Eat my Diesel

"getFuckedHerb" (goongetfuckedherb) 09/21/2015 at 11:15 • Filed to: diesel

3

15

And show me how you lug your 4800 5200+ pound SUV around getting 29mpg (using the calculator after filling says I got 29.4mpg) and 700 miles on a tank (the truck was suggesting 130 miles left to E) while having the ability to tow like a 1/2 ton truck.

On trips where we hover around 55->60mph we get 30-32mpg depending on the wind, without any sort of attempts at doing so.

We love our diesel, despite the emissions hurdles (touchy cat, DEF injection).

450X_FTW > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 11:26

1

Your JGC is a lot more than 4800 pounds though. The 4x2 is even over 5000 pounds.

getFuckedHerb > 450X_FTW 09/21/2015 at 11:41

0

You’re absolutely right, googling “2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel Curb Weight” gave a really low answer, likely 5,200 pounds or so.

450X_FTW > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 11:45

0

Not that high. here’s the base curb for each model. About half way down they list them all on engine and trim level.

http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/jeep/spec…

getFuckedHerb > 450X_FTW 09/21/2015 at 11:51

1

Yea typos suck, I meant 5200 as I edited my original post to reflect, it’s a heavy pig but not 6000+ typically.

450X_FTW > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 11:53

1

How do you like your diesel GC? I was responsible for the powertrain develoment and calibration on that vehicle for several years at chrysler. Always interested in hearing comments from the field

Sneaky Pete > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 11:57

1

I’ve been contemplating picking one of these up in a couple years once there’s some long term reliability data, and the first owners take the biggest depreciation hit. How do you like it aside from getting great mileage? How’s it tow?

getFuckedHerb > 450X_FTW 09/21/2015 at 12:06

1

Well outside of the constant, and I do mean constant CEL’s for the emissions system (I’d like to get some face time with whoever decided that was an OK spot for the DEF injector on a 4x4!!) it’s been just a fantastic vehicle. Owners online have complained about the tranny movements in eco mode etc, I have had no complaints thus far. I leave it in eco 99.9% of the time and have really no complaints about how it drives. I enjoy the way it tows, though I’d love an option to turn some engine braking on during towing- though I did notice it down shift going down a big hill with the cruise on the other day.

Things that piss me off that you probably signed off on:
The oil change procedure is basically “Do something then wait 20 minutes.. repeat 10 times” - I dislike oil filter setups where there is basically no way to remove it without getting oil everywhere and where the filter housing needs to drain back through the pump gears to get rid of it. It seems to really complicate things and that damn hose that is non-removable right on top of it doesn’t help. I’d also love to see an oil filter removal tool shipped with each truck: I have yet to find one in person and the ones I find online appear to be for the previous generation/blu-tec motors.

TL/DR: JUST MAKE THE OIL FILTER EASIER TO GET TO AND GET OFF WITHOUT MAKING A MESS OR REQUIRING $100 TOOLS.

Things you didn’t fuck up but I hate:
The hands free system is OK Overall, but when I push the green button and it’s waiting for me to say something pushing the RED button should cancel that shit. I find myself hitting it accidentally and then screaming “CANCEL” at it to get it to stop.

The in-call volume of the handsfree option is WAY too low. I find myself turning up the in-call volume to the max and even then I have a hard time hearing and being heard. As a result, when the phone rings (it’s on the same volume as in-call) it scares the living FUCK out of me as it’s MAX VOLUME.

Overall, you did great work in my opinion, the truck is effortless to drive in town and down the road and my wife loves it. As you can see we’re nearly 40k in after a year and a couple months.

getFuckedHerb > Sneaky Pete 09/21/2015 at 12:10

2

It’s great, you can see my rant to the guy who worked on the powertrain below, but overall I’d buy this vehicle again without hesitation. It tows very well, we’ve towed small stuff a lot and I’d consider the boat to be “medium” sized:

and it tows that with no problem at all, getting great mileage while doing it. Tha’ts the one surprising thing: the MPG bennies are perhaps BIGGEST when towing something big and heavy vs other motors.

450X_FTW > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 12:12

1

I was responsible for fuel economy, performance, drivability, basically the voice of the customer, but with data to backup everything that is said. The ECO mode was always an issue, but it’s the only way to get those high MPG labels. And no matter what mode you are in when you shut the car off, it’ll always go back to ECO at startup, EPA requirement.

If you have ACC for cruise control, you’ll notice a combination of braking and downshifting to slow you down going down a hill, they have a very tight window to maintain from Set Speed to Actual Speed. If you’re towing down a steep hill, say in W. Virginia, and you hit the brakes once hard, it’ll downshift and hold that gear, as long as you don’t touch the throttle, to help slow you down.

As for oil change and hands free that was all done way before me. Basically I don’t have anything to do until I get the vehicle, and calibration work begins while behind the wheel. Glad to hear it’s working out so well for you though

getFuckedHerb > 450X_FTW 09/21/2015 at 12:14

0

Regular old poor-person cruise here. I have no beefs with “Eco” mode honestly and wouldn’t be sad if it were the “only” mode until the truck noticed you hitched up a trailer.

450X_FTW > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 12:20

0

It detects automatically when you hook up a trailer by the additional load it puts on the vehicle and the acceleration rate. Hence no need for a tow/haul button

450X_FTW > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 12:22

0

To give you an idea on the towing MPGs. I have a 27 foot toy hauler that weighs about 5500-6000 pounds when loaded down. With my 2012 Ram 1500 5.7L 4x4 I average 8.5 mpg. With a 2013 4x4 Ram 2500 cummins 12 mpg. With a 2014 4x2 Ram 1500 3.0L diesel 13.5 mpg

Sneaky Pete > getFuckedHerb 09/21/2015 at 12:51

0

Awesome. I intend on towing a) a tent trailer and b) car trailer with “racecar.” Thanks for the feedback.

450X_FTW > Sneaky Pete 09/21/2015 at 13:55

0

I’d look at the Ram 1500 diesel instead, only because you get to pick a lot more “a la carte” with options on the vehicle, whereas the Grand Cherokee already starts with a lot of luxury options

Sneaky Pete > 450X_FTW 09/21/2015 at 14:07

0

I want an SUV with luxury options. If I were in the market for a truck, it wouldn’t be a Ram.