[Mllcb42]

Thanks! Was worried that there was some established data showing it would ruin my vehicle....

Nah, the established data shows it runs just fine on 87, but some people prefer to light their money on fire and want others to make them feel like it's not for naught

 

[Overland4XE]

Stupid question, but why....

A gazillion unsubstantiated opinions on the subject. Maybe more?

 

[Sorbs4xe]

Page 9 in the RTFM - 2.0L ENGINE
This engine is designed to meet all emissions requirements, and provide satisfactory fuel economy and performance, when using high-quality unleaded regular gasoline having an octane rating of 87, as specified by the (R+M)/ 2 method. The use of 91 or higher octane premium gasoline will allow these engines to operate to optimal performance. This increase in performance is most noticeable in hot weather or under heavy load conditions, such as while towing.

 

[brnscofrnld]

Page 9 in the RTFM - 2.0L ENGINE
This engine is designed to meet all emissions requirements, and provide satisfactory fuel economy and performance, when using high-quality unleaded regular gasoline having an octane rating of 87, as specified by the (R+M)/ 2 method. The use of 91 or higher octane premium gasoline will allow these engines to operate to optimal performance. This increase in performance is most noticeable in hot weather or under heavy load conditions, such as while towing.

Might as well bold most of it.

Use whatever you want to spend.

 

[Sorbs4xe]

Might as well bold most of it.

Use whatever you want to spend.

It just means if you run regular the on board computer will detune the motor to prevent knock. Thus reducing power. If some folks don’t notice it you can save a dollar or three per fill up.

 

[Paul92688]

It just means if you run regular the on board computer will detune the motor to prevent knock. Thus reducing power. If some folks don’t notice it you can save a dollar or three per fill up.

My guess is this is because it is a turbocharged engine. The same page of my manual (p345 of "2023 Gand Cherokee / Crand Cherokee L Owner's Manual," digital version downloaded from Jeep.com) mentions NO benefit to the 3.6L gas engine while 89+ will benefit the V8. As mentioned above the manual specifies 91+ for the 2.0 turbo for "optimal" performance. A few years ago, I had a twin turbo straight 6 in a BMW and bought a gizmo that allowed me to alter the boost. When I first installed the gizmo, I turned it up pretty high and threw in race gas of 100 octane. No premature detonation issues and it had a bunch of get up and GO. After burning the tank, I never bought the race gas again and detuned it to just a little above stock. I think i normally burned premium but can't remember as it was a long time ago.

In any case whether or not a Jeep owner feels it is worth the extra money is his business. I don't particularly care what others consume. Just for the record, on my first fill up I put in 91. Here in California the price of gas is high and the extra cost for premium was $4.95 vs $4.65 and with the 15 gallons of gas I bought amounts to $4.50. I can swing it. I bought premium because I want to set a baseline for fuel economy. After a few tanks of premium, I will switch over to regular and run a few tanks. I am curious to see what happens to the numbers, if anything. I am guessing it will be within the margin of error of my measurements, but I might be surprised. I will post here at some point.

Paul

 

[Cummins0867]

2022 Trailhawk 4Xe.....Starting out with a full charge on electric then Hybrid mode I'm getting 27-28MPG (hand calculated 87 Octane) on the highway doing 5mph over the speed limit but NEVER going over 70mph. If you want good fuel economy.....slow down.....at 80mph your not going to get it.....also easy on the skinny pedal when starting out....you have to keep your foot out of the floor board when taking off.

 

[tjohnson11]

Test drove a GC 4xe Trailhawk on the freeway today... going 82mph (posted speed limit is 80mph), I was getting about 16-17mpg (fully on ICE, no battery).

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I do not have hand calculated numbers for a highway run on either a 4xe or other GC (I do not trust the computer's calculations).

Given that from EPA numbers for the 2022 GC (4xe city and high post battery sourced from Car and Driver):

	Combined	City	Highway
4xe (without battery charged)	23	24	23
3.6	22	19	26
5.7	17	14	22

If road tripping or other long distance is the primary use case, then the 3.6 beats the 4xe by about 13%, heck it only beats the 5.7 by about 5%. Thought the 4xe can run regular and the 5.7 should be midgrade, so the fuel costs would be more. But you can buy a lot of gas with the price difference of the 4xe.

Cliff notes version: My opinion is the 4xe only makes sense when you can get a lot of use out of the plugin aspect.

 

[tjohnson11]

For me, the 4xe is much more fun to drive around town… the instant added torque of the electric is awesome… makes the 4-cyl turbo actually driveable. The extra cost of the 4xe is pretty much offset by the $7,500 EV credit (which if you lease, comes right off the price).

 

[Cummins0867]

I do not have hand calculated numbers for a highway run on either a 4xe or other GC (I do not trust the computer's calculations).

Given that from EPA numbers for the 2022 GC (4xe city and high post battery sourced from Car and Driver):

	Combined	City	Highway
4xe (without battery charged)	23	24	23
3.6	22	19	26
5.7	17	14	22

If road tripping or other long distance is the primary use case, then the 3.6 beats the 4xe by about 13%, heck it only beats the 5.7 by about 5%. Thought the 4xe can run regular and the 5.7 should be midgrade, so the fuel costs would be more. But you can buy a lot of gas with the price difference of the 4xe.

Cliff notes version: My opinion is the 4xe only makes sense when you can get a lot of use out of the plugin aspect.

When its all said and done I paid 3K more for my 2022 JGC Trailhawk 4Xe over my 2020 JGC Trailhawk V6. The first 6200 miles I put 191 gallons of fuel in the 4Xe and 313 gallons in the V6. The V6 MPG hand calculated was 19.88 MPG and the 4Xe was 27.26 MPG. My electric is free so I really don’t count the electric. If it wasn’t for a few recent long trips I would be full electric in my PHEV because everything for me is close enough I don’t use the ICE. I keep my fuel tank at 1/4 tank and I buy 5.5 gallons of gas every 6-8weeks to get out of FORM. For my situation it really works well for me. I love the power when I hit the skinny pedal!!!

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

When its all said and done I paid 3K more for my 2022 JGC Trailhawk 4Xe over my 2020 JGC Trailhawk V6. The first 6200 miles I put 191 gallons of fuel in the 4Xe and 313 gallons in the V6. The V6 MPG hand calculated was 19.88 MPG and the 4Xe was 27.26 MPG. My electric is free so I really don’t count the electric. If it wasn’t for a few recent long trips I would be full electric in my PHEV because everything for me is close enough I don’t use the ICE. I keep my fuel tank at 1/4 tank and I buy 5.5 gallons of gas every 6-8weeks to get out of FORM. For my situation it really works well for me. I love the power when I hit the skinny pedal!!!

I am probably in the same ballpark difference for the 4xe. But that is still a lot of fuel/miles.

Our other car is an EV and if the charging network was better here or the ranges were longer, there another EV in the Garage. The Jeep is daily commute and used beyond the EV's range/capabilities.

If my use put a lot of my miles outside of the plugin range and on the highway, and like the thread starter my car was "a road trip car and the pure electric feature... would not be as big a factor" I would probably not have the 4xe. Admittedly my version of a road trip is multiple-thousands of miles and my daily is sub-20. Those road trips can shift the math really quick, but for me those are few and far between.

 

[longbowapache64d]

Just this weekend, 24 mpg on 600 mile highway drive, avg. 75 mph. Running 91 Premium.

Not bad. I assume that is in hybrid mode? Premium is not required, correct? I currently drive a V6 AWD 300 which I usually run at 75-80 mph. It does better, but then again it can't tow and that is my interest for either the CG Trailhawk or Overland. Was hoping for the Ramcharger or expected similar EV/range extender Wagoneer, but the EV range is way lower than I expected, and I fear the price will be way more. My 2018 300 has 90k miles on it and showing its, age. Would like to trade it in probably within the next 5k miles.

 

[longbowapache64d]

I traded in a v6 Grand Cherokee 2wd from 2017 in for my 4xe. I was getting about the same milage on the highway in that as I am using the hybrid in esave mode. Smaller gas tank is a bummer in the 4xe. I wonder what the economy and performance would be if they made the vehicle with a hybrid adapted v6.

Paul

I think that is a Jeep/Chrysler/Ram failure. They should have done a regular hybrid with the cheaper nickel metal batteries to reduce cost and reduce the issues that current 4xe owners are having in extreme cold conditions. Yes, it would have reduced performance and range, but that is the trade for less expense and more reliability. I believe that is what Toyota is doing in their new Landcruiser and Tundra. For me it's not all about the mpg but also getting the higher TQ from the electric motor. My kid has a Gladiator V6 and it is horrible for towing. I have the same V6 in my Chrysler300 and there is no way I would have that motor in any truck or SUV. It needs more torque.

 

[Billi]

While towing, mpg is reduced by half, which is similar to other vehicles. I get about 12 mpg or I estimate roughly 250miles/tank. We upgraded from a Kia Sorento to Grand Cherokee. We used to need to watch carefully for ATF temp, but Jeep’s ATF has been cool the whole time. Hope to test it out in a long mountain pass this camping season… So far so good!

One thing I love about 4xe as a tow vehicle was that while setting up the hitch, I can stay in EV mode so the Jeep could still have all the functionality including A/C and I could also work at the rear part of the car and not worry about hot exhaust!