Q7 TDI vs. Grand Cherokee Diesel

Nathanael Greene

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2021
Location
Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon 1.9 PD/BEW
Hi folks!

I'm looking for peoples opinions on Q7 tdis and Jeep Grand Cherokee diesels.

I know a bit about the Q7s, but not anything about the Grand Cherokee.

Or are there any other 7 passenger diesel cars available in the US market?

Thanks,
Nate
 

danmin

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2023
Location
DFW
TDI
2014 Passat 2.0 TDI @ 180k
Hi folks!

I'm looking for peoples opinions on Q7 tdis and Jeep Grand Cherokee diesels.

I know a bit about the Q7s, but not anything about the Grand Cherokee.

Or are there any other 7 passenger diesel cars available in the US market?

Thanks,
Nate
I looked at the 3.0 EcoDiesels from Dodge. Pretty neat. They have very very severe issues with the EGR system clogging the intake with soot completely and swirl flaps breaking and being sucked into the engine. I don’t know a lot about them besides that. If you got one, be ready to rip it open to delete it (emissions and EGR). Also I think the PCV canister (not sure what it is) clogs fast. So also install a catch can that eliminates that.


The Q7s are nice. The front ends of them seem to be a year or so behind other Audis as far as facelifts go. I have the 3.0 TDI and it’s nice. I also had a 2.0 TDI right before. the 3.0 is amazing. super powerful at low RPMs. It has its demons though too. Depending on the year you get- they have swirl flaps as well. Or they have coolant leaks from the EGR cooler. Plenty of affordable kits to eliminate those issues though. Just takes an afternoon and a T30 screwdriver.

I don’t have any first-hand experience with the EcoDiesels. I own a 3.0 TDI. Maybe I’m biased but I’d say the 3.0 is good for everything but MPGs. Safe to assume the Ecodiesel won’t do much better though. Lastly, one is a luxury brand (Audi) the other is the flagship SUV of a standard brand. You should test drive both and see what you like more.
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
There are probably older Grand Cherokees that used the [superior] MB OM642 diesel that have a half million miles on them. When cared for properly, that is a fantastic engine.... but the 'box' it is in (the Grand Cherokee) isn't anything special.

If I needed something to move seven people without spark plugs, this is what I'd buy:



I miss that thing, wish my wife would have let us keep it, but we really didn't need it anymore.
 

danmin

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2023
Location
DFW
TDI
2014 Passat 2.0 TDI @ 180k
There are probably older Grand Cherokees that used the [superior] MB OM642 diesel that have a half million miles on them. When cared for properly, that is a fantastic engine.... but the 'box' it is in (the Grand Cherokee) isn't anything special.
I didn’t realize they had Jeeps with the OM642. That would be a neat car.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yep, when Chrysler was owned by Daimler. They also sold the big MB-based LX body cars in other markets with the OM642 as well.
 

Nathanael Greene

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2021
Location
Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon 1.9 PD/BEW
There are probably older Grand Cherokees that used the [superior] MB OM642 diesel that have a half million miles on them. When cared for properly, that is a fantastic engine.... but the 'box' it is in (the Grand Cherokee) isn't anything special.

If I needed something to move seven people without spark plugs, this is what I'd buy:



I miss that thing, wish my wife would have let us keep it, but we really didn't need it anymore.
What model is that? It looks smaller than a normal sprinter.

Nate
 
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