Diesel Grand Cherokee here in June

JEEP has finally pulled the wraps of the new diesel engine that will become available in its all-new Grand Cherokee in Australia from June.

Revealed for the first time at last week’s Geneva motor show, the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel will debut in the WK Grand Cherokee released here in petrol-only guise last month.

It will replace the long serving Mercedes-Benz TDV6 of the same capacity that served the previous Grand Cherokee and will also be seen in Chrysler’s next-generation 300C large sedan when it goes on sale here in early 2012.

The Chrysler group’s new V6 engine was co-developed with VM Motori and Fiat Powertrain and in the Jeep application delivers 177kW of power at 4000rpm and 550Nïm peak torque between 1800 and 2800rpm. This is 10 per cent more power and eight per cent more torque than the MB engine it replaces.

As well as improved power and torque from the new engine, fuel consumption has been lowered by 19 per cent to 8.3L/100km on the European combined cycle, while CO2 emissions are down 20 per cent to 218g/km.

To achieve this efficiency the V6 uses Fiat’s MultiJet II common-rail fuel-injection technology with 1800-bar injection pressure and new injector nozzles that can inject up to eight times per cycle for more precise, efficient and quieter combustion.

A single variable-geometry turbocharger is employed, as is intercooling and cooled exhaust gas recirculation, while an exhaust catalyst and diesel particulate filter are fitted in the exhaust system to further reduce emissions.

This all-new compact and lightweight 60-degree ‘V’ engine uses a compacted graphite-iron cylinder block with alloy heads that comprise DOHC and four valves per cylinder. The rigid block features structural stiffening and a re-enforced cast oil pan to reduce noise and harshness from the combustion process. The forged-steel crankshaft is supported by four main bearing journals fitted with four-bolt caps incorporated into the bedplate to further improve rigidity and reduce noise.

In Europe, the Grand Cherokee turbo-diesel will also be offered in a low-output version, offering 140kW at 4000rpm and 440Nïm between 1600 and 2800rpm.

Here the upcoming 177kW diesel engine will join the 210kW/347Nm 3.6-litre Pentastar petrol V6 and the 259kW/520Nm 5.7-litre Hemi V8 petrol engines in the WK Grand Cherokee line up.

Pricing is yet to be finalised but the diesel engine option is expected to cost around the same as the Hemi V8, which costs $60,000 in Limited guise - $15,000 more than the lower-specified entry-level Grand Cherokee Laredo V6 petrol ($45,000). It will be available in Laredo, Limited and Overland specification grades.

At $69,500 with the Hemi V8, the Overland will be the flagship of the new Grand Cherokee range when it arrives at the same time as the diesel engine. Overland models will only be available with Hemi V8 or diesel V6 engines.