October 21, 2013: Ordered Deep Cherry Red Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 diesel
October 29: Built in Detroit
October 30: Shipped
November 14: Arrived Portland, OR
November 15: Picked it up
Amazing vehicle. Someone said the 8 speed transmission was 'butter' smooth. Agree. Diesel sound is reassuringly quiet on the outside and with the insulation package on the Limited only a reassuring hum on the inside. Power from this Italian engine and German transmission are, well, amazing. Beats the socks off the V-6 gas demo we drove. Coming home we have a flat road leading up to a one mile 5% grade. In cruise control the transmission downshifted from 8th to 7th, held the speed at 60, with the rpm only going up maybe less than 250. No noise increase. Now I have two loves in my life: my wife and my Jeep.
Headlights in the Luxury Group II are stunning and the dual-pane sunroof is too cool to describe. (Makes me want to sit in the back seat someday. Maybe after I've driven this Jeep 10K.) Driving home in the dark last night the headlights illuminated two bucks standing 300 feet ahead and fifty feet off to the left of the road, giving us time to slow down. I'd say the $3,000 cost of LGII are worth the cost with all the bells and whistles provided. Fuel economy... hard to tell so far with just 50 miles - half around town and half on highway at 60mph - but the trip meter says 24.9mpg. Pretty sweet for a 4,700 pound vehicle.