With the dieselgate scandal ongoing for VW, many diesel owners have traded their vehicles in and thought, like all diesel drivers do from time to time, “What diesel should I buy now?”
For those of you interested in something with a little more power, off road, and towing capacity, we suggest the 2007-2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD. Many diesel lovers over the years have found this to be a great vehicle. On a quick google search, I found many on sale for around $10,000–an excellent price for this Jeep.
Here’s a quick breakdown of this vehicle:
- Made from 2007 to 2008, on the WK chassis. The CRD came with the turbocharged Mercedes 3.0L V6 engine, with the engine code OM642, which was an excellent engine in many models starting in 2007, with new iterations still coming out today. It is chain driven, with 4 valves per cylinder, 2 camshafts per cylinder bank (DOHC).
- This is a non-Bluetec engine, so no DEF fluid required.
- Oil choice is important in this engine–it needs to meet Mercedes’ 229.51, Low Ash requirement, available here.
- Driver’s typically report mileage in the low 20s per gallon. Found this info on fuely.com
- Comes stock with 215 hp and 375 ft lb. of torque.
- 7400 lb towing capacity! This is an excellent vehicle for towing.
- Like all engines, this engine has a few common problems, but overall, it is very reliable. We see very few customer requested full rebuilds or major engine repairs. Common problems include leaking oil cooler, intercooler hose breakage, swirl motor breakage, and leaking injectors. Luckily, all of these problems aren’t catastrophic, and there are well known kits and repair procedures for all of them.
- Many tunes are available for these trucks. Check out http://www.greendieselengineering.com for some great tunes.
We have a complete list of parts for this truck.
Take a look at these websites for some more information:
Lost Jeeps
WK Online Owners Manual
WK VIN Coding
At the end of the day, this Jeep is definitely something to consider if you’ve found yourself back in the diesel market.