after watching that video my mind is set. There is a V10 in my future.

I my opinion, if they had compared the V10 to the new grand cherokee that would have been a better comparison. It seems like with Fiats new investment in Jeep, they took the same approach to building the GC as VW did with the V10 touareg, as the commentator mentioned in the video.

 

Here is another review of the Jeep in Motor Trend 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel First Test - Motor Trend. A little more in line with how 99%+ of the people in the USA use an SUV. I would have to look at the Jeep again but in the past it's been all about offroad with less emphasis on the passenger. The interior room was really limited. It's nice to see this changing and that they are offering a diesel. For me it's about getting to work during the 6 months of winter and getting to the lake in the summer. It needs to tow, haul stuff, ride nice, be enjoyable to drive and offer safety features for both avoidance and survival. They are right SUVs are not a sports car but the Touareg does offer better handling than most.

 

I think his biggest point was you get 20k worth of options the TDI does not have for the same price. Interesting he feels it is off road savvy but smoother on the highway. I appreciate the better handling myself he feels the Treg provides you. I peeked in the window of a non diesel Jeep today there are many options.

 

Have to agree the Jeep on the surface seems to be a better value. The Germans manufactures struggle with the cost of options.

 

This is so true. I have a Dodge Durango Citadel, basically loaded and it has some options not even available in a NA Touareg. That said, the refinement and fit-and-finish is not on par with the VW.


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Having just traded my Touareg in on a Grand Cherokee Diesel Summit I can tell you the VW wins hands down for performance, fit, and finish. I loved my Touareg, I simply could not continue to deal with VW. In Canada the Jeep is actually more expensive than the Touareg TDI. Jeep wants to be compared with BMW and Mercedes. Sorry, it just does not make it in the quality department. The GC is an amazing $50,000 vehicle but at $70,000 - it does not cut it.

 

Updated review with Cayenne and Mercedes 350, a diesel/luxury SUV shootout: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 EcoDiesel vs. 2013 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTec vs. Porsche Cayenne Diesel vs. Volkswagen Touareg TDI - Luxury Diesel SUV Comparison - Motor Trend

More of the same for TReg. Still lovin' mine...but agree, that VW/Porsche/BMW really struggle with this luxury segment and needing to cut options and/or just crank up the cost. Makes them more scarce I guess...a bit more interesting to drive, just don't see them all the time on the road. Think Acadia and how that's multiplied on the road...wondering if the JGC will become almost as ubiquitous.

 

My heart sank a little when he said the winner was the Jeep. However I think it says something to VW on this. Its time to step up the game VW. Give us the air ride, cooled seats, smoother road ride and more off road modes. I like competition but damn it VW you better be the winner.

 

So you would like to have a $70k+ Touareg? Don't think it would sit well next the $20k Jettas on the show floor. VW is a "family" of companies now. The Touareg is the entry level (ok a bit of a stretch calling it entry level), Q7 the high end luxury and Cayenne the Luxury/Performance/prestige model. Car companies like to do this so that people jump up to the more expensive model. Now that VW is in control of Porsche there will be more of this along with even more sharing of platforms. After reading the report I may consider the Cayenne in the future but that will likely be a long ways off.

Interesting items: the Cayenne weighs more than the Touareg, what's up with that? It starts out weighing less than add a diesel it weighs more? Porsche website has it at 4795 pounds. Maybe adding $35k of options added 250 pounds to the vehicle. Was this the air and adaptive suspension?

The Jeep looks to be a good contender but they don't have the Euro to dollar issue. Let's not forget they went through bankruptcy and were able to jettison a huge amount of debt and rework contracts. Then along came a company that has the ability to pump money and technology into it plus all the advances Mercedes did with the platforms. I hope that Jeep sells well and is finally has the fit, finish and refinement to make it world class as the other vehicles in the review.

 

Lets see how this new "VM motori" motor performs here in the States. I recently spoke with my relatives in Europe and was told that VM diesel is not regarded as a good motor, in fact they like VW 3.0 diesel much better. I will not be surprised if the new GC will be plagued with countless problems, time will show. The only Jeep I would ever buy would be a Wrangler, everything else they make makes me gag.

 

Another Comparo

I just got my Car and Driver in the mail and it had a diesel SUV 5 way comparo!

X5 - 185 points, dated, noisy diesel, best view out
JGC - 190 points, lots of equipment for the $, but interior shows where they cut costs.
ML350 - 191 points, quiet engine, smooth touring
Cayenne- 192 points, Best vehicle but $95k as tested price hurt
Touareg - 195 points, best all around vehicle, but not great in any one area

They indicated a Cayenne with fewer options might have won instead of the Touareg. The other thing they talked about was a smaller cargo area in the Cayenne vs. the Treg. Does the Cayenne really have a smaller cargo area by this much and how can it even out so much with them down?

Seats up:
Touareg 32 cu ft.
Cayenne 24 cu ft.
ML 38 cu ft.
X5 36 cu ft.
JGC 36 cu ft.

Seats folded down:
Touareg 64 cu ft.
Cayenne 63 cu ft.
ML 80 cu ft.
X5 75 cu ft.
JGC 68 cu ft.

 

MotorTrend also just completed a four way review of diesel SUV's. (Spoiler alert) The Touareg placed last!

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/1307_luxury_diesel_suv_comparison/

If I were to criticise the the write up online is a little limited w.r.t. the judging criteria and what they actually did to compare the vehicles. Also, they had the vehicles for four days only... so each tester effectively spent only one day per vehicle. If they had more time, or a different test loop, I wonder if they would have reached the same conclusion.

Having lived with my Touareg, and driven semi-comparable gassers as rentals, I am still happy with my decision.

 

Agreed. And, they still loved the Touareg. To me, it was a 'fluff' article.


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Sounds like MT spent more time reading the marketing materials vs. actually driving the vehicles...also sounds like they aren't spending their own money, not sure how you can put a Cayenne two spots ahead of a Touareg when there is a 20K price spread.

 

Just watched a TV show the other day where they were launching the 2014 JGC at an auto show and the announcer indicated that the JGC diesel had the best in class highway fuel economy. Are the JGC and Touareg not in the same class? Last I checked, the T3 TDI had better mileage rating whether it is city, highway, or combined.

 

One eyed

Never seen such a one eyed testing like that one.Jeep Cherokes in Australia can't even go on the beach,they keep droping out of 4wd. looked at one very small inside terrible finish.

 

Never seen such a one eyed testing like that one.Jeep Cherokes in Australia can't even go on the beach,they keep droping out of 4wd. looked at one very small inside terrible finish.

The jeep might look nice inside and out but that is where the "niceness" ends, its cheap inside, everything feels cheap, very cheap, that is why they can offer what they offer at the price they offer it. Materials all felt cheap and seats were disappointing, also to me, seeing as how they are in the financial situation that they are in, I know they had to cut corners somewhere....im not afraid of what I can see, but what I can't see.

 

Having owned both....Jeep Grand Cherokees and now of course the 2013 Touareg I can truly say they are not in the same league. Don't get me wrong the Jeeps were good vehicles and I never had a major problem with them but the fit and finish and total quality of the Touareg leaves the Jeep in the dust. Have only had the Touareg for a few weeks now and except for the vibration/shimmy in the steering at highway speed (which I am having the dealer deal with now) I love this vehicle. The quality of the materials,handling and comfort are fantastic.

 

After owning 3 jeep products before my Touareg, I'm sold with the Touareg. Only way I would consider buying a jeep is if they offer a proven diesel in the wrangler unlimited. I had a 2012 unlimited, an 06 commander limited, and a Cherokee at different points. The Cherokee was great, very simple, no luxury, the 4.0 was such a great engine. Just not fuel efficient. The commander was horrible. It was nice at first, loaded, but quickly showed that it couldn't compete with other vehicles in its class. Tried to be a luxury SUV and failed. Had a rear diff fail at 65k. The wrangler unlimited I loved. Always wanted a wrangler and consistently talked myself out every time I bought a new vehicle as it wasn't practical. But I LOVED this jeep. Loved the performance from the new pentastar, however I had an early one with head issues. They replaced one head under warranty but refused to replace the other even though it was obviously the same lot. Had to wait until it showed a code as the first head did. And knowing my luck it would happen right after the warranty expired. I'm not a fan of Chrysler after the last two I have owned. Always loved the TDIs (had an 06 Jetta TDI) and when they offered 0% for 72 months I jumped on my Touareg sport. Haven't had a negative thing to say about it since. Does everything I want it to as gets better gas mileage than a lot of cars out there. I pull my 21ft Parker center console and still get 15mpg. Only way I get another jeep is if they offer a diesel in the wrangler, and I see how it holds up for a few years. Then I would want a base model, nothing fancy to have in addition to my Touareg. But I can't see the grand Cherokee being anywhere close to the Touareg. I would love to see these magazines go back an do another comparison article after 40-50k on each vehicle.

 

Wow what scientific evaluation from 4 equally equipped vehicles. That test group, magazine and article would be about as good as toilet paper I use to wipe my azzzz.

So how does air suspended high/low transfercase vehicle go against vehicle with steel springs and no high/low transfercase, who in their right mind thought T-reg would win that?

I can do as halfazz comparison too, my current diesel 4x4 high/low truck with Cummins diesel and 800 ft-lbs torque versus my previous 2012 Touareg TDI. Wow the truck tows 2.5 times more than T-reg, wow much more pulling and load capacity and wow the interior room on Megacab makes the T-reg look like Fiat 500. Wow I feel like I suddenly have IQ as high as wet rock so I must be qualified to test and compare cars, I must now go and apply journalist job from MotorTrend \\/ \\/ \\/

 

WoW, after reading this thread I had to chime in...

Look at my posts here and research on the brake controllers for Cayennes and Touregs - owned Cayenne S with air, owned TDI Toureg with steel suspension towing an Airstream 25 classic, and now own a 2014 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel.

Each model I liked better than the last with the EcoDiesel Overland Grand Cherokee the best.

None of these are bad vehicles, it's to what each person likes - don't dis another vehicle just because it's not the same brand you may already own, keep an open mind. ��

 

WoW, after reading this thread I had to chime in...

Look at my posts here and research on the brake controllers for Cayennes and Touregs - owned Cayenne S with air, owned TDI Toureg with steel suspension towing an Airstream 25 classic, and now own a 2014 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel.

Each model I liked better than the last with the EcoDiesel Overland Grand Cherokee the best.

None of these are bad vehicles, it's to what each person likes - don't dis another vehicle just because it's not the same brand you may already own, keep an open mind. ��

Here is my open mind: The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a piece that hits the fan.

 

Need to add my 2 cents. I own a '14 JGC Ecodiesel and a '14 TDI R-Line. Night and day difference between the two. The Treg is sooo much more refined than the GC. My wife drives the Treg and I had it out the other day. I forgot that I was driving a diesel until I shut it off and it had that "diesel shake". My GC shakes at idle and at stop lights. Acceleration is not on par with the Treg and the torque seems to disappear when passing. The Treg goes from 60 to 90 in a blink. Oh, did I mention that in the last 9 months and 16,000 miles, I have taken it to the dealer 10 times for a total loss of 20 days or so. The folks at Enterprise say hello with a "now what's wrong". Among the multiple recalls and TSB flashes, they just replaced the lower and upper cat along with 2 sensors. Jeep can't seem to get the whole DEF thing right. Also, they replaced pass. side headlight due to it malfunctioning. Something is burning somewhere in the engine compartment since twice I saw and smelled white smoke around the front and inside the cabin. It's definitely an electrical odor. I am done with the Jeep and am looking at buying a '15 TDI Exec. My major obstacle is that I bought the GC to tow behind my motorhome and can't do that with the Treg unless I put it on a trailer.

 

I just did a deal for a lady whos GC was going back under lemon law, in 2 years thats GC number 4 I have seen go back. They wont even argue with you. GC is nice but I was already a little sketch about Touareg Reliability after owning one its been trouble free.

 

Harleymeister, Good info. Thanks for posting.

Somehow the T3 TDI/ Aisin 8 speed is more efficient at putting power to the ground than the VM/ ZF 8 speed in the JGC.

This has been confirmed by numerous published tests.

No doubt T3 build quality is superior. After 53k miles mine doesn't have a single squeak or rattle.