On this blog, we do a lot of research regarding specific questions about different cars. Today we’ll take a look at Jeep’s Grand Cherokee and answer what kind of gas it runs on. To answer this question, we have gone through the owners’ manuals of the Grand Cherokees produced since 1993. Here’s a quick answer:
The Grand Cherokee with a gasoline engine comes in two engine options, the 3.6 L and a 5.7 L engine. The 3.6 L engine is designed to use high-quality unleaded “regular” gasoline, having an octane rating of 87. In the 5.7 L engine, it is recommended to use high-quality unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 to 89.
However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Below we dig deeper and get more detail about the kind of gas used for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Furthermore, we’ll also discuss what types of gas are good or worse for the engine’s durability and performance. Read on!
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Fuel Requirements Based On Engine Type
2021 – Present
The 2021 present-day Jeep Grand Cherokee comes in 3.6 L and 5.7 L engine options, and for those fond of more powerful engines, it is also offered in 6.4 L and 6.2 L. The 3.6 L engine uses high-quality unleaded “regular” gasoline with an octane rating of 87. The 5.7 L engine uses high-quality unleaded “Midgrade” gasoline with an octane rating of 89.
The 6.4 L engine and the 6.2 L engine uses the “Premium” octane rating high-quality unleaded gasoline. Higher octane rating gasoline can also be used with the 5.7 L engine to enhance the performance. In contrast, higher grade octane rating gasoline won’t do any benefit to the 3.7 L engine.
2010 – 2020
The Jeep Grand Cherokee from 2010 to 2020 came in 3.7 L and 5.7 L engine options and a 6.1 L AWD engine. For the 3.7 L engine, high-quality unleaded regular gasoline of “Regular” octane rating was recommended.
The 5.7 L engine was recommended to use the high-quality unleaded “Regular” octane rating gasoline. Still, for the 6.1L engine, it was highly recommended to use the “Premium” octane rating high-quality unleaded gasoline.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee was also offered a 3.0L diesel engine from 2015 to 2016, where premium diesel fuel was recommended.
2004 – 2009
The Jeep Grand Cherokee from 2004 to 2009 came in 3.7 L, 4.0 L, 4.7 L, and 5.7 L engine options. The 4.0 L and 4.7 L engines were designed to use high-quality unleaded gasoline with an 87 octane rating. However, the 5.7L engines were designed to use only high-quality unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 89 or higher.
Usage of “Premium” grade octane rating gas was only recommended for the 5.7 L engines. In contrast, using “Premium” grade octane rating gas would have no extra benefit for the 4.0 L and 4.7 L engines.
1999 – 2004
The Jeep Grand Cherokee from 1999 to 2004 came in 4.0 L and 4.7 L V8 engine options. These engines were designed for the use of high-quality unleaded “regular” gasoline of 87 octane rating, and the usage of higher “Premium” octane rating was not recommended as it would have done no benefit over the “Regular” octane rating gasoline.
1993 – 1997
The Jeep Grand Cherokee from 1993 to 1997 came in 4.0 L and 5.2 L V8 engine options. These engines were designed for the usage of high-quality unleaded “Regular” octane rating gasoline.
What Type Of Gasoline Can And Can’t Be Used?
Other than conventional gasoline, there’s a wide range of gasoline available in the market. For many of them, it is defined as that it could be used by the Grand Cherokee or not. Let’s take a look at them.
E85 Flex Fuels
E-85 is a mixture, where 85% of ethanol is mixed with 15% of regular gasoline. We went through almost all of the user manuals since 1993 of Jeep Grand Cherokee and found this one standard line in each one of the “Do not use E85 Flex Fuel.” So clearly, E85 Flex Fuel or any other fuel with ethanol blends greater than 15% should never be used.
Reformulated Gasoline
In many parts of the country, the requirement is to use cleaner-burning gasoline referred to as “Reformulated Gasoline”. Reformulated gasoline contains oxygenates and is specifically blended to reduce the emissions from vehicles and improve the air quality.
The use of reformulated gasoline is recommended in the user manuals of the Grand Cherokee. Properly blended reformulated gasoline will improve the engine’s performance and fuel system components’ durability.
Gasoline with Added Materials
Along with using unleaded gasoline with the proper octane rating, gasoline with detergents, corrosion, and stability additives is highly recommended. Using gasoline with these additives will help to improve fuel economy, reduce emissions, and maintain vehicle performance.
Gasoline with detergent additives helps prevent the deposits on the engine resulting in a healthier and long-lasting life of the engine.
MMT in Gasoline
MMT stands for manganese-containing metallic additive. It is blended into some gasoline to increase the octane rating. Gasoline blended with MMT provides no performance advantage beyond gasoline of the same octane number without the addition of MMT.
Gasoline blended with MMT often reduces the spark plug life and reduces emissions system performance in some vehicles. It is recommended that gasoline without MMT should be used in the Grand Cherokee.
The MMT content of gasoline may not be indicated on the gasoline pump. Therefore, one should ask the gasoline retailer whether the gasoline contains MMT.
We would also like to notice that MMT is prohibited in Federal and California reformulated gasoline.
What If There’s A Knocking Sound From The Engine After Refueling?
When refueled with the specified gasoline, with the required octane number, and you hear a light knocking sound from the engine, it is not a cause for concern. However, if the engine is making a heavy knocking sound, one should see a dealer immediately.
Usage of gasoline with a lower than recommended octane number could cause engine failure and void the vehicle’s limited warranty.
Poor quality gasoline can also cause other problems, such as hard starting, stalling, and hesitations. If any of these symptoms are experienced, try another brand of gasoline before taking the vehicle for service. Always refuel with the recommended octane rating fuel to prevent this issue.
Does The Jeep Grand Cherokee Have A Good Gas Mileage?
2021 – Present
The present-day Grand Cherokee comes with 3.6 L and 5.7 L engines with the option of 2 WD and 4 WD transmissions. The 3.6 L, 2 WD gives 19 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. At the same time, the same 3.6 L but in 4WD transmission gives 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The 5.7 L engine with 4WD transmission gives 14 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.
There is also a higher and more powerful engine of 6.4 L and 6.2 L of Jeep Grand Cherokee on offer with the 4WD transmissions that give 11 – 13 mpg in city and 17 – 19 mpg on the highway.
| Engine | Transmission | Combined MPG |
| 3.6 L | 2WD | 21 |
| 3.6 L | 4WD | 21 |
| 5.7 L | 4WD | 17 |
| 6.4 L | 4WD | 15 |
| 6.2 L | 4WD | 13 |
2010 – 2020
The Grand Cherokee from 2010 to 2020 was offered in 3.7 L and 5.7 L gasoline engines in 2 WD and 4 WD transmissions. The 3.7 L, 2 WD gave out 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway, and the 5.7 L, 2 WD gives out 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.
The 3.7 L, 4 WD gives 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, and the 5.7 L 4WD gave out 13 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway. The more powerful engine of 6.1 L with All Wheel Drive (AWD) transmission offers 12 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway.
There was also a 3.0 L Diesel engine with 2 WD and 4WD transmission offered 21 – 22 mpg in the city and 30 – 28 mpg on the highway.
| Engine | Transmission | Combined MPG |
| 3.7 L | 2WD | 18 |
| 3.7 L | 4WD | 17 |
| 5.7 L | 2WD | 16 |
| 5.7 L | 4WD | 15 |
| 6.1 L | AWD | 13 |
| 3.0 L (Diesel) | 2WD | 25 |
| 3.0 L (Diesel) | 4WD | 24 |
2004 – 2009
The Jeep Grand Cherokee from 2004 to 2009 came in 3.7 L (2 WD), 4.0 L, 4.7 L, and 5.7 L gasoline engine options along with a more powerful 6.1 L gasoline engine. The 3.7 L 2 WD gave 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway. The 4.0 L, 4.7 L, and 5.7 L all gave 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway. The 6.1 L gasoline engine gave out 11 mpg in the city and 14 mpg on the highway.
The 3.0 L diesel engine of Jeep Grand Cherokee is available in 4 WD and 2 WD, which offers 17 – 18 mpg in the city and 22 – 23 mpg on the highway.
| Engine | Transmission | Combined MPG |
| 3.7 L | 2WD | 17 |
| 4.0 L | 2WD | 16 |
| 4.0 L | 4WD | 16 |
| 4.7 L | 2WD | 16 |
| 4.7 L | 4WD | 15 |
| 5.7 L | 4WD | 15 |
| 6.1 L | AWD | 12 |
| 3.0 L (Diesel) | 2WD | 19 |
| 3.0 L (Diesel) | 4WD | 17 |
1999 – 2004
The Jeep Grand Cherokee from 1999 to 2004 came in 4.0 L and 4.7 L V8 engines with 2 WD and 4 WD transmission options. The 4.0 L and 4.7 L engines both gave 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway.
| Engine | Transmission | Combined MPG |
| 4.0 L | 2WD | 16 |
| 4.0 L | 4WD | 16 |
| 4.7 L | 2WD | 16 |
| 4.7 L | 4WD | 15 |
1993 – 1997
The Jeep Grand Cherokee from 1993 to 1997 came in a 4.0 L and 5.2 L V8 engine with 2 WD and 4 WD transmission options. The 4.0 L engine gave out 13 mpg in the city and 18 – 19 mpg on the highway, whereas the 5.2 L engine gave out 12 mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the highway.
| Engine | Transmission | Combined MPG |
| 4.0 L | 2WD | 15 |
| 4.0 L | 4WD | 15 |
| 5.2 L | 4WD | 14 |
What Is The Gas Tank Size Of a Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The Jeep Grand Cherokee has a gas tank size that ranges from 20.5 gallons to 24.6 gallons depending on the model year. The models before 2014 came with a gas tank size of 21.1 gallons, and from the year 2014 to the present models, Jeep offers a tank size of 24.6 in their Grand Cherokee.
How Much Does It Cost To Fill Up A Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The gas Tank size of the Grand Cherokee is 24.6 gallons. So the average cost of filling up the Grand Cherokee’s tank would cost about $82.16. It would be cheapest to fill up the gas tank in Texas at $73.112 and the most expensive in California at the cost of $110.946.
Sources:
- Fuel Economy of Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Gas Prices
- 2015 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Grand Cherokee
- 2018 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Grand Cherokee
- 2019 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Grand Cherokee
- 2021 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Grand Cherokee
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
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