Diesel vs gas

[Pk2abilene]

I know the diesel will tow less than the gas engine by about 600 #. Just guessing that at the diesels max tow it will kick the crap out of the gasser at the same weight. Am I wrong?

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[Moonridge]

From what we are being told right now is that the gas engine was designed from the ground up for towing, giving you the most pulling power. The ecodiesel has never been known as a towing power house, it's mostly for fuel economy and torque. When it was in the 1500, you couldn't even order a tonneau cover and side steps together because it was over payload. If you are looking to tow, it seems right now the V6 will be your best bet.

 

[Oilburner]

More torque = better towing power.
Period.
Look for tow tests.

 

[smlobx]

I have an Ecodiesel Grand Cherokee and other than some initial teething issues the engine has been a beast. It is really compatible with the 8 speed transmission.
As said above the torque of this engine is very impressive.
Yes it will cost more to buy and yes it will cost more to maintain but getting 700 miles on a tank of fuel is nice.

The only reason I’m not getting one for my JT is that I’m planning on spending some extended time in Baja and the availability of ULSD is not certain.

 

[lrtexasman]

I know the diesel will tow less than the gas engine by about 600 #. Just guessing that at the diesels max tow it will kick the crap out of the gasser at the same weight. Am I wrong?

I do believe the lower rating is due to the limited amount of air for cooling purposes. Specs wise there will be no comparison between the two motors performance wise in regards to towing. I am specifically referring to how hard the engine will work from stops, climbing up elevations, fuel economy while towing, and acceleration while passing. The diesel will have 260 Hp and 442 lb-ft of torque which blows away the gas 285 Hp and a miserable 260 lb-ft if torque. For comparison a Honda Odyssey minivan has more torque than the Gladiator. For those that have never towed with a non-turbo V6 and low torque prepare yourself for high RPMs to get into the necessary power band while towing anything over 4K pounds.

 

[Oilburner]

I do believe the lower rating is due to the limited amount of air for cooling purposes.

Also methinks the 3.0 is heavier -

 

[kayakmike]

I have an Ecodiesel Grand Cherokee and other than some initial teething issues the engine has been a beast. It is really compatible with the 8 speed transmission.
As said above the torque of this engine is very impressive.
Yes it will cost more to buy and yes it will cost more to maintain but getting 700 miles on a tank of fuel is nice.

The only reason I’m not getting one for my JT is that I’m planning on spending some extended time in Baja and the availability of ULSD is not certain.

I've got the EcoDiesel on my GC too. Love the higher towing capacity and better fuel economy on the GC. Tows like a dream. While the engine is great, I've had nothing but problems with the diesel exhaust system (multiple forced regens, stuck in limp home mode - 15 MPH, ongoing check engine lights, etc.). Can't wait to get the SW upgrade, $3k check from the FCA dieselgate settlement, then unload the GC for a gas JT.

 

[RedTRex]

More torque = better towing power.
Period.
Look for tow tests.

What he said....

 

[smlobx]

I've got the EcoDiesel on my GC too. Love the higher towing capacity and better fuel economy on the GC. Tows like a dream. While the engine is great, I've had nothing but problems with the diesel exhaust system (multiple forced regens, stuck in limp home mode - 15 MPH, ongoing check engine lights, etc.). Can't wait to get the SW upgrade, $3k check from the FCA dieselgate settlement, then unload the GC for a gas JT.

Yeah I know of some people who have had a bunch of trouble with the exhaust system. Many of them seem to have pretty short drives as part of their routine schedule and that is not good for any modern diesel.

I'm waiting on the Jeep settlement too and will use the ~$3K as part of my down payment on the JT. However, we will be keeping ours as my wife had me sell her Mercedes and now "claims" the GC as hers....!!!

 

[kayakmike]

Yeah I know of some people who have had a bunch of trouble with the exhaust system. Many of them seem to have pretty short drives as part of their routine schedule and that is not good for any modern diesel.

I'm waiting on the Jeep settlement too and will use the ~$3K as part of my down payment on the JT. However, we will be keeping ours as my wife had me sell her Mercedes and now "claims" the GC as hers....!!!

My commute is half hour at freeway speeds, which is what is recommended to clear the DPF. We've replaced just about every sensor on our exhaust system (by the way, sensors are not covered under the exhaust system warranty).

That does bring up a good point. Think folks hoping for a JT diesel should read up on what is required to keep the EcoDiesel happy (look at Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 issues with that engine). Looking at just torque and towing specs it sounds great on paper, but thinking you are going to use it just as a rock crawler or soccer mom vehicle is going to be very disappointing.

 

[lrtexasman]

Also methinks the 3.0 is heavier -

Correct, the 3.0 weighs 502 lbs and the 3.6 is somewhere around 332 lbs. so 175 lbs difference. It should also be noted the same 3.0 is rated to tow up to 9,200 lbs in other applications. It’s not the tow weight ability for the lower rating. It’s the cooling.

 

[WXman]

In 2005, before diesels in the U.S. got straddled with DEF, particulate filters, etc, I had a couple of Jeeps with turbo-diesel engines. The only common fault with them at that point was they had EGR systems, and EGR is never good for an engine but it's really bad for a diesel. So we'd just unhook the EGR and run an "elephant hose" down low below the engine and then those diesels would last a long time.

They'd get 23 MPGs mixed city/highway unloaded and about 15 MPGs towing. I had one of them tuned by Green Diesel Engineering up in Michigan and that one went to 26 MPGs mixed city/highway unloaded. I once got 500 miles out of a single tank of fuel.

In all honesty, diesel in light duty 4x4s is pretty nice in day to day use but you do lose a larger percentage of your fuel economy once you start towing. And the other big consideration is the cost of maintenance and repairs. On those Jeeps with CRD engines, a head repair would be $7k. A timing belt job $1k. A thermostat was $110 not including labor. Every single thing you do to them costs a lot more money.

Today, you've got all those issues PLUS you've got DEF, regen cycles, particulate filters, etc. to worry about. And, diesel fuel costs more than gasoline. And, the upfront costs on diesel engines has increased. There is just no financial scenario where it makes sense anymore.

"Well I just love the torque". OK, cool, but that torque doesn't equate to higher towing capacity or payload. So all you're getting from it is the better driveability.

"I overland, and I need the added range diesel offers." OK, cool, but you can carry jerry cans of gasoline with you for thousands of dollars less than that diesel engine is going to cost you during ownership. And, gasoline is easier to find in the U.S.

"It'll have higher resale." Well, you're paying a lot more to own it, so you better hope it does so that you can possibly break even on it when that time comes. And, there are still a lot of people in the U.S. who purposefully avoid diesels. So don't count on resale being all that great.

The 90s and 00s were the glory days of diesel power. That ship has sailed.

 

[nvabill]

More torque = better towing power.
Period.
Look for tow tests.

Not to mention that thing is going to be an absolute beast in rock climbing and off road use!

 

[Sorbs]

I've got the EcoDiesel on my GC too. Love the higher towing capacity and better fuel economy on the GC. Tows like a dream. While the engine is great, I've had nothing but problems with the diesel exhaust system (multiple forced regens, stuck in limp home mode - 15 MPH, ongoing check engine lights, etc.). Can't wait to get the SW upgrade, $3k check from the FCA dieselgate settlement, then unload the GC for a gas JT.

I’ve had a DEF pump replaced and would be PO’d if it were paid out of pocket for it. $3,200 if I didn’t have an extended warranty. I’m also waiting on the settlement $ too.

That said, mine has been trouble free at 75k miles, but the added maintenance costs, the .50c avg. cost more per gallon and that damn DEF, it’s not worth it. I’m getting 20+ MPG in my JLR now with a 6-spd manual around town, so if the JT gets somewhere near 20 MPG, I’d say I’m going way ahead for years before the ROI makes sense to have done it again.

 

[RedTRex]

The only thing I will add is this is Gen 2 of the EcoD coming out......hoping the complaints you guys have mentioned are corrected in the update.

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