Jeep, VW Roll Out Big Diesels in the Big Apple

dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
TDI
ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The refreshed 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.0-liter common rail diesel V-6 engine is being readied as a 45-state contender. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
Volkswagen Group and DaimlerChrysler AG’s Jeep division both introduced ’08 bound family-oriented models at the New York Auto Show, upping the U.S. diesel portfolio for the model year.

The refreshed 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.0-liter common rail diesel V-6 engine is being readied as a 45-state contender. The new Grand Cherokee model line-up also has four other gasoline engine variants, including a 4.7-liter V8 that is flex fuel capable, Jeep announced.
Meanwhile, VW took the wraps off the ‘08 Touareg 2, which will contain a 5.0-liter V10 TDI Twin Turbo, rated at a hefty 310 horsepower and a 553 pound-feet of torque. While the Touareg 2 will be a 45-state offering, VW reveals its Jetta SportWagen, joining the Jetta TDI sedan, for all 50 states. Like the sedan, the SportWagen houses a 2.0-liter diesel mill delivering 140 horse power and 236 pound-feet of torque, for sale in early 2008.

General Motors Corp. also introduced a 1.0-liter diesel engine, but only in concept, on the Chevrolet Groove - one of three minicars the Detroit auto maker showcased in New York as possible world models.
Neither Audi AG nor BMW Group unveiled new diesel intenders in New York.
However, Tom Purves, president and CEO of BMW North America, reminded the media that BMW will bring a 50-state diesel vehicle to the U.S. next year. The automaker isn’t saying which model will be the first, but BMW’s X5 SUV has been the favorite in the rumor mill as a mid-2008 introduction. Whichever model BMW designates as the American oil burner, it will receive the 3.0-liter twin turbo diesel in-line 6, which BMW showcased at January’s Detroit auto show. A formal model announcement is expected the 2008 New York show.

A diesel powered BMW X5 would directly compete with Audi’s first U.S. diesel – the Q7 SUV, equipped with the Bluetec-labeled 3.0-liter V-6, also being prepared as a 50-state competitor.
 

catmandoo

Veteran Member
Joined
May 9, 2005
Location
ia
TDI
2000 jetta gls tdi,91 2dr jetta gl n/a diesel
like anybody that really needs a high mpg vehicle can afford a tourag,and what kindof crappy milage does that get???.they miss the mark again.bring on the polo!!!they will sell a hell of alot more of them the doo-rags
 

TomB

Veteran Member
Joined
May 1, 2003
Location
Cle Elum, Washington/Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2015 Audi TDI Prestige Sport
It is like ford. They keep producing the large displacement and high torque 6.4L powerstroke series. They think that the american consumer wants maximum towing power in that class of truck.

Give me the Explorer in a 2.8-3.0L diesel so I can get better MPG and tow the 5,000lb trailer while getting somewhere like 25 MPG on the highway.

I don't need to tow 15,000lbs and get 16 MPG doing it.
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
TomB: But some people actually do NEED to tow 16,000 pounds, and this is a very profitable market. Are you saying Ford should just abandon it? Granted, offerings in smaller vehicles would be really nice, and I suspect some people have bought F250 PSDs instead of Rangers because of that. ("If I can get the same mileage with a big huge fast truck as I can a little truck with a small V6, why get the little truck?")

As for the Toerag, it's a halo car. Halo cars can cause people to say, "I REALLY want a VW," go to the dealer, and buy a Jetta. It also helps that the Touareg is actually quite good off road, and wins races (such as a little unknown race called the Dakar Rally) because of this.
 

NFSTDI

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Sunny California :)
TDI
'98 Jetta
I'm curious about this forty-five state thing, what's that about? Here in CA diesel passenger cars are restricted but not light trucks. Hence the proliferation of pickups. I believe the Jeep and the Toureg are not classified as passenger cars. A recent visit to Walnut Creek VW revealed that the V10 diesel Toureg is currently available. I was led to believe that there will be a V6 diesel model in the '08 lineup. So was this V6 Toureg not present at the show?
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
Light trucks below 8500 lbs GVWR are still restricted, but under looser standards.
 

DesertV10

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
TDI
2006 V10
NFSTDI: The V10TDIs for sale in CA are 2006 models, which are 50 state legal. The regs changed a bit and the 2007 and 2008 are not. The Touareg with the V6 TDI, which is very popular in other countries, is reportedly coming to the USA as a 2009 model, sometime in calendar year 2008. It is planned as a 50 state model, but you never know.
 

Oil_Burner

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2000
Location
Issaquah, Washington, USA
Tom is right though. There is a huge segment of the population that wants more MPG than they want or need more towing power. A small to medium diesel would give that. Over the life of the vehicle it would certainly pay for itself in fuel costs.
 
Top