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2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD

5K views 27 replies 13 participants last post by  *xj-man* 
#1 ·
I need a tow rig/DD. I plan on towing my cherokee and willys, but I also travel an hour to work each way so I need to get good gas mileage..

Jeep advertises a towing capacity of 7,400lbs and 30 mpg.

Any opinions or thoughts?
 
#2 ·
IMO, there isn't enough wheelbase there to make a good tow rig. How often do you plan on towing? I think the willys wouldn't be much of an issue, but the cherokee might. I used to tow with a reg cab short bed truck, and always wished for more wheelbase.
 
#4 ·
depends on your trailer and the weight of the load...tongue weight will need to be in consideration for any SWB tow rig max the weight calculation at 15% of the total load is your max tongue weight is around 1110#

I don't think you would have much of an issue with an XJ or Willy's behind it - I would definintely look into making sure it has the tow package for lower gears and a tranny cooler though...
 
#9 ·
had a friend with one of the previous gen GC's with the CTD who towed a TJ on a light-weight trailer. he said it did fine..

also, JP Magazine did a write up on their experiences towing with one of those. I know they're not an apples to apples comparison, but still worth reading their experiences of towing a few thousand miles on something in that size/power range.
 
#10 · (Edited)
The GC is still based on the W164 Mercedes M-Class design.
In the former company I worked as a tow truck driver we had ML350 CDI's as tow vehicles for single car long distance jobs.
They did very well with 7k lbs on a daily basis. You just have to dial in the tongue weight right and you're good to go.
For 8-10 times a year I wouldn't worry.

Edit says, since we're on PBB, everything less than a 3/4t Cummins and you'll die in a ball of fire, killing a bus full of nuns, while towing your Cherokee
 
#11 ·
I'm going to order one in August. Being my first tow rig, I'll update this thread with reviews and pics.

I think it's just what I need, fuel efficency and a decent tow rating. The next big purchase will be a single car two axle trailer. Anyone know of any in the MD/PA/DE/VA area??
 
#12 ·
man I just typed up this long response and closed the fawking window by mistake.

I will give you my input on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, 1st of all they are one of the nicest well build SUVs on the market in my opinion, if I went midsized that would be my ride. My boss has one, Hemi, 4x4, tow package air suspension etc. He pulls a 24' pathfinder with a tower and 250 outback. Not nearly as heavy as your load will be but probably more aerodynamic drag with the tower then you will see with your setup. The truck has PLENTY of power at any speed, braking isn't bad either but the trailer has brakes too so that help 10 fold. What is bad is the amount of sway you can get on windy days. You can tell you are towing it with a short wheelbase. Not to the point of scary but enough that I wouldn't be running 70+ mph down the highway either. You can also feel the trailer push the rear end a little in corners if you go in too hot.

His previous truck was a ford expedition but living in the city it was a bit more of a challenge to maneuver so he went back to the grand. Towing the same boat with the expedition was night and day different, the expedition had less overall power however it was never tugged around like the Grand is by the boat and trailer. He even suffered a two blow outs on one side of the boat trailer after hitting some debris in the road and the expedition held it's line just fine, never felt unstable at all.

Fast-forward to today. I recently moved my '06 Silverado CC/SB Z71 from DD duty to start a SFA conversion. I picked up a '13 Expedition 4x4 regular length with tow package and air ride rear suspension. The expedition has more power and braking than the Silverado without a doubt. However with the Silverado on the car trailer behind the expedition you can really feel it tugging you around, more so in turns and with cross winds. I can really tell you the 24" of wheelbase I've lost makes a HUGE difference. I'm going to throw on a set of Load range C tires to see if it helps the expedition but I'm thinking it isn't going to help enough to make me comfortable towing a SFA CC/SB chevy at 70 mph. If I were you and again I don't know your financial status, driving area, vehicle size restraints, etc I would try my best to go with the Dodge 1500 Diesel if at all possible.
 
#15 ·
Great input. I don't know too much about the new 1500's, but I can probably guess towing would be a lot better.

Being this will be my first "new" car purchase and tow rig I want to make sure I look at every angle/possibility.
I'm about 50/50 on the 1500 and the Grand. I could always use a truck, but like the mid size of the Grand. Better towing with 1500, although better fuel efficiency with the Grand.. I could go on and on..
 
#13 ·
If you go with a Ram 1500, plan to upgrade the suspension. The '11 I had (with a Hemi) wouldn't tow anythign comfortably. It would would wallow with even a few hundred pounds of sand or tools in the back. I don't think Dodge got the coil spring figured out. Rode smooth though, so I guess that's all that matters.

I know a few people with the newer Grands, they seem to handle quite well, and be nice rides.
 
#14 ·
'13s can be had with an air ride rear which I hear is :grinpimp: for towing now. I have also heard / seen what you are talking about, those rear springs looked WAY soft.
 
#17 ·
I am very skeptical that the diesel will return 30 mpg but would love to be proven otherwise. I did see in one of my magazines that a 4wd diesel is gonna start in I believe high $40's because of all the optional equipment that is required to get the diesel. Thats an awful lot of money for a jeep, granted it looks like its probably one of the nicest domestic suv's around. I'm sure the aftermarket will be there for the jeep eventually, but one advantage an ecoboost or whatever half ton truck you went with is that the support is all there right away for any mods you want to do.
Either one would probably suit you quite well. As you stated, you can probably get a better deal on a half ton truck than trying to get one of the first diesels. I'm guessing at first they will probably be hard to get ahold of and dealers won't take anything less than sticker.
 
#21 ·
my guess is that if he is looking at a 4x4 4 door truck that isnt a penalty box he is already gonna be damn near $40k anyway... if you want a warranty and you need to finance, new is the way most people go, and for good reason, but have you priced new trucks? you want something with power windows and 4 doors and 4wd, you are looking at pretty close to 40k, in every flavor every manufacturer offers, silverado, f150, expedition, cherokee, tahoe, whatever. So if you want a new dual purpose rig you are gonna put 30k miles on a year, and you know youre gonna spend between $35-40k for it, mileage would make a big difference over the next 5 years. 150,000 miles at 20 mpg would be 7,500 gallons of fuel. 30 mpg is only 5,000 gallons of fuel. At $4/gallon thats $10,000... so if you had to spend $10,000 more initially and you ended up with a better tow vehicle to boot, it kinda pays for itself. Not to mention if its a diesel, the residual cost will be there when you resell. Realistically, around here diesel costs more and diesels generally have higher maintenance costs due to greater oil capacity, frequent fuel filter changes, and now, with DEF and etc, its even higher. So that might be a wash. But if this jeep could really get 30 mpg highway, that is pretty substantial savings over the lifetime of the vehicle.
 
#24 ·
I see, my self, I don't think I would buy a new diesel right now. They just have too much smog Crap going on, and none of the manufacturers have really figured out the proper way to do it. DPFs, DEFs, EGRs, ARE, Gay :flipoff2: this goes times 1000 if you are taking about a brand new engine. Hopefully 5-10 years from now they will have it figured out and the big 3 will be back to right around 20 mpg like the late 90s and early 00s
 
#25 ·
I can't comment on the 3.0TD models, haven't hauled any yet, but the WKII GC's are pretty nice. They seem like they would make a really nice DD for someone who won't wheel it/only needs the 4x4 occationally.
They are pretty nice inside. The adjustable suspension option is pretty nifty.
 
#27 ·
agreed, haven't bought a brand new one, but it is much nicer spending time working on shit you WANT to work on for a project/hobby, it really sucks working on the tow rig/DD... feels a lot more like work.
 
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