[AutoTechnician]

Found this via AutoBlog; I have no idea if it is accurate at all:
[url="http://www.jeepgarage.org/f73/2014-grand-cherokee-ordering-information-and-pricing-52937.html"]http://www.jeepgarage.org/f73/2014-grand-cherokee-ordering-information-and-pricing-52937.html[/URL]

Looks like price-hikes across the board. Diesel is a $4500 option, only available on Limited and up trim levels. Looks like the SRT starts at $63,000, and you'll be able to push it well over $70,000 when optioned up.

Using the numbers Chrysler provided at Detroit, the diesel works out to 25MPG combined, and the V6 to 20.6 MPG. Running the numbers using 12,000 miles/year, and using the EIA's national fuel price averages ($3.315/gallon for gasoline, $3.902/gallon for diesel); the pay-off will be 77.5 years. This is assuming identical maintenance costs. If this is accurate, the diesel is going to be a tough sell for people that do their homework, IMO.

Updated because 12,000 miles/year is not enough.
At 36,000 miles/yr, the pay-off will be 25 years.

 

[marlon_jbt]

There are other reasons for buying the diesel besides fuel economy.

Some people may just WANT the diesel.
Some others may just WANT the 730 mile range, and don't wanna visit the fueling station as often.
Towing. 'nuff said.
Considering the 3.0L offers similar torque, it's competing more with the 5.7L than 3.6L V6.

Who still drives 12,000 miles per year?

There's just so many variables....

If I could actually afford one (I cannot), I'd be under the "I don't care how much it costs, I just WANT the diesel" category.

 

[JRS200x]

Most people don't look at it that way. They just see it as they are getting 30mpg and that's that. It'll do just fine, but yes mathematically it doesn't make a ton of sense.

 

[marlon_jbt]

Oh, and then there's the "Make Your Own Biodiesel" category. That market is growing larger and larger every day despite what the manufacturers have to say. (Certified for up to B20, blah blah blah)

 

[FreeLantz]

Someone needs to change the thread title to Grand Cherokee.

 

[marlon_jbt]

Someone needs to change the thread title to Grand Cherokee.

Yes, that.

 

[JRS200x]

I don't get the $6000 price increase on the fully loaded SRT. I don't think it has more features/options than it did last year... so is the transmission really costing that much?

 

[AutoTechnician]

Considering the 3.0L offers similar torque, it's competing more with the 5.7L than 3.6L V6.

Who still drives 12,000 miles per year?

See that's the thing, while the 3.0 offers similar torque to the 5.7, it's down nearly 120HP. This is just my opinion, but I believe when you put the hammer down, you'll find that the 3.6 will offer similar, if not slightly better acceleration, while the 3.0 will offer better towing performance.

Most people don't look at it that way. They just see it as they are getting 30mpg and that's that. It'll do just fine, but yes mathematically it doesn't make a ton of sense.

That's what I figured as well

Someone needs to change the thread title to Grand Cherokee.

Mods? I don't have the power to do this.

 

[marlon_jbt]

That is spoken by someone who has never driven the 3.0L Diesel.

Trust me, it competes with the 5.7L.

I've driven a few of them myself with the old 5 speed. The 8 speed can only make things better.

 

[AutoTechnician]

The 8 speed will also have decent improvements for the 5.7. The lower first gear and close ratios will especially improve performance on the 3.6. We'll see though.

 

[guyverfanboy]

It's a shame the the EcoDiesel is only offered on the Limited trim and up. It really should be offered on the Laredo trim.

 

[Ramfan]

The 3.0 TDI is $2,300 over the hemi. If I was in the market for a GC I would get the 5.7. But because of the amount of towing I want to do, I plan to get it in the 1500 assuming it becomes available.

 

[SouthPawXJ]

y]It's a shame the the EcoDiesel is only offered on the Limited trim and up. It really should be offered on the Laredo trim.

Just a thought, seeing as I have no experience in the car business. (Please correct me if I am wrong )

I wonder if they limit it to Limited and above trims to limit the demand of the product. They sold ~153,000 Grand Cherokees last year, and Jeep is projecting the diesel to account for 15% of WK2 sales. So, if sales stayed the same for this year as it did for last (I would hope the refresh would add sales), that would be 22,450 diesel equipped Grand Cherokees sold this year. On here, we discussed VM possibly exporting 40,000 diesel engines per year to the American market. If you offered the diesel in the Laredo trim (which is the lowest, most common trim), they could (very big could) have demand for the engine outpacing the supply of the engine.

 

[Erik Latranyi]

$4500 is quite a bit more than what VW charges for the TDI in the Toureg.

$5000 in the Summit?! That makes no sense as it will be approaching SRT pricing when optioned out.

 

[UN4GTBL]

I don't get the $6000 price increase on the fully loaded SRT. I don't think it has more features/options than it did last year... so is the transmission really costing that much?

Ralph Gilles said that the GC SRT8 is the best selling SRT. That is why they can do that.

 

[CDJSalesPro]

I dont see the bussines case for the diesel here in the US. They are currently selling EVERY grand Cherokee they can build. With diesel gas being priced where it is now... Ijust dont see as high of a take rate as some might think(espicially at a 4kpremium) Honestly I think it was a bad decision to not simply wait till July Aug to release the 2014 GC. I think we are going to loose sales because there will bea serious slow down in sales as the dealers get their 2014s.Currently many dealers are close to runninng out of 2013's and I am sure 2014's wont show untill March.......We will see at the end of this year if this was a good decision.

 

[MoparNorm]

I dont see the bussines case for the diesel here in the US. They are currently selling EVERY grand Cherokee they can build. With diesel gas being priced where it is now... Ijust dont see as high of a take rate as some might think(espicially at a 4kpremium) Honestly I think it was a bad decision to not simply wait till July Aug to release the 2014 GC. I think we are going to loose sales because there will bea serious slow down in sales as the dealers get their 2014s.Currently many dealers are close to runninng out of 2013's and I am sure 2014's wont show untill March.......We will see at the end of this year if this was a good decision.

There is a good business case for diesel in the US ( the math displayed in an earlier post is flawed).
I do agree however that the GC makes less sense than say the Wrangler, or Ram 1500.
They are simply copying Daimlers move by using the Grand first.
The Hemi option can run $4,000 in some configurations, the diesel is priced higher than I would have liked to see, but it's not unobtainable..
Every projection by corporate on the diesel take rate, has been low, by a factor of 2.

 

[Moparian]

IIRC the 3.0 VM diesel in the 06 GC started as only being available in the higher trim levels and then was made available in the Laredo trim at a later date.

 

[CherokeeVision]

Shooting themselves in the foot and ripping off the customer again.
The diesel should be available across the board. Not just on the fancy models.

As for 12,000 miles? Our Malibu is 4 years old and has less than 36,000 on it. Our city is now big enough for most of what we need so we rarely go out of town.

 

[JRS200x]

Its a 4k premium over the V6... so only $2500 over the Hemi. It's really not that bad for the more I look at it.

The business case is already there too, its says 30mpg on the sticker, case closed. It will sell.


As for the 12k a year.. my daily driver is coming up on its 2 year birthday and has 11,300 miles on it... soooooo..