Grand cherokee vs Blazer

[bigdee]

Anyone tow with a V6 3.7 Jeep GC? I have towed my pontoon with a 4.2 Chevy Blazer and it done fine. I also towed it with a 4.0 Grand Cherokee and it done fine also. I have just purchased a Jeep GC with the V6 and Mercedes transmission and was wondering if anyone has the same.

 

[dingbat]

How big of a load? Had the v4 and v8 versions. Neither where particularly good pullers. Short wheel bases and cushy suspensions don't help

 

[bigdee]

How big of a load? Had the v4 and v8 versions. Neither where particularly good pullers. Short wheel bases and cushy suspensions don't help

I had an '04 with the inline six and it was adequate for me. Also I had a Blazer that was also good. Now I have an '08 GC but with the 3.7 V6 but have not towed with it yet. Load is a 20' pontoon. It has more HP then the old Jeep but less low end torque.

 

[boatman37]

the 4.0 is a torque monster. not quite the same as the 3.7. my wife has a 2006 commander with the 3.7 but i have never towed with it. we bought it brand new and it now has about 122,000 miles on it. only replaced the battery a few times and the water pump at about 100000 miles (easiest water pump change ever). been a good motor but can't comment on towing. And the commander is probably at least 500lbs heavier than the GC

 

[bigdee]

the 4.0 is a torque monster. not quite the same as the 3.7. my wife has a 2006 commander with the 3.7 but i have never towed with it. we bought it brand new and it now has about 122,000 miles on it. only replaced the battery a few times and the water pump at about 100000 miles (easiest water pump change ever). been a good motor but can't comment on towing. And the commander is probably at least 500lbs heavier than the GC

Yes it was. The 4.0 was like a tractor at the boat ramp and made its max torque under 2000 rpm. The 3.7 has to scream above 3000rpm to reach its torque peak. I have ordered a hitch for it since it did not come with the towing package. I need to get my boat out of the water for winter storage next week so I will see how it goes. BTW the water pump was just replaced on mine at 70k... hope mine gives as good of service as yours.

 

[jkust]

Trailblazer is a body on frame truck body.....is the GC a truck body or unibody? body on frame makes a huge difference. if you are towing just twice per year, i wouldnt worry. I have a Rainier with the 5.3 v8 same as Trailblazer just fancier and v8 gave you bigger brakes as it assumed you must tow to need a v8. I tow my 6000lb boat with extreme ease. The truck body makes everything so much easier and the low down torque helps as well.

 

[bigdee]

.is the GC a truck body or unibody? body on frame makes a huge difference. .

It is unibody but that does not matter to me. I have towed with my 4.0 grand Cherokee for years with no problem. My concern is if the V6 3.7 in my new Grand is adequate on the ramp. The V6 Blazer was as was the older Cherokee with the 4.0.

 

[jkust]

It is unibody but that does not matter to me. I have towed with my 4.0 grand Cherokee for years with no problem. My concern is if the V6 3.7 in my new Grand is adequate on the ramp. The V6 Blazer was as was the older Cherokee with the 4.0.

It is adequate. I've been on this side of it as well having towed my previous 4000lb boat with a 180hp minivan for a season in about every ramp and road condition you can imagine. I wouldn't recommend it, but the towing package allowed it to operate out of its league plus the air springs didn't allow the rear to squat. Really, having good tires made the ramps, even the slimiest ones not much of an issue. It wasn't always pretty and I got some looks and people wondering why I was towing that boat with that minivan but it got me through until I could get a proper tow vehicle. The body on frame does well in the highway speed emergency maneuvers where it is life or death as you are towing. I'm alive today as is my family because the first time I towed with my then first real body on frame suv, the ability of that suv allowed me to avoid a catastrophic accident that the minivan wouldn't have been able to handle. The unibody was always outmatched with that heavy of a boat. There's more to the equation than just ramp prowess but for the ramp portion of the discussion, I think you will be just fine. If you are towing just a couple times per year, probably not even much of an issue drivability wise.

 

[Jeepster04]

Can anyone explain why you think a body on frame is better for towing when compared to a uni-frame? Ive never heard of either failing.... Technically the uni-frame used on the WK is more ridged when compared to the body bolted atop the frame...

The 3.7 is no power demon. I have a liberty with one and routinely tow with it.. Its not fun... Not much low end torque, it has to downshift a good bit if you want to maintain speed.

The MB transmission is a good transmission, it may be matched to the 3.7 better than the transmission is that Jeep used in the liberty. The MB tranny is a 5 speed transmission with a lower 1st gear ratio then the 42rle (in my kj) and the 545rfe used behind the 4.7 and 5.7 engines.

You'll have no issues pulling the boat up the ramp.

 

[Alumarine]

If you have low range on it that will certainly solve most ramp problems.

 

[Lou C]

There is absolutely no issue towing with the WK unibody in fact I think it is stronger and more rigid than body in frame designs. There are crash test results showing how strong this unit body is vs the older WJ and ZJ Grands; and those were strong compared to Blazers and GMCs of the same year ranges.
The WK series had a strong sub frame in the rear that the tow hitch is bolted to.

 

[Lou C]

Yes the 3.7 does not have the same low speed torque of the 4.0 but the MB auto Trans is also superior to the old style Chrysler 4 speed used on the WJ and ZJ models that used the 4.0. So it's probably a wash....
anyone who wants a WK to tow with should just go up to a WK Hemi with QD2. The best in class, power & traction via front & rear electronic lockers....just a little more money now as the newest ones are 2010s...

 

[drrnjnr]

You guys need stiction- A manual gearbox, bullet proof...........specially Mercedes or Ford........

 

[bigdee]

Finally found my answer. Had to get boat out of water because they are dropping the lake level. The 3.7 2wd pulled the boat up the ramp with no issue. Better than my old Blazer for sure and about equal to my old 2004 4.0 JGC. The Mercedes tranny has a lower 1st gear. It towed on highway better than the old 4.0 Cherokee 4wd and the 2wd Blazer. So overall I'm pleased. Might miss the 4wd someday but I never had to use it on the old JGC anyway. The 2007 JGC has a wider stance so putting 3 people in the rear seat is no longer a squeeze. I also discovered a 4x4 sheet of plywood will lay flat with the seats folded down.