2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Diesel Detailed Review and Road Test 

Alex, I am thanking you again after two years. I'm surprised that there are not more comments. I bought a new 2016 Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 diesel, with quadra-lift, quadra-drive and quadra-trac a little over a year ago. This video may have pushed me over the edge (helped me make my decision). A year in, I'm absolutely in love with this thing! My 2012 Mustang/Shelby GT500 (also bought new) now has to compete for my affection. I'm am consistently able to knock down more than 30 mpg highway. 32 is common. I once drove from Palm Springs to Thousand Oaks and back averaging nearly 34 mpg. I find purchasing DEF at a truck stop is generally only about $3 a gallon . . . so in 10,000 miles or so, you only have to add about $25 to your fuel costs. Until VERY recently, I have always been able to find diesel fuel cheaper than regular gas here in Southern California (although it looks like the pricing dynamics are changing). Still, it's nice to have a vehicle that you KNOW will easily make 700 miles on a tank of fuel . . . I think I could make 800, driving carefully. But economy is not the reason to buy the diesel. The little diesel's amazing torque certainly is. For towing, and especially for crawling over rough stuff, it is unbeatable. Noisy or smelly?! Not at all. I currently have five vehicles covering a wide range of uses. I usually drive the Jeep.

i like the cat at the beginning

Alex, outstanding! Finally, somebody who knows what a vehicle review should be like. This was very informative.

This is literally the best review on this particular vehicle.

As always awesome review. By the way, in 2015 model they reduced the air suspension height. I think it is to reduce the bottoming out. it is also i think a software upgrade that changes the behavior of the air suspension. i have a 2014 overland and the offroad II was pretty high off the ground, however, i received a recall which involved a software update and after i got my vehicle back i noticed the offroad ii isn't as high as it used to be. I compared the owners manual of 2014 to 2015. Here is what i found: 2015 • Off-Road 1 (OR1) (Raises the vehicle approximately 1.1 in (28 mm) • Off-Road 2 (OR2) (Raises the vehicle approximately 2.2 in (55 mm) 2014 • Off-Road 1 (OR1) (Raises the vehicle approximately 1.28 in (32.5 mm) • Off-Road 2 (OR2) (Raises the vehicle approximately 2.6 in (65 mm) so what ever they updated in my car, changed it to behave the same as the 2015 model.

Alex has some of the most comprehensive reviews on vehicles. I really appreciated the cost analysis of the gasoline vs diesel engines, that was brilliant. I really want to see him review the 2016 Nissan Maxima. Another excellent review!

This is by far the most thorough review about this SUV

Hi Alex. Thanks for all your great reviews. Yours are the only i trust to be unbiased. As you certainly know not all cars made to be sporty so while test driving the car on the road, please explain more in detail how quiet the cars are, say more about noise isolation and compare them with their competitors. I hate Motor Trend reviews for the same reason. They look at a Smart the same way that they look at a Porsche 911. To them, the only thing that matters is handling and driving experience. Nooooo, some cars are meant to be quiet and give other passengers a comfortable ride. Thanks to you anyway for your comprehensive reviews.

SUCH a cute kitty :-) Alex- keep up the GREAT work. By far, the BEST auto channel on You Tube!

I love how the cat at the beginning went under the jeep!😋😆

Cat approved. More cats in your reviews please. Nice touch.

No cats were harmed during the shot of this video...

0:45 CAT: "This thing has GREAT ground clearance too!"

This is the most informative review I have ever heard. 5 stars to you Alex. Would you have a similar review on the Taureg please?

Best review that I've seen on the Diesel Grand Cherokee. Answered all my questions.

This a very informative video. Extremely well made and gives an excellent impression what this vehicle is all about. Great help for decision making! Thank you.

Alex, your rock!!!!!!! great review, your review convince me of getting my wife an Overland.. - Looking forward to your reviews.

Alex- Thank you so much for this extremely thorough review! We are going to several Jeep dealerships tomorrow to check out the Summit Diesel and your video was extremely helpful, as we are trying to gather as much information as possible before we go. Right now we have a 2013 Range Rover Evoque Prestige, a 2015 Audi S5, and a 1998 VW Jetta TDI. We drag race with the S5 (and post videos to our RU-vid channel!) and are looking for a somewhat luxurious, but not overly huge vehicle that is capable of towing it to and from shows and races to replace the Evoque, which I honestly can't wait to get rid of. After watching this video I'm even more confident that the Summit Diesel would be a perfect fit for us. Thank you, again!

Very informative and plenty of knowledge especially when comparing brands and cars

The best review , was thinking to rent this jeep for my Europe trip with my family but now after this review well definitely go for it ..Thanks for the fantastic review

Hi, Alex: No-nonsense, non-gimmicky, and a quite helpful review -- just like the others. Please do the Ford Transit Connect Wagon (the 7-seater). Thank you.

Hi Alex. What is your opinion on the reliability of the ZF 8 speed transmission & would anything prevent you from buying a Grand Cherokee for the long term? Thank you

The best car review I have ever seen . Thank you !!

Alex thank you for such a detailed review.

Excellent review.....very thorough and easy to understand. I appreciate the extra info on the diesel.

Great review. Thanks Alex. Have done a review on the Ford explorer yet? I'd be interested to your review on that.

I own a 2002 Grand Cherokee WJ Laredo base model with the 4.0L I6 and 4WD, and love it, as it's comfortable, gets pretty good MPG, and is fun-to-drive. My parents and I have always owned Jeeps, and we've owned all generations except this one (ZJ, WJ, and WK), as well as a Cherokee XJ, and we're getting a new WK2 soon to replace our 2005 WK which has almost 200k miles on it now, and we've owned that one since new... obviously we won't get the fully loaded model, but probably a Limited or Altitude. I love the GC, and I did test drive the 2011 WK2 when it first came out and loved it! (:

It's HILLARIOUS at 9:55 when he pushes the power tailgate button while his head is outside.

I'm a big fan of you, you always have the best reviews ever.

Cost of fueling is one thing, but there's also other costs here. Diesel repair and maintenance can be insanely expensive. If a high pressure fuel pump goes out, how much are your saving now? What about emissions servicing and repairs? None of that is cheap.

The kitte-kat is a nice touch. More please.

Amazing review! I've been looking for one that would review the rear seats by actually sitting back there. Thanks!

Great cost break down Alex! We need more of that in automotive videos.

The differences between gasoline and diesel figures here in Australia for the Summet is about 40 bucks per tank full. That's doing approximately 1000km. The difference is heck alot more the your figures. Maybe it's down to Oil prices. But here, it's worth the extra cost, as it will pay it self off sooner. That my 2 cents on the matter 😇

Very thorough and helpful especially with inserting comments on other similar vehicles. Thanks-

It's never been a crossover, ever. Just because it has a unibody, doesn't mean a thing. It's an SUV. It can actually go off-road and tow. Crossovers are merely tall cars.

Love this, but I always thought the big savings with diesels is they last 250,000 and with fewer problems. My experience with Diesel engines vs. gas engines in boats proves this, with fewer movable (and flammable) parts.

Very impressed by your video. You are in the right business!

Alex - no one does more through car reviews on RU-vid than you. Thank you so much. I will have to disagree with you on the comfort of the front seats. I test drove a Grand Cherokee Limited a couple of months ago. I really wanted to like the truck because of its good looks, utility and heritage. However, the front seats were so hard I had to cross the Grand Cherokee off my list. I was shocked how hard the seat bottoms were! Earlier I had read a comparo of diesel SUVs on Car and Driver were they likened the Grand Cherokee seats as feeling like granite. After my test drive I completely agree. I know that seat comfort can be a very personal thing, but I am use to hard, but supportive BMW 3 series seats. I cant can't believe Jeep got the seats so wrong.

19:00 min mark, Alex you forgot the Wrangler Rubicon BFG Mud-Terrain T/As! Extreme off road review coming up? :D How about the new Mustang Shelby GT350R with that sick suspension? Thanks for all the awesome high detailed reviews Alex, it is please to hear people who know so much more about the cars.

Excellent review. Thank you! I think a 2017 model will be my next vehicle.

Thanks again Alex, great review and deep dive into Diesel!

This was an excellent review I was truly amazed at how thorough you were. I've check other reviews and have not seen anything like this before. Keep up the good work. Awesome job.

Alex do you use your cat for exclusive car reviews, just like the way you do exclusive trunk comfort test? If it purrs 9-10 out of 10?

It Is Simply Silliness To place This In A Forest defaults to: scoccer field, driveway to the "big house" parking lots, chain eateries, malls

I love your videos! So descriptive and easy to understand. :)

I don't understand the point of leather stitched dashboard, and hard plastic under cover. Your legs will most likely bump into those hard surfaces, while the top of the dash... who touches that on a regular basis? Give the knee and leg contact points plush and soft surfaces, leather or not, and save money on the places that nobody cares for. In fact, that top part of dash should be rugged due to constant exposure to sunlight, shouldn't it be hard plastic? It seems "luxury" nowadays is not practical at all.

Excellent presentation!

Great review! I liked the comparisons with other manufactures at the end, but I would have really enjoyed a comparison in resale value too. I see what a great value the Jeep is up front, but how does it stand up to the others when traded or sold?

Fantastic presentation as usual. Thanks Alex.

Wow...........Great content and info on this jeep..Thanks for posting!

Excellent review, thanks Alex!

The torque does make for a very nice driving vehicle. The diesel seems well matched to the Grand Cherokee.

Great Review ! I think this is a very nice vehicle for all it's capabilities .I wish it had a better Fuel economy ,but based on it's off road and towing i appreciate all it has to offer. Overall nice vehicle . My question to you Alex would you own it ? Thanks Alex

Can you publish a video on how the quadra drive awd drive works. also can you compare it with shawd of acura and also the bmw all wheel drive. It could be a very technical video but I think it will be a good one. This video could help to identify which awd system is better

Great review! When can we get a review of the 2016 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel?

That's what I call a great review! Great job Alex. Btw i couldn't be happier with my diesel GC.

Great review, thank you, Alex.

"Oh, look: a cat!" :)

Awesome, informative review! Thanks! I'm in the fence about the ecodiesel vs. the 5.7L... Both fuels cost about the same here in NM currently. I'd like the faster pickup of the V8, but the economy of the diesel. How about throwing the Audi Q7 into the mix?? Thoughts? Thanks!

Amazing video. Thanks

wow really great review

Alex, do you have any data about reliability of jeep cars? nice review as always. Thanks

Alex, does this car have power folding mirrors ? It does right? But I saw someone unfolding it manually in another video... Confused

Hi Alex - great review as usual, thanks - I am thinking of getting a GC but I am concerned about the impact the R20s (standard on the upper trims) may have on the ride quality of the vehicle (harshness when when hitting potholes etc..) - I don't do much off-roading, I just want a comfortable cruiser that can easily handle winter storms in the sierras and occasionally the better forest service roads. Does an X3 make more sense? Many thanks

Well im in California too, and Diesel is cheaper then gas... diesel is cheaper then gas everywhere in usa....... unless you buy at the stations that like to rob you of your money, Name brand dont mean anything, when they get the gas from the same places lol. i save 50cents per gallon. But this vehicle bores me, i miss my wrangler, lol, ill be going back pretty soon.

Hi Alex, great review. I'm thinking of purchasing the summit for my wife, could you tell me about the parking sensors? i currently have a BMW and the parking sensor image displays on the centre screen. is this the same or is it just an audible bleep

Outstanding review....best I have seen on this vehicle...,well done Alex!! Purchased a 2014 Overland with all the toys and love the vehicle!

So this vehicle only takes diesel fuel correct?

Best Video I´d ever seen about a GC. I bought this car two days ago in Germany. 2015 GC Summit 18.500 Miles/30.000 km for 29.500 USD/34.500 € Maybe it is interessting for somebody :-)

I supposed Jeep Cherokee`s mpg should be better than RAM`s ecodiesel mpg knowing that the latter is smaller & lighter hence more aerodynamics.

Awesome Review!!!! Thank you!

I don't see no lane departure warning or lane assist button any were?

Wrangler Rubicon has off road tires. Otherwise very good review, Alex.

I wonder if the cat at 00:44 is still alive as we are in march 2023 and this video was shot in 2014 🙂

what was your mileage? you talked about getting 20 in the v6 but how many miles did you put on the jeep. I'll wager that is why we wanted you to review it.

Love the 8 speed auto

Alex, there are rumors floating around about a probable Pentastar upgrade later in 2015, is that really happening? Do you think a JGC or a Durango with a Direct Injection Turbo V6 would be a better deal than the current normally aspirated V6? Let us know your thoughts.

Great review!!!

Heeyy Alex! Is the review of the 2015 Hyundai Sonata going to be out soon? I am curious about the ECO model's DCT. Is the shift noticeable? I can't wait, ahhhh!

great review!

Does it have electronic power steering or hydraulic power steering? Just wondering.

Hey Alex, great review. How would you compare it to the Acura MDX (off-road capability aside)

Nice job sir.

Excellent,congrats

Wrong on the leather dashboard comment. All Range Rovers have leather on the mid-dash and Autobiography models have full leather dash as well as fill door covers, console sides and of course the full headliner

Your annual fuel consumption example is terrible because most of the country does NOT LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. Use the national average on fuel cost, NOT CALIFORNIA FUEL COSTS.

What about the overall reliability of a diesel engine vs gas engine🤷🏻‍♂️

Hey Alex, could you review a Grand Cherokee Overland with the indigo blue/brown interior. Looking to get the ecodiesel version of the GC. Do you feel the overland truly is worth the money as well?

Review grand cherokee limited please .

the cat brought me here

I love it and want it!

i just want to hear what it sounds like

i would like this car

This is a CLASSIC case of how all of our old, outdated preconceptions come back to haunt us. No matter how you slice it, on this or any diesel vehicle, you simply CANNOT make a case for diesel from a money perspective. Crazy expensive to buy, maintain, and fuel in the long run. But diesels are reliable, right? Wrong. Old school diesels were because they were so simple, but new ones are the exact opposite. Even routine maintenance on this thing will kill you. DEF is the least of your problems. The price delta between gas and diesel kills any FE advantage right way. As of this week, diesel is about $1.20 more than gas a gallon! Crazy. Like all of you, I truly love diesels and do would bend over backwards to find a reason to own one. But saving money is just NOT in the cards anymore. Be it Jeep, Ram, Promaster, Chevy Cruise, or even the VWs. Same for the full sized trucks - unless you have a REAL need to tow 25,000+ lbs, you can't justify the diesel. And if you have such a need, you need a dedicated tow rig, not a dual purpose vehicle. Of the 4 engine choices in the GC, the 5.7 will probably be the most reliable long term, and thus the cheapest, and offer the best balance of tow vs FE. I'd either have that or the 3.6 Pentastar, and spend the extra money on toys. Actually, if it were my money, I'd probably start with a 4x4 quad cab pickup anyway. Seems to me you get more for your money in pickup than you do in SUV with this mission profile. It's also arguable the the strongest competitor to the GC is the Durango. Nothing else on the market is quite like the Durango.

Alex can you do a review on the Volkswagen Touareg tdi?

I like that shirt

How do you refill the DEF?

Hello Kitteh!

A) Did you run over that cat B) the acceleration is diesel vs. standard is all in the gear ratio, not the engine.