2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland

1 OWNER DIESEL, GREAT GAS MILEAGE AND TOWING CAPACITY! EXCELLENT CONDITION. REVIEW BELOW. ROAD TEST, RTR 2015 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE ECODIESEL – DRIVEN Nigel Atkinson, 7 years ago The model I drove for a week was the 2015 Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel Summit , which was absolutely loaded with goodies and had the much anticipated optional EcoDiesel engine. The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel is very impressive and would be our choice of power, for 2 very important reasons, torque and fuel economy. By a country mile the biggest advantage with the turbo-diesel V6 is the seemingly limitless supply of fuel in the tank. I thought the gas fairy had sneaked into my garage and was topping up the tank every night. For the first time the free tank that came with the car lasted all week. Oil Burning Pleasure The Grand Cherokee’s optional 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine is a $5,000 option, which is a lot. What you get in exchange for the extra cash outlay 240 hp at 3,600 rpm and 420 lb.-ft. of torque at just 2,000 rpm. This huge torque number helps the Jeep tow up to achieve 7,400 lbs. The motor is supplied by Fiat subsidiary VM Motori. It’s a bit noisier at a cold idle than it’s competition, but once warmed up, is pretty refined, and the noise levels inside the cabin are low. The ZF sourced eight-speed auto transmission is very smooth and works great with this motor’s torque, making for very smooth progress. Photography courtesy FCA Media, Jimmy Wu and Kenneth Willette On-Road Our car came with the optional air suspension which has several different ride heights available. Off-Road 2 provides the maximum ride height of 2.6 extra inches (10.7 inches of ground clearance). Off-Road 1 provides 1.3 extra inches (9.4 inches of clearance) for off-roading, but allows a bit more suspension comfort. This position provides a good balance between ground clearance and ride comfort. Normal is the standard ride height and is best for all-around driving conditions. It offers 8.1 inches of clearance and provides the most comfortable balance of ride and handling. Aero lowers the vehicle just over a half inch and in this mode the Grand Cherokee does a very good impression of a car, with limited body roll. In fact on twisty roads you can hustle it and have some fun. Park lowers the vehicle 1.5 inches below normal height to make entry/exit and loading/unloading easier. We spent most of our time in Aero mode which keeps the Jeep hunkered down and will corner fairly flat if pushed hard. Once you’re cruising, which is what the car does best on-road, the tires and soft suspension absorb most bumps, holes, and irregularities in the pavement, making for impeccably smooth progress. This is a bonus considering most roads in the US are a crumbling mess. The steering is a tad slow, and requires a few turns when parking , but this becomes a bonus when the terrain gets bumpy. Brakes are solid and fade free and provide decent emergency stops when needed. As with all turbocharged engines there is some lag when you initially step on it and it’s best to keep the engine in the mid rev range to take advantage of the huge torque reserves. The gas pedal has a strong spring so you need to step on it away from lights, we think this may be a diesel saving measure. Off-Road We took a trip out to just North of Ramona on a truck trail that winds its way through Pamo valley. Within the San Dieguito River Park, Pamo Valley is owned by the City of San Diego Water Department. The east and west slopes of the valley are part of the Cleveland National Forest. There is a rough truck trail that heads up to the summit, or at least within a mile of it. It provides 3 miles of rough terrain ideally suited to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Once we found the trail we lifted the Quadra Air suspension to it’s Offroad 2 position and set off only to realize that position 2 is for more serious off-road work as the car was bouncing around all over the place. We quickly reset it to Offroad