Driven: Jeep adds diesel power to Cherokee range

JEEP has added a diesel powertrain to its Cherokee range, from $49,000 before on-road costs, bringing more torque than the four petrol variants, and cutting fuel consumption to 5.8-litres per 100km.

Available only in heavily-equipped Limited specification, the new range-topping diesel introduces fuel-saving idle-stop technology with the 2.0-litre diesel unit, which lowers fuel consumption by 2.5L/100km compared with the entry-level 2.4-litre petrol Sport.

The fuel saving is partly enabled by its nine-speed automatic transmission and rear-axle disconnect, which cuts power to the rear-wheels when full traction is not required – the first application of the technologies in the mid-sized SUV segment.

With 125kW on tap, the Limited diesel is the least powerful of the range compared to the 137kW 2.4-litre Sport variant and 200kW 3.2-litre V6 Longitude, Limited and Trailhawk versions, but with 350Nm of torque it trumps the V6 by 34Nm and the four-cylinder by 118Nm.

Its price-tag puts the Limited Diesel at the top of the Cherokee pile with all four other variants coming in for less, starting with the $33,500 Sport and rising through Longitude and Limited variants to the $47,500 Trailhawk.

The newest variant also gets some of the trail-rated kit from its off-road focused Trailhawk sibling with four-wheel drive incorporating Jeep's Active Drive II and a two-speed power-transfer with a low range tailored for the diesel torque.

Its Selec-terrain system also switches traction control systems to best deal with changing surfaces and terrain and, with its more capable and grunty engine, the diesel has upped the braked towing capacity from 2200kg of the V6 to 2393kg.

Equipment specification is the similar to the Limited V6 petrol version with leather seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, Jeeps' Uconnect 8.4-inch touchscreen and satellite navigation, front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera, and a nine-speaker sound system are standard fitment.

Xenon headlights, remote start and premium interior accents are shared with the Limited V6, along with an in-cluster 7.0-inch display for displaying vehicle information to the driver.

Extra active safety systems can be optioned for the new Limited Diesel, with forward collision warning, automatic parking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path traffic warning available.

All Jeep Cherokees score the maximum ANCAP five-star safety rating with all the required safety systems including ESC, ABS, roll-over mitigation and seven airbags.

No other oil-burning variants are planned and the Limited Diesel will arrive in dealerships this month in limited numbers, with supply increasing according to demand.

2014 Jeep Cherokee pricing*

Sport 4x2 (a)	$33,500
Longitude 4x4 (a)	$39,000
Limited 4x4 (a)	$44,000
Trailhawk (a)	$47,500
Limited Diesel (a)	$49,000

*Excludes on-road costs.