JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE CR DIESEL FOR CARS

The Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD’s 3.0-liter turbo diesel certainly lets you know it’s an oil burner with some of that familiar clatter. But it’s unobtrusive by diesel light truck standards. There’s only a whiff of diesel exhaust, too, contributing to what is a very palatable drive for this kind of engine. All this gives you 376 lb.-ft. of torque. Acceleration is pretty decent, but the transmission is just OK. Jeep does equip the Grand Cherokee with front and rear locking differentials for ambitious off-road use.

There’s no mistaking that you’re in a truck from a ride and handling standpoint, it’s still a comfortable ride. The suspension’s on-road manners are soft and vague, as is typical of a 4WD vehicle. Some mushiness on the highway is forgivable for something that’s suited to more hostile terrain.

Where the Grand Cherokee comes up short isn’t in the drivability, it’s the interior. Even without the optional common rail turbo diesel, this is a $39,000 truck with the interior befitting something closer to $29,000. Sure, all the controls are logical and well marked, but they feel cheap. The overall interior appearance is cheap. As it is, this is a $42,000 truck that has one real advantage: the diesel engine, and it’s a very good one. But that alone isn’t enough to make the Grand Cherokee CRD a remarkable vehicle.

To be fair, the Grand Cherokee that arrived for our test drive was a different trim level and had the Common Rail Diesel (CRD) powerplant. I’m always up for torque, and the CRD provides plenty. It grunts its way up hills and over ruts without breaking a sweat and you experience it with all your senses, feeling the vibration, hearing the low growl, seeing the tires easily digging into tough terrain, the taste of victory as it bests each obstacle you throw out it and unfortunately an occasional whiff of diesel fume. It’s nothing like the diesels of yore, but every once in awhile the wind catches it just right. There is a bit of the telltale diesel clatter, but it is pitched just right with the exhaust note that it compliments it rather than detracts from it -- it sounds beefy.

As much testosterone as this beast puts out, there is one place it just doesn’t perform up to it its internal combustion brothers: the pavement. Mash the go pedal to the floor, count to three and then you will finally start to take off. Unacceptable if you need to make a quick turn across traffic, you better go find a traffic light to stop those oncoming cars so you can get across safely. The biggest benefit of the diesel for most users is supposed to be increased mileage. On one highway trip, one of our editors achieved a little over 20mpg. I averaged 17.9 mpg in my 3.7-liter V-6 rental traveling over interstates. Two mpg just doesn’t seem to be enough of an increase to justify the diesel expense, especially with this amount of acceleration lag. Once the GC CRD is moving, however, there is plenty of power for passing. 

A fair amount of body roll is present, but necessary to float the vehicle to give it a nicer ride, and the Grand Cherokee does ride better than most SUVs. The steering is a little ponderous and requires occasional input to keep it traveling in a straight line. A slight amount of wind noise, and a pleasing amount of engine noise are inside the cabin, but it’s quieter than a crowd watching Tiger Woods putt.

 

The Grand Cherokee is exactly what the name says it is, grand. Comfort and capability are seldom rolled so nicely into one package. As much as I love the macho sound of the CRD, and the grunt of its torque, it just doesn’t seem to be enough to justify the $42,000 price tag. Rumor has it that there is a Bluetec diesel in the GC’s future. If you really have to have a diesel Grand Cherokee, I’d wait until then and see how well it starts from a dead stop. Otherwise, give me gas… and I mean that in a good way.

Regardless, The Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD makes a strong case for modern diesel technology on several fronts. Available in three trim levels—Laredo, Limited, and the uplevel Overland—this highly sought-after SUV is now cleaner, greener, and more work-capable than ever.

BMW X5 X DRIVE 35DIESEL FOR CARS

Goes on sale in January
Fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway 
Performance: 0-60 in 6.9 seconds 
Pricing begins at $52,025—a $5,000 premium over the base X5 3.0-liter gas-powered version. (The X5 xDrive35d diesel is comparable in performance to the X5 4.8-liter gasoline vehicle, which starts at $55,625.) 
The X5 xDrive35d is be eligible for $1,550 tax credit

BMW calls it a Sports Activity Vehicle. It is one of the most well-rounded, high-performance, luxury-caliber SUVs in the marketplace. Now, it's be available with a diesel engine. The BMW X5 xDrive35d will share the same 3.0 liter biturbo inline-six diesel engine that will power the new diesel version of the BMW 335d. The two vehicles will launch together as a veritable one-two punch for clean diesel technology.

Diesel will grant the BMW X5 xDrive35d better fuel economy (as much as a 30 percent improvement to 19 city/26 highway) and higher torque than its gas-powered counterpart. This means the performance-tuned X5 diesel will have even greater acceleration and more low-end pulling power than ever. All while making cleaner emissions a reality.

The advanced diesel system will utilize BluePerformance urea injection, which will allow the BMW X5 xDrive35d to be sold in all 50 states, even those following California's strict emissions standards. BluePerformance uses a solution called AdBlue, that is injected into the exhaust gas to turn nitrous oxides into nitrogen gas and water vapor. This works in conjunction with a particulate filter to further reduce emissions. The system works on virtually the same technology that Mercedes-Benz uses in its upcoming Bluetec SUVs.

MERCEDES ML 320 CDI FOR CARS

If Pushed To Select A 4x4 To Convince The Doubters, The Mercedes ML320CDI Would Possibly Be The Smartest Pick. Andy Enright Reports

Lamborghinis are lousy for furniture removals. They may have a number of other qualities but if you need to move a double bed, a Gallardo just doesnt cut it. Want to know what the Mercedes ML320CDI is rubbish at? Nothing. This is one of the few cars that can turn its hand to any automotive task with a reasonable degree of competence. 

Find a twisty section of blacktop and it can entertain. Itll splash through axle deep mud and itll even tool easily through city traffic with reasonable economy. Its practical, well built and good looking. You may have to pay for the privilege of getting hold of this automotive decathlete but one suspects you wont be disappointed. 
Lets start with that astonishing powerplant. Unlike old Mercedes diesels, which were rather lumpy five-cylinder units, this latest is a creamy V6 with four valves per cylinder. Rated at a healthy 224bhp, its got more than enough muscle to haul the 2110kg Mercedes around. In fact, its torque figure of 510Nm is even beefier than the V8 ML500 version. 

Whats more, youll reach this figure at little more than tickover and sustain it across a broad plateau from 1,600 and 2,800rpm. The switched on will realise that this makes the ML320CDI an extremely adept tow vehicle. This common rail direct injection engine has quickly proved a winner for the Daimler Chrysler group and its being plumbed into all manner of Mercedes and Chrysler models to great effect but the M-Class vies with the C-Class for the most attractive vehicle to use the 3.0-litre unit. 

Slotted beneath the low-slung bonnet of the M-Class, this engine will punch the car to 60mph in a smidgeon over nine seconds and on to a top speed of 130mph. Combined fuel economy is rated at 30.1mpg which is little short of astounding given the size, weight and performance of the car. With a 95-litre tank, the ML320CDI therefore excels as a long distance cruiser, capable of notching off over 800 miles between refuelling stops. 

"The M-Class hasnt always been overwhelmingly convincing. Drive an ML320CDI and prepare to backtrack"

Mercedes could have put this engine into the old M-Class but to do so would have been to create a glaring mismatch. The latest model takes all of the old cars shortcomings and comprehensively rectifies them. To be fair to the M-Class, although the quality control of the initial batch of cars produced from the Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama were rather patchy, latter models from the Austrian facility at Graz were a whole lot better screwed together. Some of the interior materials were a little half hearted but a nicely specified M-Class was, until the introduction of the Land Rover Discovery 3, still probably the best looking of all the big 4x4s. 

The lines have worn so well that the current generation M opted for an evolutionary look, keeping the same sporty stance and raked forward C-pillar but adding more pronounced wheelarches and a rising swage line along its flanks that may look a little too Toyota RAV4 for more conservative tastes. It marks a definite swing towards the sports end of the sports utility market and differentiates the Mercedes nicely from cars like the Land Rover Discovery and the Volkswagen Touareg. The next X5 will have its work cut out to offer styling quite as slick as the M-Class. Although the sharply raked back windscreen and contoured body panelling give the M-Class a sporty, compact appearance, the tape measure shows just how artful its stylists have been. 

Its 150mm longer than its predecessor, 71mm wider and the wheelbase has grown by 95mm. It is also 7mm lower. Aerodynamics have been improved from a cd value of 0.39 to 0.34 with fuel economy savings of as much as ten per cent. Fitted as standard is Mercedes renowned 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, widely renowned as the best automatic gearbox in series production. Intelligent shift management allows the gearbox to plug into the engines power band while being more efficient in terms of fuel efficiency than any other automatic. The Direct Select function allows drivers to select gears manually using a selector level positioned close to the steering wheel. 

Steering wheel-mounted gearshift buttons are also offered. Both the front and rear suspension has been thoroughly revised for this generation M-Class, with a double wishbone front and a multi-link rear arrangement. For those that really want the ultimate in ride quality, Mercedes also offers an Airmatic air suspension system option that teams up with an Adaptive Damping System that adjusts the responses of the shock absorbers according to the situation in hand. Theres also an optional off-road biased air suspension option which adds a two-speed transfer case with an off-road ratio, manually or automatically selectable diff locks and a version of Airmatic which raises ground clearance by 110mm to as much as 291mm. 

This means that the M-Class will now ford water up to two feet deep. For all the slick styling and impressive engine, the single biggest change that will transform this M-Class chances is the improved quality of the interior. Gone are the brittle plastics and uninspired ergonomics of the old M-Class, replaced by something thats far more in keeping with Mercedes premium image and pricing. The dashboard features a pair of cowled main dials with a digital information panel between, while the centre console retains the styling of the latest E-Class models. 

Although its not what youd call packed with surprise and delight features, the cabin now befits a vehicle of this class. If you can overcome the upfront price, the ML320CDI is surprisingly affordable to run. Insurance is manageable, fuel economy is good and the residual values look set to be so strong that the all-important pence per mile figure looks very favourable. Whoever said the best things in life are free had obviously never driven a Mercedes ML320CDI.