 with diesel. Of course I'll need the airbag suspended Laramie 4x4 quad cab with every convenience known to man. Or maybe I'll just keep the van. Like Court, my tastes have moved upscale as I've gotten older. I'm afraid now at my funeral I'm going to need the brass coffin. | ||
| Satori |
I think this is a trend that will continue with diesels. The manufacturers need to get their MPG numbers up because of the CAFE standard. Chevy has the Cruze available with a diesel, and the new Chevy Colorado being released will have a 4 cyl Duramax diesel available in 2015. Nissan is supposed to have their 1/2 ton available with a 5 liter cummins v-8 next year. GM had a fully developed 4.8 liter diesel that they designed in house that was ready in 2010, but they didn't release it due to the economy, I guess they figured the more expensive motor wouldn't sell. I've been hoping for this sort of thing to replace my silverado | ||
| Kev_m |
Problem with diesels is that the EPA is making it harder for them to make their mileage figures and more expensive too with particulate filtration and/or diesel exhaust fluid. Between that and the price of new low sulpher diesel fuels the payback can be hundreds of thousands of miles on the economy. So they're not helping diesels to become more popular. But I'd still like to see more options and the new GC and Ram are a great start. | ||
| Aesquire |
I've been waiting for the Dodge Caravan with an oil burner, but the word is 2015... maybe. I did the Bambi slam with the VW TDI on Christmas Eve morning, so It's going in the shop next year, and I may trade it back to the dealer...... Grand Cherokee? Hmmm. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Aesquire, you might want to read this first.  http://www.allpar.com/history/chrysler-years/C21/2 015/ | ||
| Aesquire |
Well..... darn. Some interesting stuff there. Thanks. I want/need a cargo hauler that can carry my huge tent, 2 weeks of camping supplies & Armor. ( think tailgate party & football gear for games every day for a week. In steel. ) Also need to haul 2x4s and plywood, at least monthly. Experience shows that a Grand Caravan does the job, works fine in winter ( with snow tires ) and gets better mileage than a contemporary Full Sized Van. ( but not better than the '70s slant six Dodge that is a memory ) The Sportwagen doesn't haul enough, although a light trailer could offer enough capacity and retain the high mileage the rest of the time. I have a buddy who keeps telling me to buy a small boat & trailer to use for the purpose, but I think he really wants to go fishing....  The UK spec Caravan does what I want, now, ( space & 30mpg ) but if the above speculation is true, that won't be an option here, ever. I could just pick up a "program car" Caravan and just wait for the perfect vehicle to materialize..... I resist Pickup Trucks because I like the enclosed space ( it rains here. A Lot. ) and on cross country trips like to nap out in the back of a "van" instead of motels, kinda. ( a ratio of one night comfy at a rest stop and the next in a hotel works for adventuresome couples, but not so good with kids. As a bizarre compromise, it lets you stay in hot tub rooms every other night, instead of cheap hotels every night on the same budget. It does require a comfortable vehicle to sleep in, and Vans & mattresses work for me. ) | ||
| Ridenusa4l |
Aesquire....why not just get an SUV? Jake | ||
| Aesquire |
Drove full size vans most of my life, and downsized to a minivan when I had a 110 mile a day commute. Most SUV's don't have the interior volume of a Grand Caravan, and the few that do, like a Suburban, are even bigger hogs than a Van. Sold my old van last winter for multiple reasons, partly the $100+ fill ups. Alas, the VW is not big enough to do it all, so another minivan is probably in my future. I have no psych/ego reason to avoid "soccer mom" minivans, I ride a Buell, so my midlife crisis is mostly handled.... if I can quit looking at used airplanes. Simply, need to haul small loads of lumber and want a space in back to toss a mattress and sleeping bag for weekend trips. I can get 8' 2x4s inside a grand caravan. Not a ton of them, but enough for Home improvement projects. Plus I have a medieval tent that masses about 100 lbs of canvas. If I win the Lotto, I can afford a Sprinter as a second car, and be happy. Also the Bass boat, backhoe, front loader, paved driveway and garage..........  | ||
| Ratbuell |
There are a lot of used Sprinters showing up in this area now...both standard and high-top versions. Not bad pricing, if you're OK with some miles on them (and given the powertrain...mileage wouldn't scare me on these). | ||
| Pwnzor |
I have always been, and will ever be a full-size van guy. I love my heavy duty cargo van. | ||
| Nillaice |
i've always wanted to have an A-Team van. ...  | ||
| Aesquire |
Yes, Vans rule! My complaint is the poor economy. Badwebbers have a wildly diverse knowledge base. Is there a SUV or other sorta-truck with comparable under cover cargo capacity to a Grand Caravan, that gets reasonable mileage? 4x8 sheet of plywood, for example? | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Mercedes Vito or V class would be your ideal, but yet again not before 2015. |
