Hi. I have been asking about the 08 09 jeep grand cherokee with the diesel. I don't own one but they sound like they might be a good choice but I've been hearing some conflicting things about how good it is at towing. I know it's rated for 7200 but I would really appreciate hearing what people have pulled or tried to pull with these. I know it's less than ideal for my 29 foot travel trailer because of the length but could it handle the weight (6000 or so) if I wanted to pull it occasionally? My wife's durango is what pulls it now.
Thanks much.

 

I don't know of anyone towing with a Grand Diesel. But everyone I know with one says they pull the biggest warranty bills and towing charges you'll ever see.

There must be a reason Jeep quit selling them.

 

I'd keep using the Durango, to be honest. Larger frame, better weight to control the towed vehicle, and probably actually a more reliable engine.

The Mercedes 3.0L isn't THAT bad but the emissions stuff piled onto it is really problematic, and as per EPA requirements they go into limp mode when there are emissions issues. I've heard of people have to go to truck shops because the dealer couldn't fix certain problems.

 

Hey,

I can vouch for the 3.0l diesel.

Now they aren't 08-09. They are 07-08 only. They stopped making them after 08. They are coming out in 2014 with the diesel again, but using the volkswagon 3.0l this time.

I have one and love it, torque on demand, I can literally spin all 4 tires off the start if I mash my foot into the peddle (its full time AWD - Quadra-Drive II)

They stopped producing these in NORTH-AMERICA only because of emissions laws and a lack of a market for diesel SUV's. They continue to produce and make them in Europe and Australia.

Solid engines, lots of torque, now for the down-falls of these diesels....
Swirl-Motor failure is prone, due to the design and placement of it. It gets clogged of oil/soot and failure occurs. There IS a fix to this. Very simple. Get a Tune from GDE (Green Diesel Engineering) and they turn off the use of swirl motor valves and fixes the problem. This tune will give you + torque/horsepower and save on gas milage as well as reduce turbo lag. By far the best tune out there, and they specialize in these engines.

Second... GUT your DPF (diesel particulate filter) and ask GDE to remove the DPF regen from the tune. This will save you huge, and is relatively cheap again.

I can pull my car and trailer behind the jeep no problem, from Edmonton to Golden, BC (mountain driving) it doesn't power out in the least, or even struggle up hill.

There is a-lot of information out there about these engines. They are really expensive though if they are abused and blow up (haven't heard of any blowing up) they are diesels, should last 400,000kms + if they are maintained.

Read, research and buy one, you wont regret it!

 

Oh, and I see you stated your Durango pulls the trailer now. The jeep will out pull the durango any day of the week.

The diesel will out pull the 5.7 Hemi =) (hemi is just a bit quicker due to the higher HP/top end, but then again, they aren't race cars)

 

Thanks Ryan. Your probably right. Diesels are not like gas engines. And anything poorly maintained or abused will self destruct.

 

We pulled our old 26 foot terry about 5000 lb and currently pull a 23 ft rockwood about 6600 lb no problems hardly know its there power to spare and with our hensley arrow hitch no sway. Only problem is the hitch is on a 10 to 15 degree angle pointing up towards the rear I had to remove and rework our receiver to level it off.this would not be a problem with a ball hitch or adjustable draw bar

 

it is interesting to note that the hensley arrow hitch start around $1300 US... a considerable investment, but worthwhile in the interest of safety, imo...

 

We purchased our Hensley in 1999 for 4200.00 canadian well worth the expense

 

wow! that's steep. i barely have that invested in my grand cherokee!