[sanuras]

One of the attributes often quoted about a diesel is that it is more economical than a gasoline engine. Chrysler/Jeep's product literature states this about the Grand Cherokee diesel. Having owned a Liberty CRD for a number of years, I know what I think; however, I'm curious what other people think about this issue.

 

[tcoilburner]

Compared to the gas v6, I believe no. The Hemi maybe some better. If you tow in the upper half of the Grands tow rating than I think it gets better.

 

[mvmathew]

I think in the end it depends on the person. For me i like diesel because of what it offers for a SUV of its size and also b/c i travel on the highways a lot for both getting to work and school. For example, GM introduced the Cruze diesel, and it gets the same as the Cruze Eco (42 MPG on highway) and people are asking whats the difference then. Comare that to an SUV and there is a big difference, the JGC 3.6 4X4 gets 17 city and 25 highway with an estimated combine MPG of 20*. Now compare that to the diesel and the difference is tremendous, 4X4 gets 20 city and 28 highway lets say with and estimated combine MPG of around 22-25MPG*. So as technology improves for SUV's we will get better MPG just as cars. Now if you are some that tows, the diesel is even better b/c your SUV will will struggle less with the load its carrying allowing for better MPG than the gasoline varient. Again in the end it all depends on how you drive it. =)
* me guessing

 

[kartl]

Well diesel is very affordable also its fuel economical, but what it turns me down is every time there is a mechanical repair in the engine it self it more expensive to repair compared to gas engines.

 

[tcoilburner]

But don't forget the new breed of gas engines are getting more expensive to repair too. ( turbos, direct fuel injection parts, cylinder shut-down, variable valve timing) on some

 

[LadyCreekWolf]

I do think it depends on the person. For me, absolutely worth it. I'll have a beautiful everyday driver as well as a beautiful tow vehicle for my trailer. I didn't want the V8 because of the gas mileage and my husband and I agreed we'll have to keep the suburban to tow the trailer. Then they announced the Diesel and we are both happy campers now. No pun intended.

 

[FFARL]

As someone who tows an RV, there's just no comparison. My diesel doesn't even seem to know it's back there. The gas truck I had before this one dropped 10 or more MPH when towing! It was even worse in the wind. The only real "repair" I've had done so far was a radiator issue that happened to be warrantied, but you only need one oil change to know that everything is going to cost you more.

I don't think I'll ever be able to not have a diesel in the stable again, but having a little rice burner for around town has saved me some $ for sure.

 

[4jeepdiesel]

Economy isn't the ONLY reason to get the diesel however in my case I drive 25K+/year it will be more economical for me in the long run for sure. Matter of fact, I've seen diesel in our area as much as 60 cents cheaper/gallon than gas. At the worst this winter it was only 30 cents more per gallon. That's roughly 15% more cost/gallon but your fuel efficiency over the V6 is easily 20% or more.

Engine longevity, more fun to drive than V6, towing capability, exhaust sound, less stops at gas stations, etc...
It's not for everyone however everyone I know that drives a modern diesel wouldn't give it up.

My only concern is what type of warranty & extended warranties are available for the diesel.

 

[MDBones]

From what I can see in my owners manual it appears that the diesel has the same warranty as the gas... 3/36 basic warranty and 5/100 powertrain warranty.

E. Parts Covered
The Powertrain Limited Warranty covers these parts and components of your vehicle’s powertrain supplied by Chrysler Group LLC:

Gasoline Engine:
cylinder block and all internal parts; cylinder head assemblies; timing case, timing chain, timing belt, gears and sprockets; vibration damper; oil pump; water pump and housing; intake and exhaust manifolds; flywheel with starter ring gear; core plugs; valve covers; oil pan; turbocharger housing and internal parts; turbocharger wastegate actuator; supercharger; serpentine belt tensioner; seals and gaskets for listed components only.


Diesel Engine:
cylinder block and all internal parts; cylinder head assemblies; core plugs; fuel injection pump and injectors; intake and exhaust manifolds; oil pan; oil pump; timing gear drive belts and/or chains and cover; turbocharger housing and internal parts; valve covers; water pump and housing; seals and gaskets for listed components; glow plugs and all sensors.


That seems to be a generically written warranty that covers all Chrysler products, including the Cummins diesel in the Ram trucks.

 

[t1n0m3n]

No, the reason is that Diesel is hip. Only the cool kids ride the oil burners.

 

[Suns_PSD]

I don't think so. Certainly not at today's fuel prices and with todays diesel repair bills. You have to enjoy the diesel's other attributes like long range, great respionsiveness, cleaner emissions, etc... You might eventually break even or even go in the black on the diesel once resale is considered.

I chose the diesel cause my wife just prefers them and this is her vehicle. I too prefer them.

 

[Jason Lawrence]

I bought mine in the end of September based on fuel savings driving 30-35k miles a year. My company pays mileage at .56 a mile so I'm still keeping my fuel, payment and maintenance costs within my reimbursements and going over 600 miles without filling up. Overall I think it will be a wash, but the towing gains and mileage had me sold. My best friend has the Summit with the V-6 and I am averaging 5-6 mpg more out of my Limited.

 

[ericlakin]

With the higher cost of the diesel engine option, the high cost of maintenance including oil changes, and the current premium cost per gal of diesel vs gas (although this is improving), there are probably very few use cases where the diesel ends up cheaper than the gasser. But if cost was the big driver for all of us we'd all be driving base model Chevy Sonics.

The diesel engine itself will likely outlast the rest of the vehicle. The complex emissions system has been the biggest problem for most owners. There are a lot of good threads on this forum discussing these issues, most of which involve DEF product choices, DEF injector clogging, and catalytic convertors failing. Assuming all these issues get resolved by Chrysler before the mandated 8yr/80k emissions warranty expires, these could be very solid long-term vehicles. And if you don't mind doing your own maintenance to avoid $150 oil changes it might start making financial sense at some point.

 

[Jason Lawrence]

I've already had round one with the DEF issue and spent a few days while they worked with an engineer to clear something they hadn't come across. The guy dropping off his Ram ahead of me had the exact same issue. The oil changes are covered as was my trailer hitch, I have a good friend who is a Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge mechanic. I had the hitch and everything that comes from the factory added for about 300 bucks less and the vehicle is registered by VIN now as having a factory hitch. I plan to keep it at least 5 years which should be about the break even point provided I still get work done for a case of beer.