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JGC RWD vs 4WD?

10K views 60 replies 24 participants last post by  crabman 
#1 ·
Hello,

I am new to this forum and thinking about getting a 2014 JGC but there are so many options its been hard to decide. I live in the mountains of NC now but will be moving to the beach at some point in inthe next year or so. Currently we get snow occasionally at best a few times a year. When we move to the beach we may be loading/unloading a small boat or jet skis with the JGC.

I have been back and forth on the V6 vs V8 as well as the RWD vs the 4WD. I had deciced to go with the V6 w/4WD but then started 2nd guessing the real need for 4WD after reading the RWD does fine in snow.

Can anyone with real life experience give me some advice?

Being a guy I would like the V8 w/4WD but my wife is going to be driving it mostly and of course the V6 gets better mileage....

Thoughts/suggestions?
 
#2 ·
then started 2nd guessing the real need for 4WD after reading the RWD does fine in snow.
:eek: how deep is that snow and where did you read that?
When equipped with the same tires, AWD/4WD >>> RWD !
You many have read about a RWD Jeep with dedicated snow tires doing fine in 2 inches of snow that was melting... On the other hand I heard that RWD cars excel in soft sand at the beach and/or on steep ramps when loading/unloading a small boat or jet skis.

Get yourself a V6 Laredo - essentially an AWD Jeep. Skip the trims offering a low range gearbox and/or off-road packages and you will have the added safety and security of AWD you desire and the fuel economy you need.
 
#5 ·
Just FYI I used to run a E30325i with a LSD that was track prepped with 4 winter tires and the only thing that stopped me was the depth of snow. About 10 inches depending on the type of snow was all we could get through. Remember AWD and 4wd dont help you brake or turn. And you can exceed the capabilities of even the best electronic nannies.

I dont think the ORAI or ORAII package has that big effect on mpgs.

Get waht you want. Its the driver not the vehicle.
 
#4 ·
lol, yes it did say with snow tires....

I don't think the wife will go with the Laredo since she wants the nicer wheels and leather seats. Guess I'm looking for a compromise with the extras and the capabilities.

Suggestions on best package for some capabilities/extras looks wise that is below 40 grand?
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
Well AWD/4x4 is what I am referring to.. I know the GK from 11-13 had a Laredo x package.. Better radio leather ect.. But that price you have is pretty good just make sure that it's the real price.. A lot of times that's with all incentives applied which most of us won't Be able to get..
 
#9 ·
Get her the V6 with 4WD. I've had SUVs with RWD and have not been happy with them. My '12 has 5 driving modes and I dial to snow when it rains hard. My wife has a small sedan with AWD and she loves how it handles solidly in the rain.

Living in NC there is a huge variation in weather and terrain and my Jeep can take me anywhere in this great state regardless of the weather. Don't foget how hard it rains here, especially on the coast. And you'll need 4WD to drive on the beach. Or do some black water canoeing and you'll be parking in loose sand at trail heads.

Also 4WD loses very little value when it comes time to trade in.
 
#10 ·
There is no AWD option for the GC. Just 2WD and full time 4WD.

The way I'd look at it:
How much is upgrading to 4WD going to cost?

There's the initial cost and the operating cost. The initial cost can be a little pricy at close to $2000. If you sell the vehicle, you should be able to recoup some of that initial cost depending on how old the vehicle is.

The extra operating cost really isn't that bad at around $100/yr. as the 4WD system takes a 1mpg penalty over the 2WD system. At 12,000mi @ $3/gal equals $94/yr. That's not bad considering the added safety and convenience that 4WD offers.

As far as choosing the V6 vs the V8, well that's been heavily debated here. I was initially going to get the V8 before I test drove the V6. The power and accretion from the V6 is surprising. Now if you're going to do some heavy towing, I'd go with the V8.
 
#11 ·
heelz, get the 4x4. Truly, I consider the GC to be AWD, as it's full time 4wd, which by definition means AWD to me. Just semantics I suppose.

Anyway, you'll appreciate it the first time you get on a algae coated boat ramp. Plus, your wife, and your family, will be safer, IMHO, with AWD.

When my wife rolls out in her 4wd, with good tires, I always feel more secure about it.

While NO amount of tires, or any 4wd system is a free pass to exceed the envelope of safety, it will stack more of the odds in your favor. IMHO, of course.
 
#12 ·
Thank you very much for the replies. I am feeling better about choosing the V6 with the 4WD. You are right Yadkin, in NC you may run into anything from the Mountains to the Coast....since I will be in both areas, the 4WD makes sense. Will probably not use it but 10% of the time but I will be glad I have it that 10% of the time....
 
#16 ·
Wow, nice ride though. Have had a couple of Wrangler TJ's in the past and I have literally driven it uphill and over down tree limbs in 14 inches of snow. The bottom of the Jeep was leaving marks on the top of the snow. All stock Jeep with Michelin XLT's on it.
 
#18 ·
lol, yes and you know the wife has to be happy. :)

I'd love to go with the 5.7 and 4WD but you just lose too much in mileage. I think it goes down to 20 highway and 14 city with that combo. I do love the sound of the V8's though.
 
#19 ·
OP,

You will not need 4wd ... unless,

Once you move to the beach you might decide it's fun to drive on it. People drive long distances just to get a chance to drive on the beach. When I lived near the beach on Long Island I was on the beach several times a week. We had a boat, but the beach was a nice place to go for a ride after dinner.


---
 
#21 ·
4WD with V8.

The 4WD is a no-brainer. Do you NEED it? Maybe, maybe not, but it will be nice to have, and you are buying a Jeep, after all.

The fuel economy for the V8 is worse than the V6, but not by that much, especially in the real world. It was either Car and Driver or Motortrend that tested both and found the V8 to only get 1 MPG worse than the V6 in their testing. I've driven both the V6 and the V8, and there is a huge difference between the two engines, in my opinion.
 
#26 ·
I'd definitely take both on extended test drives, as in mountains there is no comparison between the V6 and V8. Flat driving, either powerplant is good up to speeds only legal way out west unless heavily loaded or towing or trying to stop a heavy load--since the V8 and diesel have better brakes.

The V8 in sport mode is just flat fun to drive--and don't be surprised if your missus becomes enamored of it.

1% use of 4WD I'd guess is above the average for 4WD vehicles. However it does help on pretty much any reduced traction surface such as loose gravel, rain, sand, in addition to ice/snow [with non-factory tires]
 
#25 ·
Back in November we bought a V6 Limited with Luxury II, Tow, Nav and 20" wheels / tires. Negotiated the dealer down to $41,150, which was about 4.5% below invoice. If you looked for the same car except for leaving off the 20" tires and wheels, you'd be under $40K if you drove the same bargain. Don't care about Nav? Save another chunk of change.

We really love this car...lots of great luxury features including leather, panoramic sunroof, heated / ventilated seats, UConnect 8.4, power liftgate.
 
#27 ·
Yes, the tall gearing in the V8 (1450 rpm @60 mph in 8th) allows for relaxed cruising and ECO mode with the MDS gives surprisingly good mileage on trips. 2800 miles on ours so far and an average of 19 overall.
 
#28 ·
I'd be curious if you test drove a V6 with latest Transmission updates (REV C or greater).

Two completely different Vehicles.

In the OP situation a 2WD V6 might make perfect sense.
I believe you would get an "ABS Soft Locking Diff" in the Rear.

It really depends on the type of boat ramps you'll see and weight of boat.

If it's steep and slimmy or sandy, 4WD is must.

If you will be going to many unknown boat ramps I'd get the 4WD.

If it's nice cement gentle slope and light load, the 2WD drive will be fine.

And tires matter no matter what you get.

Don't Skip the 8.4AN (Factory Nav) it includes the backup camera !!!

Fantastic for backing up to that boat trailer.
 
#30 ·
The V8 in mountains is amazing, I can't speak to the V6 as I have not driven it over terrain. But the 8 is just incredible, it's really nice in the mountains. It just goes with no drama. We have a nice little 40-50 MPH hill by the house, the truck climbs it in 7th. More torque please.

Personally, I will never own another non-AWD/4WD vehicle. I'm not committed enough to trade in my wife's 2WD Fusion, but her next car will be something with AWD. And I live in Sunny So Cal.

In heavy rains, with water in the street, and minor flooding, it matters. It makes a difference.

A friend of mine hydro planed at high speed impacting the center divider (totaling his BMW 5 Series, with his family in the car, but none were injured, thankfully), and I have no proof, but I do believe if it was an AWD, he probably would have held on to it and prevented the event.

The modern cars can do amazing things when there is power available everywhere.

So, that's just me. AWD is like anti-lock brakes for me.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Highly doubtful AWD would have made an ounce of difference on a Hydro Planning accident.

I personally wouldn't get a RWD anything living in the Northeast.
But if I lived in NC on the beach. Maybe.

Driver #1
Tires #2
Drive System #3

Once your moving it's 99% Driver and Tires.

Occasionally AWD might prevent an accident once moving.

I feel just as safe in my Wifes FWD with Nokian snows as I do in the Jeep on a Blizzard on the Highway. Probably even a little safer. For deep snow, sure, the Jeep wins. But for ice/rain etc. I wouldn't blink taking my wifes FWD. Because it has proper tires for Winter. It's a beast in the snow and ice. As long as it's not too deep to start riding up on it. If I had to swerve hard to say avoid an accident in the snow or a deer jumping in front, I'd rather be in the VW.

Jeep traction doesn't help you if the cars in front get stuck. So as long as you aren't the one causing everyone else to get stuck your about as good as your gonna get. So good snows on any drive system puts you in the top 5% immediately. And just pray the person in front you of makes it up that slippery hill. Because you can have the great system and you'll just get stuck behind the weakest link.
 
#36 · (Edited)
"Real world" fuel mileage between the 5.7L Hemi and the 3.6L Pentastar is better modeled using EPA figures, not from a magazine article. With the amount of driving I do I'm saving about $100/ month. Add in the cheaper gas, reduced initial cost and maintenance and the savings really adds up.

My weekly route involves serious long mountain grades and the Pentastar handles them nicely.

On top of all that, the lighter engine creates near perfect weight distribution, so it makes for a better handling vehicle all around.
 
#38 ·
"Real world" fuel mileage between the 5.7L Hemi and the 3.6L Pentastar is better modeled using EPA figures, not from a magazine article. With the amount of driving I do I'm saving about $100/ month. Add in the cheaper gas, reduced initial cost and maintenance and the savings really adds up.

My weekly route involves serious long mountain grades and the Pentastar handles them nicely.

On top of all that, the lighter engine creates near perfect weight distribution, so it makes for a better handling vehicle all around.
To put the $100 a month saving in perspective; using the EPA HWY MPG and $3.00/gallon gas you would need to drive more than 4000 miles a month to save $100 a month on gas between the v6 and v8. Also, you can put 87 in the v8 so unless you are filling up with E85 there is no saving in gas price per gallon. I would argue that anyone driving that much the diesel would be the real money saver in the long run.

The only additional maintenance for the v8 would be the 30k interval for the spark plugs. So there is no major additional maintenance.

If you are someone who is trying to save money a SUV is not the vehicle for you whether it is the v6 or v8.

With all of that said if it were my money I would opt for the v6 with QTII. The v6 with the 8 speed and QTII is the best bang for your buck, IMO. Good luck and I am sure you will enjoy your Jeep. :)
 
#40 ·
The idea wasn't to point out the price of gas but to point out someone would have to drive a lot (more than most do) to save about $100 a month between the v6 and v8 on gas. $3 is a nice round number but if you wanted to use $4 and city mileage you would have to drive over 3000 miles a month to save that $100 a month. 36000 miles in a year isn't unheard of but it is a lot. Oh and I ain't your bro, pal :p
 
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