New Jeep grand Cherokee Laredo 3.0

Hi Petra P, Your question to Forum members is very broad & lacking info about your vehicle & van to really test the brain power of forumites!! Is your vehicle a 4 cyclinder petrol or maybe diesel....maybe a V6 petrol? Is it on gas? What weight is your van when it is loaded and you are ready to head off? The Jeep V6 seems to have the power but I can honestly say I am not a fan. There is a current recall on the jeep regarding the mounting points of the rear shockers. I have a 2009 VRX Pajero 4 cylinder auto diesel & it pulls my 23' van (All loaded and ready to head off at 2370Kg) easily. I am right on my ball weight of 180kg....the pajero,if you don't know can tow up to 3 tonne but has towball weight restrictions. If your van is 2500KG or less you have a towball weight of 250kg (that's the weight allowed by the manufacturer on the towball from the item you are towing) once you are over 2500kg the ball weight drops to 180kg download. In New Zealand (as a matter of interest only) the Pajero can tow 3200kg & has a ball weight of 300kg at that weight!!! IMHO the Pajero is a great touring/towing vehicle. We returned from our trip around OZ last year & the majority of vehicles towing vans were Pajero,BT 50 Mazda,Ford Ranger, D Max,Colorado & cruisers towing large off road vans. We saw a couple of Jeeps. There was a chap at Charlieville who was complaining about the lack of Jeep dealers during his drive from Sth Aust he was having on and off computer problems. In answer to your question I do not know about fuel economy for the Jeep,it maybe good but not sure about the 7 speed auto. We travel at 90 to 95k/pH towing and used on average 19.7 Litres every 100Km. Good luck with your choice. Ps. I feel very safe towing our van & have great confidence in our Paj. Denice

A new diesel Paj would be far more reliable and offer better resale.JEEPS have their fans but suffer from very poor resale and reputation.
Cheetrs Pete

The Jeep, hands down. Merc or VN Motori designed diesel. Gobs of power and very good fuel economy. A seven or eight speed auto so there will be a ratio for every occasion. As for recalls...at least they're recalling, not like Mitsubishi a few years ago.

All I can say is that I tow a 20 ft tandem van with a 2012 5 speed Jeep and my fuel consumption to date is around 13 to 15 Litres per 100km depending on conditions. That is sitting on 90kph.

WBS

Hello Petra P,

I have been a caravanner for 40 years and towed with all sorts of vehicles / engines. When considering a Jeep I spoke to each Jeep caravanner I saw and asked them about their Jeep as a tow vehicle and they were all positive responses.

So I purchased a MY2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.0 litre V6 diesel with the 8-speed auto. It has now done 24000km including 6000km towing a 17'6" pop-top weighing about 1900kg loaded. Without question it is the best tow vehicle I have owned with plenty of comfort. The Italian V6 diesel is awesome with heaps of power. Compare the figures with other similar sized engines - no comparison! The ZF German built 8-speed auto is brilliant with the lower gears making starting off even on a gradient so easy. For people towing, the Laredo has standard displays that are useful including Engine Oil Temp, Transmission Oil Temp and Tyre Pressure Monitoring.

Regarding fuel consumption. When towing at 100km/h it varies between 12.8 and 13.8 litres per 100km. Normal driving around town is about 8.5 l/100km. On a trip it is about 7.5 with the best so far 7.1l/100km.

Regarding the Jeep brand, things seem to have improved in recent years. However servicing is more expensive and they don't have a good record for stocking a full range of spare parts. However also look at the sales figures for the MY2014 Grand Cherokee for the past twelve months. It has outsold Prado some months.

You will need to think about whether you want the optional air operated Quadra-Lift suspension or the standard steel springs. I have the latter and use a Hayman Reece Weight Distribution Hitch.

So my experience with the V6 diesel 8-speed auto Jeep Grand Cherokee is all positive and the fuel consumption figures speak for themselves.

Regards

nrb1748

The new Jeep GC is certainly becoming very popular. A friend has a caravan park on the Sunshine Coast and noticed just how many are now coming in pulling big vans. He's interested in getting one and I have an older diesel GC and it's been very good so he asked me about the brand. I would have to say that if it wasn't for other people bagging them, and there are plenty, I wouldn't have known there was anything wrong. Mines been pretty trouble free for 200,000 kms. It's 10 years old now. Couple that with me reading of all sorts of problems with other brands on this forum and personally I think there isn't much difference between brands. If you do buy a Jeep, the diesel from VM Motori and the German gearbox is the go. Petrol Jeeps with American motors use too much fuel (my opinion).
I was at Stockton on sunday in my diesel and there was an identical Jeep but with the V8 motor with us. I was getting 11.5 l/100 km on the sand and he was getting 58.5 l/100 km. He was crying watching his fuel gauge drop. The Euro diesels are unbelievably spritely while being great on economy at the same time.
One more thing, there is actually a good comeraderie between Jeep drivers. I haven't come across a fellow Jeeper who isn't up for a chat. The Jeep forums are very friendly too.