Chrysler today officially announced the Jeep Grand Cherokee will get its diesel addition at the Geneva Motor Show in just over a week. It's not the first time Jeep has sourced an engine from the company: the 1999-2001 Grand Cherokee used an inline five-cylinder diesel from VM Motori in some foreign markets, and other Jeep vehicles have used VM Motori mills over the years as well.
Rated at 241 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, the new engine gains 10 percent more power and 8 percent more torque than the previous Grand Cherokee diesel, and it manages a combined European rating of 28.3 mpg.
Whether this engine will make it to the U.S. at any point in the future--right now it's only for "Europe and other diesel markets"--remains to be seen. Here's hoping it does, as the last Grand Cherokee CRD was a fun, efficient machine. It would fare even better in the vastly improved garb of the latest WK2-generation vehicle.
With Chrysler's new Italian connection through Fiat, the choice of VM Motori for the next Grand Cherokee diesel makes sense again; VM Motori is based in Cento, Italy, not far from the homes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Ducati. Earlier this month, Fiat Powertrain Technologies purchased a 50 percent stake in the company. The other half is owned by General Motors.
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All-new Jeep® Grand Cherokee Now Powered by New 3.0-liter Turbo Diesel Engine
- New 3.0-liter turbo, direct-injection V-6 diesel engine now available for the all-new Jeep® Grand Cherokee
- Fitted with MultiJet II technology developed by Fiat Powertrain
- New engine delivers more power and torque with improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions
- New 3.0-liter turbo diesel will arrive to European markets by the end of the first half of 2011
- Diesel engine joins the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and 5.7-liter MDS V-8 petrol engines
- Laredo and Limited versions now available in Europe
At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the all-new Jeep® Grand Cherokee will debut a new, optional 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine available for Europe and other diesel markets. The new engine is more powerful, more fuel efficient and produces lower emissions than its predecessor.
Built by VM Motori and developed together with Fiat Powertrain, a company of Fiat S.p.a., the new 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine produces maximum horsepower of 177 kW (241 hp DIN) at 4,000 rpm and torque of 550 N•m (406 lb-ft) at 1,800-2,800 rpm. This translates to 10 percent more power and eight percent more torque than the engine it replaces.
Even with its improved performance, fuel economy for the new 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine is 8.3 L/100km on the combined cycle, an improvement of 17 percent over the prior diesel engine. CO2 emissions (combined cycle) are also reduced by 17 percent, now at 218 g/km.
The V-6 turbo diesel engine is fitted with new-generation, 1,800-bar injectors with new MultiJet II technology, developed and patented by Fiat Powertrain and which made its debut in 2009 on the 1.3-liter diesel engine equipped on the Punto Evo.
Engine Block Structure
The new 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine features a compressed graphite iron, 60-degree block with aluminum cylinder heads and a two-piece structural aluminum oil pan. Bore is 83 mm (3.27 in) and stroke is 92 mm (3.62 in) for a total displacement of 2987 cm3 (182 in3). Bore spacing is 96 mm (3.78 in).
The engine is compact and lightweight, with overall dimensions of 695 mm (27.36 in) in length, 729 mm (28.7 in) in width and 697.5 mm (27.46 in) in height. Weight of the fully dressed new engine is 230 kg (507 lbs).
The engine block features a crankcase architecture with stiffened construction, including a bedplate that provides a rigid and stiff carrier for the crankshaft. This in turn helps reduce overall noise from the lower reciprocating assembly and contributes to significant improvements in overall noise, vibration and harshness.
Adding to the structural rigidity of the block, the two-piece aluminum oil pan has been designed to provide strength and contribute to the quietness of the engine. The lower pan has been reinforced for off-road use. Crankcase capacity is 7.7 L (2 gal).
Cylinder heads are constructed of aluminum and feature a chain-driven, dual overhead-camshaft design with four valves per cylinder. Intake valves measure 28 mm (1.1 in), and exhaust valves are 24.5 mm (0.96 in) in diameter. Combustion-chamber volume is 24.68 cm3 (1.51 in3).
A forged-steel crankshaft is supported by four main bearing journals fitted with four-bolt main bearing caps incorporated into the bedplate. Externally balanced, the crankshaft measures 442.2 mm (17.41 in), reducing the overall packaging requirements of the engine. Connecting rods, with an overall length of 162.9 mm (6.41 in), are constructed of cast iron.
Lightweight, cast-aluminum pistons are redesigned to provide minimal friction. The compression ratio of the new diesel engine is now 16.5:1, reduced from 18.1:1 on the previous model, contributing to cleaner combustion and providing more power.
All main bearings are a “lead free” design for reduced environmental impact during construction and later recycling of the engine.
Engine Performance Features
The induction system includes swirl control to optimize combustion. Fitted between the intake system and the combustion chamber, the swirl control effectively provides an ideal air/fuel mixture at all levels of engine speed.
Precise fuel delivery is through a 1,800-bar common-rail fuel-injection system. Thanks to the new MultiJet II technology, which makes use of a special balanced solenoid valve, the new injector is capable of making up to eight injections per cycle with the possibility of managing the two main injections in a single modular profile (IRS – Injection Rate Shaping). This guarantees a reduction in consumption and polluting emissions of approximately 2 percent compared to a traditional injector and ensures a drastic reduction in noise levels.
The new 3.0-liter diesel engine utilizes a single Garrett VGT 2056 turbocharger with variable turbine geometry. Compact and lightweight, the turbocharger provides near-instant response and includes an air-to-air intercooler.
Fuel Economy and Emissions
Fuel economy for the Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine is rated at 10.3 L/100 km on the urban cycle and 7.2 L/100 km on the extra-urban cycle. For the combined cycle, the fuel economy is rated at 8.3 L/100 km.
The engine is designed to run on EN590 ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel.
For this engine, cast-iron exhaust manifolds are utilized. Additional emissions controls include a close-coupled diesel oxidation catalyst and standard diesel particulate filter. Euro 5 emissions are met through an exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) system that includes an EGR valve with DC motor and a high-performance EGR cooler with bypass valve.
CO2 emissions are reduced to 270 g/km for the urban cycle and 188 g/km for the extra-urban cycle. Combined-cycle CO2 emissions are now 218 g/km.
Lineup
Jeep Grand Cherokee will be now offered in Europe in Laredo and Limited trim lines in addition to the Overland version. The Laredo and Limited trim lines will be available with the 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar engine and new 3.0-liter turbo diesel, while Overland will be available for the total engine lineup.
The 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine for the new-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will be offered in European markets also as a low-output version, with 140 kW (190 hp DIN) of power at 4,000 rpm and 440 N•m (324 lb-ft) of torque across 1,600-2,800 rpm. The low-output version of the turbo diesel engine will be standard on Laredo models (optional on Limited). This will allow Grand Cherokee to meet a wider potential market in Europe.
The new diesel engine will be available in Jeep showrooms by the end of the first half of the year and will join two petrol engines to round out the powertrain lineup.
The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee features the first application of the all-new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 petrol engine. This V-6 engine with variable valve timing (VVT) delivers 210 kW (286 hp DIN) of power and 347 N•m (256 lb-ft) of torque.
The Grand Cherokee is also available with the legendary 5.7-liter V-8 petrol engine. Also with VVT, this powerful engine delivers 259 kW (352 hp DIN) of power and 520 N•m (384 lb-ft) of torque. The engine’s Multi-displacement System (MDS) helps manage fuel efficiency and can cut fuel delivery to up to four cylinders under certain driving conditions.
