Living in the city and owning a Jeep is a bit of a paradox. And this active-lifestyle phenomenon is getting out of hand; it seems as though people who spend their weekends surfboarding, hiking, cycling and doing other outdoor activities live in the urban areas where congestion and pollution is high. Or at least, that's what manufacturers want us to believe.
Hence Jeep's latest offerings, the compact Compass and Patriot, created for the urbanites who want to look cool in a rugged-type vehicle. They're not really off-road Jeeps and only a fully-loaded Patriot wears a Trail Rated badge, but they're fairly capable. The country folks should look into a Wrangler, a Patriot or a Liberty.
The Grand Cherokee, in my mind, covers both types. It offers a choice of five powertrains including the SRT8's 420-hp V8, but one of them is particularly interesting because not many other luxury SUVs offer it: a turbo diesel engine.
Smooth power delivery
The 3.0-litre, 24-valve CRD V6 develops just 215 horses but a stump-pulling 376 lb-ft of torque from 1,600 to 2,800 rpm. The engine's redline is a slow 4,500 rpm, but that's normal for a diesel. At a steady 100 km/h, the V6 is spinning at 2,200 rpm.
The 0-100 km/h dash takes 8.4 seconds and the quarter-mile goes by in 16.1 seconds at 137 km/h. So, it's obviously slower than when the 5.7-litre HEMI is under the hood, but the CRD is pretty strong nonetheless. People who pull trailers and boats might also be glad to know that with the tow package, the diesel Grand Cherokee can pull up to 7,400 lbs or 3,357 kg.
The main reason one would choose the CRD version is for saving fuel, and our average of 12.4 L/100 km isn't bad. Compared to the gas engines available in the Grand Cherokee, we noticed a bigger gain in fuel savings around town than on the highway. If you're a city dweller and want a Jeep like this one, the turbo diesel would your logical choice.
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| The Jeep Grand Cherokee offers a soft ride on-road and hardcore capability off-road. |
Hence Jeep's latest offerings, the compact Compass and Patriot, created for the urbanites who want to look cool in a rugged-type vehicle. They're not really off-road Jeeps and only a fully-loaded Patriot wears a Trail Rated badge, but they're fairly capable. The country folks should look into a Wrangler, a Patriot or a Liberty.
The Grand Cherokee, in my mind, covers both types. It offers a choice of five powertrains including the SRT8's 420-hp V8, but one of them is particularly interesting because not many other luxury SUVs offer it: a turbo diesel engine.
Smooth power delivery
The 3.0-litre, 24-valve CRD V6 develops just 215 horses but a stump-pulling 376 lb-ft of torque from 1,600 to 2,800 rpm. The engine's redline is a slow 4,500 rpm, but that's normal for a diesel. At a steady 100 km/h, the V6 is spinning at 2,200 rpm.
The 0-100 km/h dash takes 8.4 seconds and the quarter-mile goes by in 16.1 seconds at 137 km/h. So, it's obviously slower than when the 5.7-litre HEMI is under the hood, but the CRD is pretty strong nonetheless. People who pull trailers and boats might also be glad to know that with the tow package, the diesel Grand Cherokee can pull up to 7,400 lbs or 3,357 kg.
The main reason one would choose the CRD version is for saving fuel, and our average of 12.4 L/100 km isn't bad. Compared to the gas engines available in the Grand Cherokee, we noticed a bigger gain in fuel savings around town than on the highway. If you're a city dweller and want a Jeep like this one, the turbo diesel would your logical choice.
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| The 3.0-litre, 24-valve CRD V6 develops just 215 horses but a stump-pulling 376 lb-ft of torque. |