Posted by Jeeps and great gas mileage? You never saw those words in the same sentence. Most people bought a jeep for the 4 wheel drive, to use on or off-road. But the mileage picture may be changing.
According to the web site fueleconomy.gov the Official EPA Window Sticker Fuel Economy for a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee 8 cylinder, which was the first year for the Grand Cherokee, was 14 mpg city and 18 highway. By 2003 a 8 cylinder Grand Cherokee had an Official EPA Window Sticker Fuel Economy of 15 mpg city and 20 highway. Not a big increase in the city mileage.
2010 saw a slight dip in the 8 cylinder 5.7L EPA Sticker to 13 mpg city and 19 mpg highway.
For 2011 the 5.7L engine stayed the same at 13 and 19 mpg. The 3.6L 6 cylinder broke the 20 mpg barrier with 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. So with a little less power you can save money on you fuel costs with the 6 cylinder. That savings equals about $453 a year according to EPA estimates.
What about the 3.6L using E85? EPA estimates are 12 mpg city and 16 highway. Yearly fuel costs are about $325 more then the 3.6L using regular gas. So why use E85? It’s called a Carbon Footprint.
A carbon footprint is the measurement of tons per year of CO2 emissions. It is a full-fuel-cycle estimate of fuel use, from production and refining to distribution and final use.
The 5.7L engine has a Carbon Footprint of 12.4. The 3.6L with regular gas is 10.4, while the 3.6L on E85 comes in at 7.6.
So the mileage picture is changing. But for better or worse still remains to be seen.