Click the Jeep for a high-res gallery of the Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD

Currently, every Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep vehicle, with the exception of the Dodge Viper, is being sold in Europe with a diesel engine option. What's more, half of them are able to hit the 35 mile per gallon mark in combined driving. In what may seem like the ultimate slap in the face, they are all built right here in America, but we cannot buy them. All of this information is available here, which is a popular article circulating on Digg. The writer of the article makes the aforementioned points as an argument as to why Chrysler should be able to sell their diesel vehicles here in the states. At this time, only one of Chrysler's diesels, the Grand Cherokee, is being sold here.

One problem stands in the way of the rest of the diesels being sold stateside, and it's a big one: emissions. This is a much bigger problem than the article seems to contend. There is more to the greening of our fleet of vehicles than fuel mileage, and emissions are a very important part of the puzzle. Diesel engines can be made to meet the emissions requirements in the U.S., but they add to the cost of the vehicle. When we add in the rising price of diesel fuel, diesel vehicles can become a tough sell. In the coming years, it is likely that manufacturers will introduce more diesel engines here in the U.S., and the hope remains that as they do, the price of the technology will go down.

[Source: MPGOmatic]

Although this reviewer finds the Jeep Grand Cherokee wrapped around the new 3.0 liter Mercedes-sourced V6 diesel engine lackluster (what a surprise, coming from TTAC), it is the engine that we are really interested in, right? And I would say that it does not disappoint in this application. As Montgomery points out, off-roaders are primarily interested in throttle response and a flat torque curve on the lower side of the tach, and that is exactly what this engine delivers. According to Montgomery, it also moves the rather large, heavy vehicle down the highway smartly. This is most definitely a good thing, and he likens the thrust to the hand of God. If the assurance of the hand of God was really included in the rather steep asking price, perhaps there would be more of them on the road. But, at over 40 grand as tested (starting at under $38,475), finding out for yourself might take some empty pockets.

If the Jeep is not the vehicle for you but you are still interested in the engine, you should know that it is available in various models from Mercedes. Again, the price may be steep, but remember that you are really only comparing the price of the diesel engine option versus the standard gasoline engine. The review points out another benefit to the engine, the range of the vehicle. You can travel 450 miles between fill-ups on the highway with this beast. I usually don't last quite that long without wanting to get out for a coffee or a stretch.

Jeep proved that consumers want diesels in their SUVs with the (no longer available) 4-cylinder diesel engine option in the Liberty, which sold better than expected. Will that desire stretch over to larger, more expensive SUVs? How about passenger cars? The market will speak soon enough!

Related:

• New York Preview: 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

Today at the Washington DC Auto Show, Chrysler finally announced the pricing and availability of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD. Their first "full sized" diesel will go on sale in March and range from $38,475 for the 4x2 Limited model to $45,395 for the 4x4 Overland. Diesel powered Grand Cherokees have been available in Europe for many years but this is the first time you could buy one in the US market. Unlike the VM Motori engine previously offered in the Liberty, this 3.0L V-6 is built by Mercedes-Benz and is essentially the same engine used in a variety of Mercedes models.

The clean diesel is rated at 215hp and 376 lb-ft of torque, while getting 20/25 mpg city/highway for the two-wheel drive models. The four-wheel drive versions lose one mpg on the highway. The strong low end twist of the diesel allows for a towing capacity of 7,400 lbs while the a full tank can stretch for 450 miles. Like the Cummins diesel powered Ram pickups, the Grand Cherokee will leave the assembly plant filled with a B5 biodiesel blend. The Chrysler press release is after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler]

DaimlerChrysler announced Monday that the company will stop making the diesel Jeep Liberty SUV for sale in the U.S., despite better-than-expected sales in 2005. According to the Detroit News, the compact SUV's engine doesn't meet new tough federal emissions standards that will kick in next year and Chrysler didn't want to put a newer engine into the Liberty. A Chrysler spokeswoman told the Detroit News, "The emission standards are becoming very stringent, and we weren't able to make a credible business case for a limited production vehicle."

The company is not giving up on diesel altogether. A diesel version of the Grand Cherokee SUV is coming in 2007. Diesel Liberty vehicles, which are built in Toledo, will still be sold in Europe. The new diesel regulations have also affected Volkswagen, which recently announced they would not release any diesel versions of their Jetta, Golf or Beetle models in 2007.

[Source: The Detroit News]