2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 CRD Diesel test drive

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While the interior and exterior have been refreshed for 2008, the heart and soul of the Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD goes into its second year virtually unchanged in Chrysler’s full-size SUV. This Mercedes built 3.0L V-6 diesel churns out 215 hp and 376 lb-ft of towing torque, with an EPA combined 19 mpg rating. And to sweeten the deal, Chrysler has discounted the diesel engine option by $1,000 for 2008. Our tester in Light Graystone Pearl was based at $38,555; the Customer Preferred Package brought the grand total to $40,905. Warranty coverage is 3 years/36,000 miles.

Christine: Clean and crisp were the first thoughts in my mind. I liked the styling and the metallic bronze look with darkened windows. When I slipped into the driver’s seat I was surprised it was not as roomy as anticipated—thought Scott might find it to be a tight squeeze. Overall though, first glance looked like it would be great to load up the campin’ gear and go—as long as I stick to packin' light.

Scott: When I climbed in, I was quite surprised at how cramped I felt. The Grand Cherokee doesn't look small on the outside--it doesn't even look small on the inside. But it does feel small for an SUV. Granted I'm big (6'4"), so not everyone is gonna feel so snug inside. But what our CRD Grand Cherokee lacked in space, I was hoping it would make up for in ride, handling and, my favorite, that delicious diesel power.

It’s a clean diesel in one overall tight package--and we’re not talking just about Scott’s arm room. Many folks (like Christine) will probably find the fit and feel A-OK. Considering its on-and-off road capability, the handling and ride is downright sweet. We both liked the comfy amenities (leather seats, touch screen CD--and the kids even liked the second row heated seats)—even though we didn’t have the upscale Overland that offers navigation and other premium accents. And with 34.5 cubic feet of storage—plus the fold-down rear seating, there’s plenty of opportunity to take backpacks, tents—you name it—on your next adventure as long as you're an efficient packer.

Living anywhere that winter weather can threaten at the last minute, the Quadra-Trac II Active Full-time 4WD provides peace of mind and confidence. Knowing that we can make it up our steep driveway and manage slick icy roads with nary a worry was a winner in our book—and it just so happened that we had plenty of opportunity to give this Grand Cherokee a winter work-out when we got pounded by an East Coast ice storm.

This Jeep offers a sporty and sophisticated driving experience with excellent handling—plus it’s an undercover alt fueler. The quiet ticking of that clean diesel engine is not the loud rattlin’, smelly diesel of old. And clean diesel doesn’t just mean the folks in your wake will be happy—the atmosphere will be smiling too, since this new technology reduces C02 emissions by about 30 percent.

This diesel V-6 puts out significantly more low-end torque (376 ft-lbs) than the Cherokee's base 4.7L V-8 gasoline engine (334 ft-lbs) while delivering better fuel economy. The result: small engine thrift with big engine power. Scott took his father-in-law (a real car guy himself) for a ride and his first comment was "this thing feels like a V-8." That's the beauty of diesels, and it's why we've always loved them. What's great is this engine’s fuel economy, whether running on 100 percent ULSD or biodiesel blends. In mixed suburban/highway travels, we were able to maintain a 21.2 mpg average, pretty good for a 4700 lb. vehicle that happens to be saddled with the extra frictional efficiency losses incurred by full-time 4WD hardware. Compare that to the standard gasoline V-8's 15 mpg combined ratings.

But it's not just the power and fuel efficiency of the engine alone that 's so appealing about this little diesel, it's the efficiency of its biodiesel blends. With flex-fuel gasoline engines, there is often a substantial loss of fuel economy when they are powered by E85 (both because of the sharply reduced energy content of ethanol and design limitations that allow the engines to burn both gasoline and ethanol)--not so with biodiesel. Biodiesel has nearly identical burn and energy content characteristics as petroleum diesel fuel. This ultimately means that a diesel engine running on biodiesel produces equivalent fuel economy of the same engine running on petroleum diesel fuel.

And the alt fuel outlook continues to get better. In the absence of across-the-board biodiesel standards, Chrysler currently limits the CRD to B5, but the company has designed its diesel vehicles to burn higher ratio biodiesel blends. As we write, they are hard at work, collaborating with the National Biodiesel Board to develop standards for B20. Once these are in place, opportunities abound for ever higher biodiesel blends.

According to fueleconomy.gov, the CRD Grand Cherokee’s petroleum oil consumption is about 20.7 barrels of crude annually—compared to 22.8 barrels for the regular Cherokee. Driving an average of 15,000 miles per year, greenhouse gas emissions for the CRD come in at 11.1 tons/year, where the gasoline version will total 12.2 tons/year.

These low ratio biodiesel blends aren’t yet making much of a dent, but when Chrysler finally allows the B20 blend, the smog numbers and barrels of oil consumption will drop considerably.

Page Two: Conclusion, Details & Specs

2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD Diesel Test Drive Photo Gallery