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V-6 or V-8, regrets?

89K views 498 replies 177 participants last post by  bill_de 
#1 ·
Curious if anyone with a v-6 wished they opted for the v-8 or vice versa?

I am on the fence myself as I want the V-6 for the fuel efficiency, but love the extra hp and torque of a v-8 :D
 
#440 ·
We bought the V6 and given we don't tow anything, we have never wanted more power than we get with the V6 in this 2014. Love it, love it, love it. It hasn't even been borderline. My wife and I love the power that we get out of this engine. Step on it, and it really moves. If people aren't towing, and you want to get the 24mpg, stick with the V6.

We are averaging 18mpg with lots of around town driving and heavy feet. Fully loaded on a long trip, we got just over 23mph for the whole trip. Sweet.
 
#445 ·
...

We are averaging 18mpg with lots of around town driving and heavy feet. Fully loaded on a long trip, we got just over 23mph for the whole trip. Sweet.
I went with the v8 and really don't have any regrets. I do mostly city driving on a daily basis and am getting 16 mpg calculated average running 87 octane (EVIC says 16.3-16.5 but it lies...) For the couple MPG vs my annual mileage, having the extra grunt when I wanted was more important.

I have yet to take it on a long trip unloaded, but was pleasantly surprised to get high 17s pulling my popup camper, (3-4 mpg better than by old Tundra:thumbsup:) I obviously didn't need the HEMI for light towing, but the way it will get up and out of the way even with a camper in tow has come in handy... had one of those "herd instinct" drivers next to me in the exit lane coming up to an interchange, slow done a little, speed up a little, they just kept mirroring me ... drop the hammer and outta there. Good think the camper was packed well...

My only real regret was that that I couldn't wait for the diesel any longer...
 
#441 ·
Hey AMC2002, I am getting exactly the same mpg as you have stated. I just started to use 100% Gasoline (no ethanol) and it went up to 24.8 on the hwy. I am also very happy with the Pentastar 3.6. It does put out when you need it. It probably is not as peppy as the hemi but for us who never plan to tow its awsome. Pick up from 0-60 is as most SUV's, but the performance at highway speeds (passing-etc.) is excellent. I do enjoy this engine.
 
#442 ·
Was in the same boat and picked V6. Plenty of power (make sure that you get the recent trannynTSB flash done). 24 mpg hwy on camping trips. Very quiet also.

The engine itself is much modern than old hemi V8. I really wanted diesel but with price bump and extended wait it didn't happen. Love mpg of diesel and torque. Maybe next time.
 
#443 · (Edited)
I have had 3 new Jeeps in 3 years. A 2010 Limited, a 2012 Laredo X Loaded, and a 2014 Overland Loaded. All 3 have had the HEMI and all 3 have been great vehicles. I don't even look at the gas prices. Compared to some of the cars in my stable the 5.7 is like a Prius!! My Mercedes G55 AMG gets about 6 MPG in the city. The box on wheels... My thought is I'm gonna fill up my cars no matter what gas costs so why not get the more powerful engine. Just my .02
 
#444 ·
A wild guess, based solely on where you live, is that you have a little more lose change than a lot of folks. I also do not worry about gas mileage, but it is because I don't drive very much. If I was still driving 30,000+ miles a year, I might feel a bit differently.


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#446 ·
Everyone finds that the evic shows higher mpg than what is actually calculated.

Is it possible that the computer only calculates fuel used while the vehicle is actually moving when coming up with the mpg? In a way that really is more accurate. Gas burned while the car warms up in the driveway has no miles associated with it.


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#448 ·
Everyone finds that the evic shows higher mpg than what is actually calculated.

Is it possible that the computer only calculates fuel used while the vehicle is actually moving when coming up with the mpg? In a way that really is more accurate. Gas burned while the car warms up in the driveway has no miles associated with it.


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I don't know. Every vehicle that I've owned that had an average mpg readout were always pessimistic. BUT I'm sure there is some way to get it correct, but at what cost.
 
#447 ·
I have owned a 2011 grand with the 3.6 and was a great jeep. It was fun to drive since it revs reasonably high. After almost 2 years I wanted more and you're not going to get much out of this no matter what you waste you're money on. Now I have a 2013 with a hemi and you can not compare the two. Overall on the highway they are very close for mpg's, but when you step on it there is no comparison.
 
#451 ·
Last week I stopped to talk to a friend I haven't seen in quite a while. Pulled up to the curb rolled down the window. It was a very hot day so I left the A/C on and we talked for about 20 minutes. The evic showed .2 less when I pulled away so I would say it calculates also when the car is not moving. And yes it reads on the high side anywhere from 1 to 2 mpg more.
 
#456 ·
I remember reading somewhere that fuel composition (ethonal percentage, etc) as well as altitude and temp can throw the reading off a little. I guess that makes sense if the Evic runs off of ECU fuel mass consumption, then converts it to gallons. Slight difference in density would cause a slight error.
 
#461 ·
We have been filling up with E85 here since a local station has it for $2.99 a gallon as opposed to almost $4 for regular. We have been averaging 17mpg with it around town, which we think is pretty good for ethanol.

Then my wife put in a tank of regular, and suddenly the reading can't get higher than 15. It must be getting confused because there is no way we are getting that bad mileage with regular. We were getting about 19 around town.
 
#462 ·
Speaking of Dom Perignon, on Sept. 1st. 2012 I got married to a wonderful woman Beverly. Yesterday we celebrated with friends and opened a bottle of D.P. that was given to us as a wedding gift.Yuk !! Washed it down with a Bud. I know this does not have anything to do with a Jeep, but I must say for some where around $125 - $150 a bottle I expected it to tast a lot better. That being the case, that can of bud should have costed $400 a can.:lol:
 
#463 ·
That's what happens when you keep the bottle of DP under the seat of your Jeep. You need to have a mansion in the Hamptons equipped with a wine cellar, and have your butler turn the bottles daily.

Seriously though, and I've never had DP, since it has a cork it has to be kept on its side or up-side down so the wine keeps the wood swelled up and thus sealed. Keep a corked wine upright (like most big box stores that sell wine) and the cork will dry out. Depending on the humidity that could happen very quickly.

And of course, white wine (including sparkling varieties) has a finite shelf life, even when stored properly.
 
#464 ·
While we're highjacking this thread, let me just say Dom is HIGHLY overrated. You're paying for the name on the bottle, not what's inside. For less than half that price try Veuve Clicquot Brut, it's far superior. Just the same, I'd rather have a Yuengling Black & Tan draft any day. :rolleyes:
 
#468 ·
Wine is very much like engines. The way to tell if it's good is if you drink it or drive it and like it, it's good. :D
 
#469 ·
Well I'm with the most of you, I wished I bought the Hemi....but...does it make sense to drive a V8 in traffic all the time? I bought the V6, added a cold air intake, magnaflow catback and now finally the Diablo trinity programmer chip. I also agree my complaint always was the 5 speed, never liked it much. I used to have a 2008 Dodge Nitro RT with the 5 speed and that thing really moved, the gearing was much different than the Grand Cherokee's. That is why I'm disappointed with the 5 speed in the V6 Grand Cherokee. Hopefully the Diablo Trinity helps since I can finally change the shift points :)
 
#472 ·
I have the V6 Laredo X! Sometimes I wish I had the Hemi, but the V6 has enough power, and the sound at WOT is amazing! Like other people say, the tranny is not the best, but its livable. Either way, I love my Jeep! Another thing to think about is gas, because it is a 90L plus tank, and with gas prices this high, its a pain when you see the money you shell out!
 
#475 ·
Totally regret not having a Hemi, the GC is too heavy for the V6, that engine would be fine in a sedan but not in such a heavy SUV.
Turbo Diesel with same displacement is fine with lots of torque.

To me the V8 is still no option due to company not supporting that fuel consumption, therefore I'll keep suffering from a slow pickup from low rpm, fun is something else altogether...
 
#479 ·
Jealous!
Next vehicle I'll put a lot more attention on the drivetrain, the Grand Cherokee mainly won me over due to the nice design, since then whenever I see an Acura MDX and checking quality details I feel so stupid, thinking of only keeping the Jeep for 2 years instead of 4 and probably not going back to a Fiat/Chrysler/Jeep, considering something smaller more nimble like a BMW X3.
 
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