After an a day spent chugging along dirt trails, marveling at the climbing ability and articulation of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, I encountered a bit of rain on the freeway. As I considered whether to turn on the wipers, they came to life on their own, clearing the windshield of the gathering drops. These automatic windshield wipers nicely complemented the adaptive cruise control, which had let me run for miles without touching either brake pedal or accelerator.
That is the essence of the Jeep Grand Cherokee these days. At least in high trim, this Jeep can scrabble through the dirt while cocooning passengers in elite comfort. The EcoDiesel option is a new twist for the Grand Cherokee, adding a high-torque, fuel-efficient mill with excellent fuel economy.
In the US, EcoDiesel is a pricey option at $5,000. Added to the base price of $51,190 for our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 in Summit trim, it brought us up to $56,190. However, drop the trim down to Limited with the EcoDiesel option, and you are looking at only $43,490. UK buyers get the diesel option as a standard feature, and will pay £50,205 for the Summit trim Grand Cherokee. Down under, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit, with EcoDiesel, comes in at AU$83,852.
EcoDiesel is a 3-liter turbocharged, six-cylinder diesel engine. In the Grand Cherokee, it makes 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. This engine option comes mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Part of the option cost goes to the diesel exhaust cleanup system, which requires refills of its 8-gallon diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank every 10,000 miles.
The most notable advantage of this diesel engine is a fuel economy rating of 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, which compares nicely to the 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway of the available gasoline-fueled 3.6-liter V-6. While monitoring the trip computer, I was impressed to see freeway average fuel economy hitting 35 mpg. That stellar economy kept my average, which included time spent in slow city traffic and the aforementioned offroad crawl, up at 24.9 mpg.
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The Grand Cherokee, designed to seat five with plenty of room for cargo, is an extremely refined-looking vehicle, eschewing overly brawny features for subtle wheel arches and a raked grille. The small headlight casings hold high-intensity discharge lamps (Jeep isn't yet offering LED headlamps), and the grille features Jeep's traditional seven-opening design, or six-bar if you want to count it that way. In Summit trim the interior gains fine appointments, including stitched leather over seats and dash, and satin-finished wood trim. Electronics include the excellent UConnect infotainment system shown on an 8.4-inch touchscreen, a Harman Kardon audio system and an available HD rear entertainment system.
Diesel chatter
At idle, the EcoDiesel option made itself known by the clatter of its injectors, that distinct diesel chatter underneath the whir of pumps. It comes through a little noisier than the gasoline engine. Poking the accelerator, the Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel feels a tad more sluggish than its gasoline-powered equivalent, and the engine noise comes through in the cabin. Maneuvering through city traffic, the high torque of the engine made for some surging at low speeds, requiring a more careful touch on the accelerator.
The air suspension, standard with the Grand Cherokee Summit's Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system, created a comfortable ride over potholed city streets and a tight turning radius enhanced maneuverability. Steering assist comes from a hydraulic system powered by an electric pump, so it never lost pressure from low-speed driving. For driving the paved roads, I left the terrain selection dial on Auto, where it would automatically lower the ride height for freeway speeds.
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On the freeway, the Grand Cherokee retained its comfortable character, and I made ample use of the adaptive cruise control. I noted how this system actively accelerated when I hit the turn signal and began a lane change to pass slower traffic, mimicking what I would do under similar circumstances. One odd quirk of Jeep's adaptive cruise control: I could choose either standard cruise or adaptive cruise depending on which steering wheel button I hit.
A blind-spot monitor system lit up icons in the side mirrors when other cars were to either side, and the Grand Cherokee had a rear view camera with trajectory lines. However, there were no side or front cameras, which would have come handy while parking or offroad.
And despite the comfortable cabin appointments of the Grand Cherokee, it remains a very credible offroader. At Jeep's launch event for the Grand Cherokee, I wheeled a gasoline-powered one up and down black-diamond-rated trails, heading down sandy grades that had me white-knuckled on the steering wheel.
Lacking spotters or any other support with the Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, I stuck to the intermediate, blue-square trails. I set the terrain system to Rock, and the Grand Cherokee chugged steadily up and down the hills, the four-wheel-drive system negotiating the differing traction, automatically regulating wheel slip and putting torque to the wheels that could use it. I never once had to engage the 4WD Low setting, even with the standard Goodyear all-season tires.
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Full review of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel. Read the story and see photos of the 2014 EcoDiesel at Car and Driver.
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