http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../60601001/1041

3.0L Turbo V6. I can't wait to see what the torque and mpg #s are.

 

That's great news. Mercedes' Blutec technology is impressive.

Here's the engineering concept of the Diesel Grand Cherokee they had at Detroit:

http://mph-online.com/web/prtranslated/00446

 

221 HP and 376 lb-ft of torque, according to the Bluetec display at the NY Auto Show.

The only word we've heard so far on mileage is "30 percent" better - presumably, that's compared to the Hemi, which I believe would put the EPA ratings at around 17/25.

 

That mileage doesn't seem that great when compared to say a 900 Tahoe. I don't drive an SUV so I can't comment on how good or bad that is. How does that compare to the CRD Liberty?

 

The Liberty diesel is EPA rated at 21 city and 26 highway, but I've heard it is not near that high in real world usage.

17/25 isn't awful compared to a hemi, but you're right - it should do better.

I bet it will be a lot faster than the Liberty diesel, though!

 

A few guys over at jeepforums.com have gotten 27-30 on the highway with their CRDs...normally, they seem to meet the EPA estimates, or beat them by a small amount...

 

Tahoe 5.3L= 16/21
GC Hemi = 14/19
GC 4.7L = 15/20

The Tahoe is also built for less drag (same as a C4)

The Diesel GC is 21% better city and 31.5% better hwy all while putting out close to the same torque. Not too bad, but I'd like to see a DoD diesel.

 

Consumer Reports (I know, I know) got 11 MPG city in their testing.

 

I think some of those rags beat the crap out of cars. One mag (maybe C&D) said the avg. real world for a Colorado Crew Z71 was 15mpg.... I get 19.X and do 75% city driving. I've also got 10mpg out of my LT1 one week, lets just say the tires didn't appreciate it

 

C&D got 14 MPG with their last SRT-4 test...the 2 I've had as demos netted me nearly 30 MPG with a 75/25 highway/city mix. And believe me, in the city, the boost gague got work

 

According to the Detroit News, the Diesel will get 19/23

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...73246650113442

That's not a lot better than the Tahoe 4x4's 15/21, although in the real world it might be. Still, I'd rather have the size, style, and performance of a 5.3 Tahoe rather than hassle and questionable economics of a Diesel GC.

 

Yeah, that's why I put in the "I know" part. They're reliability can be somewhat suspect. Consumer Reports says the Cobalt gets 15 MPG! I get 24 or 25 city in mine. And we're not talking SS or anything - just the plain 2.2 liter ecotec.

 

When I do write-ups on vehicles, I basically have two modes of driving - like I own it, and like I stole it. I'm very careful to take note of the fuel economy in both cases. Needless to say, I think the only responsible thing to do is to report the average mileage when I'm driving it like a sane person (although I will occassionally note the mileage returned by beating it like a mule, but I make sure to clearly note that it's not what should be expected). Clearly, not all writers are as thoughtful when reporting "real world" mileage, and it's neither fair to the vehicle nor to the readers.