Diesel Grand Cherokee for Towing

[mikey98e]

The Boss and I are kicking around the thought of getting rid of our Tundra and getting a Diesel Grand Cherokee to tow our little Bullet.
We're getting tired of the gas costs for my back and forth to work trips. We got rid of a GMC 3500 that was getting 9 miles to the gallon (8.1L engine) for the Tundra that gets 12 to 13. The diesel should get better mileage.
Anyone have one of these?
-mike

[zuley]

Mike, you did not say which diesel cherokee you are referring too. Chrysler built a diesel WK in 07 and 08 powered with a benz 3.0 litre. They are now producing a cherokee with a european 3.0 litre. I've got an 08 oil burner which we refuse to get rid of. We'll drive it till the body falls off of it. As for a tow vehicle it is pretty much identical numbers to the new VM diesel model. We towed a high wall 4000 pound pop up camer with the diesel and for the most part did not know it was back there. There are a couple of pretty steep hills on route to one of our destinations. The thing would not even down shift heading up the hills. Thre pulling power is unbelievable. When we purchased our tt I did the due dilligence and determined the jeep was good to go with our 23RB. Unfortunately I did not consider the short wheel base of the jeep. New models are pretty much the same wheel base. You did not list the specifics of your trailer. Our 23RB being roughly 25 feel long and 6000 pounds was too much for the jeep. Power or stopping was not the issue it was the short wheel base of the jeep. We towed twice with the jeep. Even with a good WD hitch we had a gust of wind catch us off guard and I drove over the centre line of the hwy. Ordered a new truck the next day. My wife to this day still claims I wanted a truck so I embellished the need. Not at all. Would not consider towing my tt without a truck ever again.

[mikey98e]

I am referring to a 2015 3.0 diesel. Also the trailer is in my signature. It is a 19FBPR.
-mike

Thank you for your reply. I also think the Jeeps length will be a problem.

[jkohler70]

IMO the wheelbase argument isn't a precise one. I tow a 2510RB with a 2009 Kia Borrego V8 with no sway issues using friction sway control. Stem to stern it's 28'10". My wheelbase is 114". The Grand Cherokee is 114.8". I've towed in cross winds. Up hills. Down hills. I've passed semis. Been passed by semis.

I previously towed a 19' single axle hybrid with a minivan. The van had a longer wheelbase (118.9"), and the RV was shorter. Conventional wisdom is that I should have had less sway with the shorter RV/longer wheelbase. The opposite was true.

[DiverB]

Mike,

I have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.0L diesel and I love it! Summer mileage is usually 31-32hwy way and 25-27 city. I have used my Jeep to tow my boat which is just under 6000lbs and it does fine, mileage while towing is right around 15mpg with the boat and 22mpg when towing my snowmobile trailer.

The short wheelbase of the Jeep can make backing my boat (26') a bit of a chore vs when I'm backing the boat with my 3500 Ram.

In my opinion the diesel Jeep is a great comfortable, luxurious vehicle that I would put up against an Audi Q7 or BMW any day of the week.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_177575_0_0f36bb3d01e3f8e3cfb25aca2eb99523.jpg

[GT2400BH]

i don't have the diesel but I'm pulling 25ft passport 6500 lbs with 2012 grand Cherokke. Not sure I would take off to the west coast and the mountains with it. But the 3 to 5 hour trips we make it does great.

[BirchyBoy]

We just did a 2,700 mile trip with our Hemi GC and it did very well including multiple mountain passes. Our trailer weighs 3,800 dry and about 4,500 loaded. I looked at an EcoDiesel GC while in San Diego due to some electrical issues with ours but couldn't justify the cost. The payload wasn't any better (1,050lbs) and the tow rating isn't any higher (7,500lbs). What I've found is that the Hemi is plenty capable but the payload rating is the biggest limitation.

Before you invest in one, figure out what the weight of you tongue will be along with all of your passengers and stuff. After factoring in the two of us, our two dogs and the trailer tongue, having a third adult would be pushing the payload rating.

[koko]

We tow with the Durango. We have found that a really good" weight distribution hitch/sway control is a must with the short wheel base. The Equalizer makes a huge difference as opposed to the one the dealer installed when we purchased. We used to get knocked around a bit by strong wind and trucks but not anymore. Power-wise, ours isn't a diesel but we have plenty, and we
pull up mountains all the time. We are at the max and wouldn't tow anything larger than what we presently have. On average, we get 21 mpg when not towing, about 10-12 when we are.

[BirchyBoy]

We tow with the Durango. We have found that a really good" weight distribution hitch/sway control is a must with the short wheel base. The Equalizer makes a huge difference as opposed to the one the dealer installed when we purchased. We used to get knocked around a bit by strong wind and trucks but not anymore. Power-wise, ours isn't a diesel but we have plenty, and we
pull up mountains all the time. We are at the max and wouldn't tow anything larger than what we presently have. On average, we get 21 mpg when not towing, about 10-12 when we are.

Hemi? We're lucky to get 17 and got 9.6 on our trip.

[GT2400BH]

What octane are you running ? My last trip I went from 9.3. To 10.5 on the way back running 89 octane in my hemi. Which is what the manual suggest. Going to experiment again next trip.

[BirchyBoy]

What octane are you running ? My last trip I went from 9.3. To 10.5 on the way back running 89 octane in my hemi. Which is what the manual suggest. Going to experiment again next trip.

Mid-grade, which is 87 here and 89 at sea level. Always "top tier" gas, too. It's interesting to me because on the first 250 miles from Denver into Utah (across the mountain passes) I got 10.5. Between mile 250 and 2,500, or Utah into San Diego and back into Colorado through Phoenix I got just over 9. Last 250 was 10.5 again. These are calculations using actual mileage and fuel, not my car's reading. I had thought that the mileage would have been better at sea level.

Oh well.

[mpgtow]

The Boss and I are kicking around the thought of getting rid of our Tundra and getting a Diesel Grand Cherokee to tow our little Bullet.
We're getting tired of the gas costs for my back and forth to work trips. We got rid of a GMC 3500 that was getting 9 miles to the gallon (8.1L engine) for the Tundra that gets 12 to 13. The diesel should get better mileage.
Anyone have one of these?
-mike

Hi
Yes, I had one for almost 1-1/2 years. Have plenty of information about it... Was extremely happy with it until we purchased a slightly larger trailer. Send private message with phone info and I'm happy to call you to discuss the specifics. Including additional insight about using the Hensley hitch with the jeep diesel.
Rob