miklm
Active Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Here's a mix of some real world data combined with speculation, since MPG has not been announced (much less any real world MPG which will differ from the EPA numbers)
I have a gas JLUR and a diesel pickup (Silverado 2500) so I have good data on fuel prices in my area. I'll limit my data to the previous 6 months, since that's how long I've owned my Jeep. In that time, the average cost of gas (Regular/87) I've paid is $2.32/gal and for diesel I've paid $2.78/gal. That's a 20% premium for diesel fuel.
Assuming all other costs being equal (maintenance/repairs) - which is not true as the diesel engine will require DEF, more frequent fuel filter changes, possibly more expensive engine oil, and maintenance/repair costs, especially out of warranty, are unknowable... but assuming all that being equal to the 3.6L gas w/ auto:
Over 8200 miles, I'm averaging 17.77 MPG (actual hand calculated, more accurate than OBC numbers) on a stock JLUR with roughly 75% highway/25% city driving. At $2.32/gal, my average cost per mile is $0.1306 (this is the number used in the following chart for comparison)
Now, we know the diesel engine is a $6,000 option ($4k engine + $2k trans) but that's only a $3250 premium over 3.6L with auto. Assuming the buyer who is this conscious of fuel cost/savings would also be a somewhat shrewd negotiator, I'm going to take 10% off that $3250 and use $2925 as the "out the door" cost premium paid for the diesel engine. That's probably the best-case scenario.
So, how long until you recoup that cost premium? What MPG will you need to get? Remember, you have to make up the engine option cost plus the 20% diesel fuel premium. Here's a quick chart:
Avg price/gal Avg MPG Avg price/mile Option cost Miles to recoup
$ 2.78 22.00 $ 0.13 $ 0.00419 2925 697,510.98
$ 2.78 24.00 $ 0.12 $ 0.01472 2925 198,658.15
$ 2.78 26.00 $ 0.11 $ 0.02363 2925 123,762.16
$ 2.78 28.00 $ 0.10 $ 0.03127 2925 93,535.93
$ 2.78 30.00 $ 0.09 $ 0.03789 2925 77,196.23
$ 2.78 32.00 $ 0.09 $ 0.04368 2925 66,961.04
$ 2.78 34.00 $ 0.08 $ 0.04879 2925 59,947.84
So, best case, you get 34 MPG (yeah right) you're looking at 60,000 miles to break even. More realistically, I'm guessing 24-26 MPG is going to be the high end in real world conditions, meaning it will take between 125-200k miles to make up the premium paid for the diesel in the best case scenario.
I'll have to let someone else do the calc on the gas 2L turbo since I don't have real MPG data from that engine and I honestly don't even know what it costs vs. a 3.6L
Just some data to chew on. There obviously may be other reasons a customer would prefer the diesel engine, but I would be skeptical based purely on a MPG/fuel economy/cost savings standpoint. Discussion and any corrections are welcome, as I pulled this together rather quickly and may have made a calculation error somewhere. Thanks!
I have a gas JLUR and a diesel pickup (Silverado 2500) so I have good data on fuel prices in my area. I'll limit my data to the previous 6 months, since that's how long I've owned my Jeep. In that time, the average cost of gas (Regular/87) I've paid is $2.32/gal and for diesel I've paid $2.78/gal. That's a 20% premium for diesel fuel.
Assuming all other costs being equal (maintenance/repairs) - which is not true as the diesel engine will require DEF, more frequent fuel filter changes, possibly more expensive engine oil, and maintenance/repair costs, especially out of warranty, are unknowable... but assuming all that being equal to the 3.6L gas w/ auto:
Over 8200 miles, I'm averaging 17.77 MPG (actual hand calculated, more accurate than OBC numbers) on a stock JLUR with roughly 75% highway/25% city driving. At $2.32/gal, my average cost per mile is $0.1306 (this is the number used in the following chart for comparison)
Now, we know the diesel engine is a $6,000 option ($4k engine + $2k trans) but that's only a $3250 premium over 3.6L with auto. Assuming the buyer who is this conscious of fuel cost/savings would also be a somewhat shrewd negotiator, I'm going to take 10% off that $3250 and use $2925 as the "out the door" cost premium paid for the diesel engine. That's probably the best-case scenario.
So, how long until you recoup that cost premium? What MPG will you need to get? Remember, you have to make up the engine option cost plus the 20% diesel fuel premium. Here's a quick chart:
Avg price/gal Avg MPG Avg price/mile Option cost Miles to recoup
$ 2.78 22.00 $ 0.13 $ 0.00419 2925 697,510.98
$ 2.78 24.00 $ 0.12 $ 0.01472 2925 198,658.15
$ 2.78 26.00 $ 0.11 $ 0.02363 2925 123,762.16
$ 2.78 28.00 $ 0.10 $ 0.03127 2925 93,535.93
$ 2.78 30.00 $ 0.09 $ 0.03789 2925 77,196.23
$ 2.78 32.00 $ 0.09 $ 0.04368 2925 66,961.04
$ 2.78 34.00 $ 0.08 $ 0.04879 2925 59,947.84
So, best case, you get 34 MPG (yeah right) you're looking at 60,000 miles to break even. More realistically, I'm guessing 24-26 MPG is going to be the high end in real world conditions, meaning it will take between 125-200k miles to make up the premium paid for the diesel in the best case scenario.
I'll have to let someone else do the calc on the gas 2L turbo since I don't have real MPG data from that engine and I honestly don't even know what it costs vs. a 3.6L
Just some data to chew on. There obviously may be other reasons a customer would prefer the diesel engine, but I would be skeptical based purely on a MPG/fuel economy/cost savings standpoint. Discussion and any corrections are welcome, as I pulled this together rather quickly and may have made a calculation error somewhere. Thanks!
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