Jeep Grand Cherokee w/ 3.0 EcoDiesel?

Birdie2000

Birdie2000

Club Member
Anyone had one of these? How was it in terms of reliability/maintenance?

Need a vehicle that presents well, is comfortable, and gets decent fuel economy but can still tow 5-6000lbs occasionally without too much issue. So far this is literally the only thing that I've found comfortable and with that # capacity that doesn't result in my fuel bill going up significantly. Gas is currently $1.95-2.05/gal where I live, diesel is ~2.19-2.25/gal.
 
What kind of driving do you do? My GC with the 3.6 gets about 21mpg in winter and 23mpg in summer which I think is damn good for a decent sized SUV. That is nearly all highway though and I don't drive like an asshat anymore. Towing capacity is right about 6000lbs.
 
A Ram 3.0 Diesel doesn't present well? They are absolutely giant inside the cab and ride well enough. Claims 29mpg...

2.7 turbo F150's still impress me with mileage/power/towing/ride. A good buddy RACKS up miles in his and he's a Ford Mechanic. Said he wouldn't own a 3.5 ecoboost but the 2.7 is thumbs up. Diesel being more than gasoline is a real bummer even if it's just a penny more. 6000lbs is a lot.
 
AutoRoc said:
A Ram 3.0 Diesel doesn't present well? They are absolutely giant inside the cab and ride well enough. Claims 29mpg...

2.7 turbo F150's still impress me with mileage/power/towing/ride. A good buddy RACKS up miles in his and he's a Ford Mechanic. Said he wouldn't own a 3.5 ecoboost but the 2.7 is thumbs up. Diesel being more than gasoline is a real bummer even if it's just a penny more. 6000lbs is a lot.
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Ive got a few coworkers that have the 2.7 F150s and they are averaging mid 20s for MPG. Im in 14-18 in my 3.5. The 2.7s get great mileage but that dips a ton when towing. So for someone who isn't towing that much or that often, its a great choice. Ford was practically giving them away at the end of last year (some had a 10-20k Aplan discount with incentives)
 
Yeah I guarantee a 2.7 eco would tow 6000lb better than my 5.0. This 5.0 has no bottom end. It wants 4000+ rpm to be relatively happy.

Sorry to throw trucks into your thread but if you are thinking about enclosed trailers or campers, everyone with an SUV eventually goes to a truck. Longer/heavier/safer. Close neighbors with their camper progressed like this... 4.2 Trailblazer, Hemi Grand Cherokee, Hemi Ram....
 
Siegel1719 said:
What kind of driving do you do? My GC with the 3.6 gets about 21mpg in winter and 23mpg in summer which I think is damn good for a decent sized SUV. That is nearly all highway though and I don't drive like an asshat anymore. Towing capacity is right about 6000lbs.
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I live up north (Traverse City) and drive ~1500-2000 miles per month, most being 45-55mph backroads or 75-85mph freeway driving for trips back to metro Detroit. My last few vehicles have averaged high 20's-low 30's so most things with towing capacity will likely impact my fuel costs significantly. I'm definitely not looking to go diesel if I don't have to.

Have you done any towing with the GC?

AutoRoc said:
A Ram 3.0 Diesel doesn't present well? They are absolutely giant inside the cab and ride well enough. Claims 29mpg...

2.7 turbo F150's still impress me with mileage/power/towing/ride. A good buddy RACKS up miles in his and he's a Ford Mechanic. Said he wouldn't own a 3.5 ecoboost but the 2.7 is thumbs up. Diesel being more than gasoline is a real bummer even if it's just a penny more. 6000lbs is a lot.
Click to expand...

A Ram presents perfectly fine but I also want to minimize the level of huge since most of my driving will not be towing and parking in town can get tight. GC would be the right size for me. I actually wouldn't mind a truck, although I'm rather partial to the 03-07 classic GM offerings except they're awful with fuel and hard to find without rust. My main point in "presenting well" is that I don't want something rusted out/beat up in the name of being a good tow vehicle for my criteria, nor do I want a dedicated tow vehicle at this point.

mustangmike6996 said:
Ive got a few coworkers that have the 2.7 F150s and they are averaging mid 20s for MPG. Im in 14-18 in my 3.5. The 2.7s get great mileage but that dips a ton when towing. So for someone who isn't towing that much or that often, its a great choice. Ford was practically giving them away at the end of last year (some had a 10-20k Aplan discount with incentives)
Click to expand...

AutoRoc said:
Yeah I guarantee a 2.7 eco would tow 6000lb better than my 5.0. This 5.0 has no bottom end. It wants 4000+ rpm to be relatively happy.

Sorry to throw trucks into your thread but if you are thinking about enclosed trailers or campers, everyone with an SUV eventually goes to a truck. Longer/heavier/safer. Close neighbors with their camper progressed like this... 4.2 Trailblazer, Hemi Grand Cherokee, Hemi Ram....
Click to expand...

Towing could be open car trailer, mid-sized camper, pontoon boat, etc. Nothing huge, but the 2000-3500 most "SUVs" seem to be rated for won't cut it. A GC is on the smaller side, but most of my towing would be within 30 miles and only occasionally so I would love a good compromise vehicle. I'll check out the 2.7's. Have heard a lot of people say the Ecoboosts in those trucks got expensive over time and I seem to recall the reliability/fuel costs weren't particularly great. I get that MPG will suck with towing, but for the other 95% of the time good mileage is important. And jesus, that's a hell of a discount. Wish that was still happening haha, although I'm generally more of a 2-3 year-old used kinda guy.
 
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Sorry my only towing experience with it is a small landscape trailer. Heaviest I have gone would probably only be about 3000lbs. But it tow's that super smooth with no issues. Mine is also on the older side as a 2013. I did check and the newer jeeps with the 3.6 are rated for 6200lbs.
 
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