GREEN | 5 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee V-6: 17/23 mpg, 19 mpg combined (RWD); 16/23 mpg, 19 mpg combined (4WD)
EPA
2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee V-8: 14/20 mpg, 16 mpg combined (RWD); 13/20 mpg, 15 mpg combined (4WD)
EPA
2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8: 12/18 mpg, 14 mpg combined (SRT8)
EPA
With our admittedly heavy right foot, we saw an average of 18 mpg in mixed driving.
Winding Road
Remember that commute thing? Well, if you can live with the gas mileage (we averaged just 12.2 mpg during our two weeks, which includes two dirty dry lake flogs) this is great daily driver.
Inside Line
With a new powertrain and a new body in the 2011 model year, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has made progress in its quest for better fuel economy. It's missing a big piece of the equation, though, and that puzzle-filler doesn't look like it will be ready until the 2014 model year.
Meanwhile, the Grand Cherokee soldiers on, offering some of the lower fuel-economy ratings among mid-size SUVs and crossovers, particularly when you blend in the results from the SRT8--it's thirsty enough to match the three-row Mercedes GL550, for example.
The EPA says the base rear-drive Grand Cherokee, with a V-6 and a five-speed automatic, is rated at 17 miles per gallon city, 23 miles per gallon highway. Adding four-wheel drive lowers the numbers to 16/23 mpg. Those numbers are competitive, but not with the likes of the Ford Edge or Subaru Outback--but with vehicles like the seven-passenger Ford Flex and Chrysler's own seven-seat Dodge Durango.
Stepping up to the V-8 edition lowers gas mileage to 14/20 mpg when rear-wheel drive is specified; with four-wheel drive, fuel economy falls to 13/20 mpg. Neither engine is yet offered with Chrysler's latest eight-speed automatics, coming for the 2013 model year to the Ram pickups and already available with six-cylinder Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans. It makes those vehicles much more efficient--and it'll be a worthwhile upgrade in the Grand Cherokee, for sure.
It's almost a footnote by sales volume, but though we heartily approve of its slamming performance, the SRT8 gets dismal fuel economy of 12/18 mpg.
Conclusion
Gas mileage will get better when the Grand Cherokee gets Chrysler's new eight-speeds--but that hasn't happened yet.
