3.6 V6 or 5.7 Hemi?

[Rikusvdm]

Hi All

i am in the market for a Grand cherokee overland

my options so far are as follow:

1: 2014 GC overland 3.6 V6 120 000km on the clock

2: 2013 GC overland 5.7 Hemi V8 104 000km on the clock

I like both vehicles, that V8 has amazing power but the V6 also great power

my question comes with known problems on them? Reliability and then fuel consumption, i have heard stories and reviews on the V8 some say its fuel consumption is great compared to other V8’s others say its very heavy

it will be my daily driver, dont do many KILOMETREs a month, but it will be the family holiday vehicle

any advice and opinions would be appreciated

[Commander]

The 2014 should be the face lift with the 8 speed transmission while the 2013 should be the prefacelift with the 6 speed. The facelifted version is generally the better choice.

Regarding fuel consumption both will be fairly heavy, with general consensus being that the V8 isn't THAT much heavier than the V6, but all things are relative, so go have a look on Fuelly what to expect. In town you would probably look at 14l/100 on the V6 and 16+ on the V8, maybe better if you drive miss Daisy, possibly a lot worse if you don't spare the horses.

Open road should see between 10 and 12 depending. These figures are off the top of my head based on what I have read, I am sure some owners will post shortly, also do some research and when you test drive reset the readout so you get an idea.

Both should be reliable unless you buy a bad one, not too many issues on either that I am aware off.

Something I personally find a bit off putting with vehicles that are heavy on fuel when going on holiday is the thought of what my family and I could have done with an extra R5000 that has now gone out the tail pipe. This might not apply to everyone, but it does sit in the back of my mind when choosing a vehicle.

Happy hunting!

[Rikusvdm]

The 2014 should be the face lift with the 8 speed transmission while the 2013 should be the prefacelift with the 6 speed. The facelifted version is generally the better choice.

Regarding fuel consumption both will be fairly heavy, with general consensus being that the V8 isn't THAT much heavier than the V6, but all things are relative, so go have a look on Fuelly what to expect. In town you would probably look at 14l/100 on the V6 and 16+ on the V8, maybe better if you drive miss Daisy, possibly a lot worse if you don't spare the horses.

Open road should see between 10 and 12 depending. These figures are off the top of my head based on what I have read, I am sure some owners will post shortly, also do some research and when you test drive reset the readout so you get an idea.

Both should be reliable unless you buy a bad one, not too many issues on either that I am aware off.

Something I personally find a bit off putting with vehicles that are heavy on fuel when going on holiday is the thought of what my family and I could have done with an extra R5000 that has now gone out the tail pipe. This might not apply to everyone, but it does sit in the back of my mind when choosing a vehicle.

Happy hunting!

thanks for the info, this is a late 2013 part of the facelift with the 8 speed gearbox

i had the same feeling when I initially looked at the Patrol 4.8, thats very heavy on fuel

again thanks for the input

[Rainier Vermaak]

The 3.6 is perfectly fine with the 8 speed gearbox.

In town the Hemi will be much heavier on fuel as the MDS does not get to do its thing, but the fun factor will also be MUCH bigger than the 3.6.

Open road both should give similar consumption if the MDS is working, once again the Hemi is much more fun.

I would much rather pay a bit more on fuel and have the advantages of the 5.7 to enjoy.

[Alwyn777]

Have a look here:

https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum...-6-vs-5-7-hemi

[Quiksilver]

The 3,6 is very reliable.

the 5,7 is reliable enough but has some complications with the MDS, seems it's super sensitive to oil weight and does give issues.

honestly, the 3,6 with the 8 speed box is the best balanced option.

the air suspension issues seem to only be leaky O rings, assuming struts are in good condition.

[Jouko]

3.6. Plenty power. My average for small amount of town and mainly on open roads driving 10.7 l/100 km.

These cars are not for town driving.

I just had 120 000 km service at ESJ Repairs in Pretoria. Low cost.

[Alwyn777]

3.6. Plenty power. My average for small amount of town and mainly on open roads driving 10.7 l/100 km.

These cars are not for town driving.

I just had 120 000 km service at ESJ Repairs in Pretoria. Low cost.

Did they change the diff oil too?
Got two quotes for my 5.7's 120 000km service. One from Jeep and one from an independent. Both +- R9500.
Have asked Eben for a quote more than 2 a week ago, no response thus far. Anyway, I reckon service prices will be very similar everywhere.

[Jeepiscool]

3.6. Plenty power. My average for small amount of town and mainly on open roads driving 10.7 l/100 km.

These cars are not for town driving.

I just had 120 000 km service at ESJ Repairs in Pretoria. Low cost.

Calling your Jeep a car? It's a Jeep!

[Jouko]

No diff oil change. I assume it is not on that service. I have workshop manual but I have not checked what has to be done. Service part of the work was less than R9500 but Penta service is different to Hemi.

Jeep is Jeep but the comment I made applies to all 4x4, most DCs and generally all big engine vehicles. They are not for town driving. Don't want to say Jeep is not for town driving.

Did they change the diff oil too?
Got two quotes for my 5.7's 120 000km service. One from Jeep and one from an independent. Both +- R9500.
Have asked Eben for a quote more than 2 a week ago, no response thus far. Anyway, I reckon service prices will be very similar everywhere.

Calling your Jeep a car? It's a Jeep!

[Alwyn777]

No diff oil change. I assume it is not on that service. I have workshop manual but I have not checked what has to be done. Service part of the work was less than R9500 but Penta service is different to Hemi.

Jeep is Jeep but the comment I made applies to all 4x4, most DCs and generally all big engine vehicles. They are not for town driving. Don't want to say Jeep is not for town driving.

Penta and Hemi services are mostly the same according to the manual. Diff service for both on 120 000km. Just make sure....

[Jouko]

Reading the full user's manual (715 pages) there is no 120 000 maintenance. It is 112 000 and 128 000. I went by oil replacement warning. Based on service stamps the service was at the right time about 123 000 km on the clock.

Those fluid in the axels are for inspection only. There is a list when used for specific purposes. In those cases replace. One of them is towing. There was no tow hook = not used. An other is if used for off road. To best of my knowledge that has been also limited. Rest of the conditions are not for the vehicle. I will ask what they did. This is for every 32 000 km, e.g. every 2nd service. Same with transfer case but every 48 000 km. (Service intervals are every 10 000 miles)

Penta and Hemi services are mostly the same according to the manual. Diff service for both on 120 000km. Just make sure....

[Alwyn777]

Reading the full user's manual (715 pages) there is no 120 000 maintenance. It is 112 000 and 128 000. I went by oil replacement warning. Based on service stamps the service was at the right time about 123 000 km on the clock.

Those fluid in the axels are for inspection only. There is a list when used for specific purposes. In those cases replace. One of them is towing. There was no tow hook = not used. An other is if used for off road. To best of my knowledge that has been also limited. Rest of the conditions are not for the vehicle. I will ask what they did. This is for every 32 000 km, e.g. every 2nd service. Same with transfer case but every 48 000 km. (Service intervals are every 10 000 miles)

Yes, your service is essentially the 8th service going by the schedule that is actually based on U.S miles (16000km x 8). For us in S.A it will equate to the 120 000km (15 000km x 8). The manual does say "inspect only" but I received quotes from two workshops both including a diff oil change for this service. Probably not necessary but preventative.

[Marais Grove]

The 5.7 Hemi doesn't make sense...

The 3.6 is the best option for town driving and long distance cruising, great combination of power and fuel efficiency, unless you want to tow a caravan or a boat.

If you want the 'power' of the Hemi consider the 3.0 Ecodiesel, it is much more economical and the Ecodiesel makes an amazing tow vehicle. The diesel produces 570nm vs the Hemi that produces 520nm. (The Hemi will probably be similarly priced to the Ecodiesel on the used market.)

You really have to ask yourself, "Is that extra 10l of fuel that you are burning every 100km in the Hemi worth it to get less torque than the diesel and only be slightly faster than the v6?"

There is a lot of controversy around the Ecodiesel Grand Cherokees reliability, but I've never had a single problem with it for the 125000km that I've driven it, not once.

When I bought mine I test drove the Hemi, is does feel faster for the first 20m when accelerating, other than that the diesel just feels more powerful and usable. For me personally, I could not justify the extra fuel use in the Hemi, it is still and old engine and an absolute gas hog.

There really isn't any advantage to the 5.7 Hemi, if you want to tow get the Ecodiesel, if you want a daily get the 3.6 and if you want to go fast get the 6.4 or 6.2 supercharged v8's.

[Commander]

The 5.7 Hemi doesn't make sense...

The 3.6 is the best option for town driving and long distance cruising, great combination of power and fuel efficiency, unless you want to tow a caravan or a boat.

If you want the 'power' of the Hemi consider the 3.0 Ecodiesel, it is much more economical and the Ecodiesel makes an amazing tow vehicle. The diesel produces 570nm vs the Hemi that produces 520nm. (The Hemi will probably be similarly priced to the Ecodiesel on the used market.)

You really have to ask yourself, "Is that extra 10l of fuel that you are burning every 100km in the Hemi worth it to get less torque than the diesel and only be slightly faster than the v6?"

There is a lot of controversy around the Ecodiesel Grand Cherokees reliability, but I've never had a single problem with it for the 125000km that I've driven it, not once.

When I bought mine I test drove the Hemi, is does feel faster for the first 20m when accelerating, other than that the diesel just feels more powerful and usable. For me personally, I could not justify the extra fuel use in the Hemi, it is still and old engine and an absolute gas hog.

There really isn't any advantage to the 5.7 Hemi, if you want to tow get the Ecodiesel, if you want a daily get the 3.6 and if you want to go fast get the 6.4 or 6.2 supercharged v8's.

In my opinion it isn't as clear cut, the diesel is probably the one to get, but for higher mileage it is a bit of a gamble, some will be lucky, some won't. For me the 5.7 was a little underwhelming (slower than I expected), but the V8 noise is really glorious. The 3.6 was faster than I expected but not fast/powerful. Probably just fine for pretty much everyone, but for me I would probably always wonder if I shouldn't have gotten the V8.

I have to add that my 4.7 V8 was actually pretty impressive in terms of performance for the year and type of vehicle, one of the many things that set it apart from the other vehicles I looked at before I bought it. This simile may not make sense to many, but in a way it was like a 1.6i citi golf, very involved driving experience, plenty of get up and go when you stomp on it and just enough hooligan to make it fun to drive every time I got in it. Sure it was a lot more refined with an awful amount of gadgets and comfortable (compare to the golf), but it still felt like a riot to drive. The newer GC's lost that a bit, but grew into very capable and comfortable SUV's. (this is not a criticism, it is just a stated fact)

If reliability on the diesel can be ensured it is the easy choice in my opinion. In my experience the 3.0 Diesel (especially the face lift) commands a higher price point, so one would need to think carefully about how long one would be have to drive it before there would be a savings, and then this still leaves out unexpected breakages and maintenance.

The 3.6 does have one major advantage over both the others and that is they can take a 17" wheel where the others can't go smaller than an 18". That would only be an advantage to someone that wants to fit proper off road rubber, but it is something that sits in the back of my mind (I have a set of 17" Moab's in my garage waiting for my next Jeep.)

[Marais Grove]

In my opinion it isn't as clear cut, the diesel is probably the one to get, but for higher mileage it is a bit of a gamble, some will be lucky, some won't. For me the 5.7 was a little underwhelming (slower than I expected), but the V8 noise is really glorious. The 3.6 was faster than I expected but not fast/powerful. Probably just fine for pretty much everyone, but for me I would probably always wonder if I shouldn't have gotten the V8.

I have to add that my 4.7 V8 was actually pretty impressive in terms of performance for the year and type of vehicle, one of the many things that set it apart from the other vehicles I looked at before I bought it. This simile may not make sense to many, but in a way it was like a 1.6i citi golf, very involved driving experience, plenty of get up and go when you stomp on it and just enough hooligan to make it fun to drive every time I got in it. Sure it was a lot more refined with an awful amount of gadgets and comfortable (compare to the golf), but it still felt like a riot to drive. The newer GC's lost that a bit, but grew into very capable and comfortable SUV's. (this is not a criticism, it is just a stated fact)

If reliability on the diesel can be ensured it is the easy choice in my opinion. In my experience the 3.0 Diesel (especially the face lift) commands a higher price point, so one would need to think carefully about how long one would be have to drive it before there would be a savings, and then this still leaves out unexpected breakages and maintenance.

The 3.6 does have one major advantage over both the others and that is they can take a 17" wheel where the others can't go smaller than an 18". That would only be an advantage to someone that wants to fit proper off road rubber, but it is something that sits in the back of my mind (I have a set of 17" Moab's in my garage waiting for my next Jeep.)

I have to agree, but I never had a single problem with my Ecodiesel.

If you service and maintain it properly you are already 90% there. The 5.7 also isn't particularly know for being a reliable engine, they are plagued with cam and lifter issues, prone to overheating and it's only a matter of time before you get engine knocking. The 3.6 is honestly the most reliable, there are multiple examples of these engines lasting 400k kms.

The Hemi doesn't really reward you, you don't really get any benefits for its inefficiency. It is still a 20 year old design.

The cost to get a Grand Cherokee serviced is high no matter the engine, and in my experience the prices are pretty similar for all three engines (3.6 / 5.7 / 3.0).

The Grand Cherokee was always is a weird place in the market, they were always more premium and capable than its Japanese rivals, but never as refined and sporty as its German rivals. It has its own appeal, the only real competitor is the Land Rover Discovery which is more expensive. It might have lost some of the appeal it had with the WJ but it changed in a good way.

[Jouko]

I did get confirmation that Jeep was driven "in the middle of the road" and no towing, e.g. not off road. I expect to do towing (Xplorer). I will have the fluids changed possibly in the next service.

It looks like this specific Jeep was driven only on sunny days. On rainy and miserable days it throws out error codes and even shows the engine warning - doesn't like bad days. Next day in sun even that engine light is gone. I have proper error code reader and AlfaOBD app but Jeep will be put on full analysis just in case.

I will not drive diesel in South Africa. Too high risk due to diesel quality (refinery, transport and petrol station related issues). Penta has enough power to tow 1.4 tn Xplorer. Without van behind I have to use cruise control or it goes at least 140. On an open relatively flat road easy to have under 10l/100 km. That is the best economy out of the big engine vehicles I have had. It hurts to fill up 90 l tank but it gives a good distance.

Yes, your service is essentially the 8th service going by the schedule that is actually based on U.S miles (16000km x 8). For us in S.A it will equate to the 120 000km (15 000km x 8). The manual does say "inspect only" but I received quotes from two workshops both including a diff oil change for this service. Probably not necessary but preventative.