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Edmunds has pics, inside and out and some EPA mileage. V6 and diesel impression included!
http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/grand-cherokee/2014/road-test.html
http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/grand-cherokee/2014/road-test.html
Jeep Grand Cherokee "First Drive"
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Nice!
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The best part, 30 mpg, and more torque than the Hemi:
"Jeep is asking a $4,500 premium for the diesel engine, which makes it $2,305 more expensive than the Hemi V8. A bit of quick math using national average fuel prices reveals that the Ecodiesel will pay for itself relative to the Hemi V8 in about 35,000 miles."
"Jeep is asking a $4,500 premium for the diesel engine, which makes it $2,305 more expensive than the Hemi V8. A bit of quick math using national average fuel prices reveals that the Ecodiesel will pay for itself relative to the Hemi V8 in about 35,000 miles."
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Yeah, I showed this to the wife and she really likes it. Diesel is the way for us because she is trying to improve over her Highlander. We might have a winner here.
Maybe someone who has driven both can tell, her only reserve about the JGC is that she rode in a rental one and the ride was "horrible.". I can only assume this was the non-air suspension version. Has anyone driven both that tell me the difference between the two?
Maybe someone who has driven both can tell, her only reserve about the JGC is that she rode in a rental one and the ride was "horrible.". I can only assume this was the non-air suspension version. Has anyone driven both that tell me the difference between the two?
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Rental cars are generally beat up and base models. They have lower performance tires and likely high air pressure in the tires.dodgeatheart said:
Many do not realize that tire sidewalls and air pressure are a MAJOR portion of your suspension system.
Air ride is not a function of a smooth ride, it's a function of load ability and vehicle height, so Test Drive and decide what You like better.
Good Luck!
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Does the air suspension not replace struts/shocks with air bags?MoparNorm said:
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Yes, but the air springs do not guarantee a softer ride, unless you also want a lower ride.dodgeatheart said:
The air is used to elevate and the air pressure required to do so negates the suspension dampening effect of the air.
In my mind its a marketing gimmick.
Air springs can increase either cargo capacity, height, or ride level, but NOT at the same time, unless very expensive and complicated.
Give me a tuned coil and shock anytime with a calculated and corresponding tire pressure and I will give you a superior ride.
Unless you need to carry and or tow, you can likely forgo the air springs and they don't improve ride off road, they simply lift the vehicle and eliminate articulation.
Test ride and decide. If the air springs feel better to you, buy them, if you can't tell the difference, avoid them.
She may have just gotten a bad rental car. We sell more Grand Cherokee's than just about any other vehicle we offer here at my dealership and I have never had a single person complain about the ride. Zero. Which is rare. Even people that opted with another vehicle over the Grand Cherokee for whatever reason never complained about the ride. It has a luxury feel to it and from experience I think it drives WORLDS better than a Highlander, with or without the air suspension...dodgeatheart said:
The article, amusingly enough didn't really say anything about how the transmission impacted on road driving. But did talk about off road impact. That's actually a good thing. But, I am curious to see what the impact is.
The article suggests that merely adding more gears made all of the difference, but that misses the fact that this transmission, gear quantity aside seems to be genuinely mechanically superior to the outgoing 5 spd. I will be curious to see what reviews say about how much acceleration and feel is improved. It seems they may have leveraged this transmission to help make up for where the pentastar lacks off road, if that is true, then they got something right.
In either case, It's possible the Durango could actually be able to exceed the GC MPG, as it's gearing won't have any consideration for off road, and can be tuned specifically for MPG.
The article suggests that merely adding more gears made all of the difference, but that misses the fact that this transmission, gear quantity aside seems to be genuinely mechanically superior to the outgoing 5 spd. I will be curious to see what reviews say about how much acceleration and feel is improved. It seems they may have leveraged this transmission to help make up for where the pentastar lacks off road, if that is true, then they got something right.
In either case, It's possible the Durango could actually be able to exceed the GC MPG, as it's gearing won't have any consideration for off road, and can be tuned specifically for MPG.
IMO the Durango will have identical gear ratios.bumonbox said:
The old 5sp auto had 5 gears - 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. With an 8sp you have a real 1st gear - 4.71. That's the reason (combined with the different final gear ratio) for the better crawl ratio and acceleration.
.................G. Cherokee V6 - Overal Ratio...Cherokee V6 8sp ----- OR.......Explorer V6 FWD - OR.....Explorer V6 AWD - OR
Final gear ratio...........3.06.............................................3.45.....................................3.16.................................3.39
1st gear......................3.59..............10.98......................4.71.....16.25.......................4.48.....14.16...................4.48......15.18
2nd gear.....................2.19................6.70......................3.14.....10.83.......................2.87.......9.06..................2.87........9.73
3rd gear......................1.41................4.31......................2.10......7.24.......................1.84........5.81..................1.84........6.24
Crawl ratio:
5speed = 3.06 x 3.59 x 2.72 = 29.88:1
8speed = 3.45 x 4.71 x 2.72 = 44.20:1
i am a proud jeep owner and i don't appreciate jeep trying to become what they are not, a cookie cutter suv. I am proud that we have, for years even decades, been the leader in this field. however now i see that slipping away when i saw the 2014 grand screwup. stick to what you know and what we love. jeep now and forever! GOT IT SWEETHEART?! JEEP IS NOT A CROSSOVER IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE A CROSSOVER. DON'T MAKE HAVE TO GO TO TOLEDO! IT AIN'T BROKE AND IT DOESN'T NEED FIXING!!!!!!!!!!
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Car and Driver's 2 cents;
Gassers;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-jeep-grand-cherokee-v-6-v-8-first-drive-review
Diesel;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-jeep-grand-cherokee-ecodiesel-v-6-first-drive-review
It doesn't look like Car and Driver felt the V6/8spd made much of a difference. A lot of praise going around for the diesel.
Gassers;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-jeep-grand-cherokee-v-6-v-8-first-drive-review
Diesel;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-jeep-grand-cherokee-ecodiesel-v-6-first-drive-review
It doesn't look like Car and Driver felt the V6/8spd made much of a difference. A lot of praise going around for the diesel.
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It's crazy... An SUV the size of the Cherokee gets better fuel economy than my Stratus lol.
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It is pretty impressive. 21/28 is what my parents' AWD Rav4 gets with a 2.5L 4 cylinder and a tow rating of 2000lbs. Now it probably costs HALF, but still impressive.
Does anyone know when ordering will open for the 2014?
Does anyone know when ordering will open for the 2014?
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I believe it is already open for the Grand Cherokee... can anyone at a dealership/Chrysler confirm?dodgeatheart said:
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Ordering is open, the '14 has been in production for over a month.
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