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Anyone Towing with a Newer Jeep Grand Cherokee


Wilbur

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Has anyone towed much with a newer Jeep Grand Cherokee?

I'm looking at getting a 2017 with a 5.7 hemi or a 2014-2016 with a 3.0 eco diesel.

I would be occasionally towing a 2015 A22 on very short trips and maybe towing up to 500 miles away 1-2 times a year.

 

 

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Beware the 3.0 Eco Diesel. FCA has self-identified themselves and this engine in particular to the EPA as having used a similar software "cheat" as VW in order to pass emissions. I know VW had to pay reparations and "fix" (read de-tune) or buy back all their TDIs. Maybe not a financial concern but why put yourself through that hassle if you don't have to. I would also wager that it's only a matter of time before state agencies like CARB start requiring proof you've had the software "fixed" if you want to continue registering those diesels which means you'll be driving a vehicle with a revised factory tune that FCA originally thought was so un-fun that they lied to and cheated the federal gov't in order to not have to sell the vehicles with it.

My wife had a Grand Cherokee Summit with the 5.7 Hemi. She got pretty good mileage (18-20 mpg mix driving) and it was fun to drive. We never towed with it so I can't speak to it's capabilities there. I did the math once and fully loaded I think my 23 LSV was above the max tow rating anyway.

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My wife drives a 14 Grand Cherokee with the 3.6 liter gas engine. Looks almost identical to her 05 Chrysler Pacifica with the 3.5 liter to me. Same seating, similar size, similar size engine, even same colors inside & out. Lots more technology on the dash, and a totally newer transmission. I tested the 4WD over Blewitt & Stevens Pass this year in the snow & it did great. The Pacifica had a 3500 lb tow capacity & did fine towing ATVs & smaller boats. The GC has a 5900 lb rating.... maybe some day I'll tow the Malibu with it.

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Unless they are WAY better than the jeep Cherokee I certainly wouldn't buy one, ours Cherokee trail hawk was a price of crap. (Well... maybe the dealer just made me mad)

I would recommend looking at the Volkswagen Touareg if you want towing capabilities or maybe the Durango. 

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ahopkins22LSV
5 hours ago, Cole2001 said:

Unless they are WAY better than the jeep Cherokee I certainly wouldn't buy one, ours Cherokee trail hawk was a price of crap. (Well... maybe the dealer just made me mad)

I would recommend looking at the Volkswagen Touareg if you want towing capabilities or maybe the Durango. 

They are a completely different build then the Cherokee. Our Grand Cherokee is awesome. Nicest car I've ever had and it's just the Laredo E package. I haven't towed with it but it has more power and torque then our 2010 did. I towed our TXi with our 2010 and it did pretty good. 

For towing an A22 the short trips it will be perfectly fine. The 500 mile trip would make me a bit nervous. Maybe rent a truck for that trip?

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6 hours ago, Cole2001 said:

Unless they are WAY better than the jeep Cherokee I certainly wouldn't buy one, ours Cherokee trail hawk was a price of crap. (Well... maybe the dealer just made me mad)

I would recommend looking at the Volkswagen Touareg if you want towing capabilities or maybe the Durango. 

nothing like a Cherokee.  The Grand Cherokee is rated for 7200lbs.

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IIRC, the Grand Cherokee was one of the big benefactors of the Chrysler/Benz merger and got a lot of German tech and styling; the Cherokee wasn't one of the big benefactors.  In any event, it looks like fairly substantial differences between the two rigs:

http://www.autotrader.com/car-reviews/2015-jeep-cherokee-vs-2015-jeep-grand-cherokee-whats-the-difference-234558

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Grand Cherokee and Durango are similar mechanically.

Smaller Cherokee is more similar to the Fiat 500X. Totally different thing.

My Dad has a '14 Grand Cherokee and is absolutely in love with it. Greatest vehicle he's ever owned. Has towed as much weight as my Malibu with it no problem at all. To me the only issue is initial throttle response and turn-in are a bit quick, but easy to get used to.

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Oh, and that goofy shifter takes some getting used to. The dealer has already had it back once for a software update on it.

Plus the key fob thing. Not needing keys to start it makes it easy to misplace. She can start the car in the garage, drive away, park it at work, then when she gets in it at the end of the day, realize she doesn't have the key fob & it's sitting in the garage.    :Doh:

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ahopkins22LSV
9 minutes ago, Bill_AirJunky said:

Oh, and that goofy shifter takes some getting used to. The dealer has already had it back once for a software update on it.

Plus the key fob thing. Not needing keys to start it makes it easy to misplace. She can start the car in the garage, drive away, park it at work, then when she gets in it at the end of the day, realize she doesn't have the key fob & it's sitting in the garage.    :Doh:

It will stay running and not warn her the fob isn't in the car?

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Every key fob car I've had will chime at you if the fob gets out of a certain range. 

 

And i I don't think the EPA thing ok the diesel is going to turn out anything like VW. FCA is fighting that one hard. 

 

My my sister in law has the eco diesel in a grand Cherokee. She also says it is the best vehicle she has ever owned. 

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I probably should have included this in the original post, but this will actually be my wife's car and we are currently selling back her 2015 VW Passat diesel.

I'm not too worried about what happens with the EPA on these diesels. It would be a hassle if things went down with the EPA on them, but we paid $31k for her Passat and we're getting almost $30k back, so it works out to like $50/month to have owned that car for 2 years and 50k miles on it.

I don't want to get political in this topic, but I also have doubts about how much the EPA will be doing in the next 4 years under the Trump admin.

My wife drives a lot for work so good mpgs are ideal, she wants something on the nicer end, and needs to be able to two the boat on occasions.

We had decided on a 2017 Grand Cherokee Limited with the eco diesel, but then found out about the EPA issue.

So the new 5.7 hemi will be newer/nicer, but get low 20's mpg

Or the 3.0 diesel will be a bit used, get high 20's mpg, and be cheaper purchase price

 

 

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ahopkins22LSV

What about the standard v6? Paired with the 8 speed trans starting in 2014 the torque is quite good and the mileage is very good. Is honestly be surprised if you saw that mileage out of the Hemi. We have been averaging 23-24 with the v6. That's with a ton of sitting in traffic and remote starts. 

I honestly didn't know the hemi was even an option in that year range. 

Edited by ahopkinsTXi
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The A22 with trailer dry weight is advertised at 5400 lbs. 

With a full tank of gas in the boat, I would only have about 550 lbs before hitting the 6200 lb tow capacity of the V6, so I figured it would be cutting it a bit close when factoring in the weight of anchor, speakers, batteries, etc (I also have the 410 motor and read that it weighs an additional 100 lbs)

I've been meaning to take the boat to a scale to see what its real world weight is.

Edited by Wilbur
typo
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We have a '14 Durango with a hemi.  Tows great.  Nice size.  Very Happy with it.  Previous was a '07 Suburban.  We purchased used with lifetime factory warranty.  

Hard to imagine Volkswagen as being a step up from FCA for long term reliability.   I view them as about the same (poor).

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2 hours ago, Wilbur said:

The A22 with trailer dry weight is advertised at 5400 lbs. 

With a full tank of gas in the boat, I would only have about 550 lbs before hitting the 6200 lb tow capacity of the V6, so I figured it would be cutting it a bit close when factoring in the weight of anchor, speakers, batteries, etc (I also have the 410 motor and read that it weighs an additional 100 lbs)

I've been meaning to take the boat to a scale to see what its real world weight is.

People and crew in the tow rig other than waifish driver count against the tow rating as well.  

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@ahopkinsTXi @oldjeep

I knew they were completely different, I was more just speaking on my experience with the jeep brand that happened to be a Cherokee.  

It seems like there are quite a few positive owners with the grand Cherokee, so it must be decent. 

@Wilbur have you checked out the new Range Rover Discovery or Discovery sport? For the price they aren't much different from the grand Cherokee and look amazing. 

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8 hours ago, ahopkinsTXi said:

It will stay running and not warn her the fob isn't in the car?

She had no clue until she tried to start the car later on. THEN the car said there was no fob found.

A couple times she has gotten out of the car with her purse & I'm staying inside with it running. The car doesn't say a thing.

The marina has a couple of customers who own Range Rovers to tow their boats. Trailer lights are a battle for them. No clue what the deal is with them, but it seems like it happens more often than not.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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5 minutes ago, Cole2001 said:

 

@Wilbur have you checked out the new Range Rover Discovery or Discovery sport? For the price they aren't much different from the grand Cherokee and look amazing. 

We did look at the Lan Rovers, but the Sport can't tow much and maintaince costs with land rovers can get pricey, and I think they need premium fuel, increasing fuel costs too

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21 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

We did look at the Lan Rovers, but the Sport can't tow much and maintaince costs with land rovers can get pricey, and I think they need premium fuel, increasing fuel costs too

The discovery is 8200 pounds.

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ahopkins22LSV
1 hour ago, jjackkrash said:

People and crew in the tow rig other than waifish driver count against the tow rating as well.  

I know, but to be honest I would be nervous to tow a 500 mile trip with the hemi or diesel. The short tows I wouldn't mind doing with either. I towed an A22 on a 450 mile round trip last year and my old 05 Silverado was not a happy camper on the highway above 64-66ish. Granted it is a much older drivetrain, but with the short wheel base I'd be concerned with controlling the boat instead of the boat controlling the Jeep. Just me though.

56 minutes ago, Bill_AirJunky said:

She had no clue until she tried to start the car later on. THEN the car said there was no fob found.

A couple times she has gotten out of the car with her purse & I'm staying inside with it running. The car doesn't say a thing.

The marina has a couple of customers who own Range Rovers to tow their boats. Trailer lights are a battle for them. No clue what the deal is with them, but it seems like it happens more often than not.

Interesting. I am 99% sure when my wife went into the store and left me in her Jeep with it running it freaked out. But I don't remember for sure.

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