Jeep Cherokee Diesel: More Unlikely Than Ever
The future looks bleak for those of us that were eagerly waiting for a diesel version of the Jeep Cherokee. According to Jeep’s CEO Mike Manley, the North-American market is not yet ready for this vehicle.
Answering questions during a media day, Mr. Manley declared that for the manufacturer to even consider importing the 2 liter turbodiesel engine from Europe, sales of the bigger brother Jeep Grand Cherokee equipped with the diesel V6 would have to double. Right now, about 8% of all Grand Cherokees sold in the US are equipped with an oil-burning mill. This powertrain can average fuel consumption as low as 7.8L/100 km on highway.
While the diesel engine is ‘’only’’ $5000 more than the gasoline version, it is worth mentioning that this option is only available if you also select the Overland trim, which starts at $58,345. You then end up with a $63,345 Grand Cherokee, which is quite far away from the base model’s price of $39,995…
So unless the price gap between gasoline and diesel drastically increases, chances are we won’t see an oil-burning Cherokee anytime soon.
Our hopes now rest on the Jeep Renegade, which may still get a diesel engine.
One can dream, right?