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Old 08-28-2014, 08:56 PM   #221
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2014 GC Trim levels & options

For those that have made the decision to purchase & tow with the '14 GC diesel, what trim levels and option packages did you get? Trying to sort through whether there are any significant differences between the Limited and Overland trim levels assuming I go with the trailer tow group and eco diesel.

Are there any options that your experience would make highly recommended as "must have"?
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Old 08-29-2014, 08:25 PM   #222
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I got the GC limited 4x4 with luxury group II, off road adventure II, Eco diesel, block heater, and navigation. It's everything I wanted and have no regrets. The next trim up gives you the adaptive cruise control for like 2500. I did not want the fancy cruise control. I hardly ever use cruise when towing. You get worse gas mileage.

I live in ohio and drive in the snow.
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Old 08-30-2014, 07:12 AM   #223
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I have the Overland and really like the ACC and also the Quadra Lift Air Suspension. The Jeep maintains its attitude regardless of the weight distribution. The trick is to ensure you visit the CAT scales to confirm that you have dialled in the weight distribution correctly. The Diesel drags around my 30' Signature with out any negative issues. Jim


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Old 08-30-2014, 07:29 AM   #224
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Also check my mileage in posts 212 & 214. I see you are currently having a 5.9. I retired my old 93 5.2 last year with 470,000 k on it only because the Jeep was making the place look untidy with the rocker panels rusting away onto the driveway. Great generation of engines. I think you may be pleasantly surprised to find that the 3 l diesel is actually stronger than the 5.9 since I found that it is a lot stronger than a previous 4.7. Jim


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Old 08-30-2014, 07:37 AM   #225
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I have the Overland and really like the ACC and also the Quadra Lift Air Suspension.
I think I read you or others are using a Hensley or ProPride. How does the air suspension interact with these hitches or does it need to be disabled? Does Jeep provide any guidance regarding use of weigh distribution hitches?
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Old 08-30-2014, 07:51 AM   #226
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Also check my mileage in posts 212 & 214. I see you are currently having a 5.9. I retired my old 93 5.2 last year with 470,000 k on it only because the Jeep was making the place look untidy with the rocker panels rusting away onto the driveway. Great generation of engines. I think you may be pleasantly surprised to find that the 3 l diesel is actually stronger than the 5.9 since I found that it is a lot stronger than a previous 4.7. Jim
I have both a 97 5.2 and the recently acquired 5.9. Both with under 120k so still plenty of life left in them. what's attractive about the eco diesel is the mileage and increased fuel capacity. I don't get very far between fill ups in the 5.2 or 5.9 so it limits the range of how far we camp. fine for now as we primarily do short east coast weekend trips.

I'm not sure I'm willing to pay for a new Eco diesel off the dealers lot but there are some decent incentives at the dealerships this labor day weekend so I might see what kind of deal can be made.
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Old 08-30-2014, 08:26 AM   #227
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I think I read you or others are using a Hensley or ProPride. How does the air suspension interact with these hitches or does it need to be disabled? Does Jeep provide any guidance regarding use of weigh distribution hitches?
The air suspension is invisible and guidance is provided in the manual which is available on line and is an interesting read. Once you have been through the initial setup and have checked your weights at the CAT scale, and made any adjustments that may be necessary, you just hook up and go. No need to do anything else in the future unless your Airstream loading changes dramatically. Type of hitch is irrelevant. Jim


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Old 08-30-2014, 12:11 PM   #228
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2014 Grand Cherokee Eco Diesel

I am using a Reese dual cam. To get the hight right just go to setting on the radio. You would pick Aero because that is the hight on the freeways when your going over 50 mph. As Jim stated once you hook up and do a visual take to the CAT scales. It has four segments and allows you to weight front, back and trailer axels at one time. You Then adjust your spring bars to shift weight as necessary. This if you have the air suspention.


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Old 08-30-2014, 05:02 PM   #229
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I have the GC Overland Diesel and have been very satisfied towing our FC23FB - about 10,000 miles thus far in all sorts of weather and roads. Overall towing MPG 18.6 with a best day of 21.4. Always have a Thule cargo box on top of the Jeep and travel with full water and camping load. Equalizer hitch. No sway issues save for the one experience that I related on a previous post in this thread, which I attribute to driver error and give credit to the GC electronic stability control for quick correction. Full options on the GC, including Technology and Off Road II pkg. The Off Road pkg does replace the 20" wheels and tires with 18", which runs counter to general towing advice, but I really haven't found this to be a detriment. Living in SW CO and enjoying forays off of the paved path, I opted for the full deal when I replaced my 08' GC Overland Diesel. This is an extremely capable and very comfortable vehicle.
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Old 08-31-2014, 08:42 AM   #230
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We have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Eco-Diesel. Just got back from a trip from Chicago to Maryland and back—driving through straightaways, hills, and mountains. We tow a 2011 19' Flying Cloud, loaded with 2 bikes on the back and 2 kids bikes inside.

We averaged 18.5 MPG which is a ton better than our last tow vehicle (Mercury Mountaineer V8 @ 9MPG). This is over double the fuel economy!

One thing I noticed is I have to change the oil a lot more frequently in the Jeep. I changed the oil twice already and we're only at 6,000 miles. Maybe that's normal? I thought that since it was a turbo-diesel we didn't have to change until every 10,000 miles (that's what I do on my VW Golf TDI). Maybe it's because of towing and the oil gets bad faster? Also of note: changing the oil on this vehicle is expensive. Takes a ton of synthetic...
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Old 08-31-2014, 09:09 AM   #231
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The oil changes seem about right. I just did my second at 15 k. I'm not changing it until it shows that I need to. The GC has a viscosity meter to let you know when it's worn out. It all depends on how you drive. Stop and go or hi way. FYI Some people in the jeep garage had the oil checked when charged and it still had plenty of life left when changed.


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Old 08-31-2014, 11:53 AM   #232
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There is a TSB which addresses the oil life calculation. After my Jeep dealer did the update, mine is back to the 10000 mile oil change interval.


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Old 10-14-2014, 06:48 AM   #233
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Better Ride

JamuJoe reported that he had switched from an '08 Jeep GC Overland to a 2014. I just switched from an '07 Jeep GC Overland with the Mercedes Diesel to a 2014 Mercedes ML 350 BlueTEC diesel.

I loved the Jeep and thought it was a great tow car, but this Mercedes is a much, much better ride when towing than the Jeep. The Jeep always felt stiffer when towing and sometimes porpoised on washboard roads (like I-44 in Oklahoma City). The Mercedes is smooooth! Same Airstream. Same Equal-i-zer hitch. The Mercedes rides as if the Airstream wasn't even there.

Is the new Jeep chassis equally improved over the 2007-2008 series?
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Old 10-14-2014, 07:13 PM   #234
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Is the new Jeep chassis equally improved over the 2007-2008 series?

I also switched from the Mercedes based Jeep GC Diesel to the 2014 Jeep GC Diesel and can report that there is indeed a rather large improvement in the new generation. The Diesel has more torque, gets much better mileage, and the 8 speed transmission seems to provide the perfect rpm for any situation. The air springs provide a huge improvement in overall deportment with the added benefit that the Jeep always sits perfectly, regardless of load.
It's not a Mercedes but I think it's as close as you can get without being there. Jim


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Old 10-16-2014, 07:57 PM   #235
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Grand Master,
The Mercedes is a fine vehicle and you should be happy with it. I test drove one before ordering my new Grand Cherokee Diesel, liked it, and then made a choice that I've been very happy with. As Jim says, the power and road manners of the new GC are dramatically improved over my 08 GC Diesel. 14,000 miles thus far, with 10,000 of them towing, and no engine issues whatsoever. After the ABQ balloon fiesta we went boondocking into Comb Wash in SE Utah, and took the GC over some VERY challenging high clearance 4WD trails. Crossed streams with steep eroded banks, crawled thru deep soft sand and over big rocks and shelves. The GC was awesome, even with the stock Michelins. This on top of 18.6 overall towing mpg leaves no room for complaint. Now I just have a few off-road brush scratches to buff out😥

Safe Travels,
JamuJoe


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