I am in the market for a grand Cherokee if you could chose the 4.0 6cyl or the 5.2 8cyl what would it be I have a xj for a trail rig with the 4.0 and love it feel free to post pros and cons of both please and thank you

 

both are good. they have similar mpg numbers and the 5.2 has more torque. i have a friend whos parents have 2 white 95's one with each and being that he does not pay much attention to which he drives he cant tell too much of a difference in them. id go with the 5.2 for the torque abd the fact that it is a v8 (but i am 18)

 

given that fuel efficiency is equivilent, i would go for the v8. i have the 4.0 and its a dog, its a great reliable motor but slow and downshifts often

 

i got a 5.2 and love it i would go with a v8 i think u can trust it more less worrys towing

 

I have the 4.0 and my deciding factor was the transfer case that comes with the 4.0. I didn't want the 247/249 tc. But a swap to a different tc is a possibility. I find that as I add more weight to mine (tires skids/sliders) it gets slower but I ain't really in a hurry any more.

 

yea it will just be a family rig i wont do any towing with it just to get around from a to b and sometime c i just want something i can depend on i dont want to be left on the side of the road with the kids in the car just had twin boys 5 months ago and being stuck with them in the car does not sound like fun

 

I have one of each. I prefer the V8.

The 4.0L is a great motor, the 42re trans behind them are weak and typically get around 150K miles before needing a rebuild.

The 5.2L is also a good engine. Common for the intake gaskets to go requiring a teardown of the top end. The 249 transfer is known to have issues with the Viscous Coupler.. a 231 or 242 swap is not difficult.

They both will get close to the same MPG... if you can keep your foot out of the 5.2.

 

i have a 97 zj with a 4.0 mine hs 203 thousand miles. mine has left me on the side of the road plenty of times. but i have replaced just about everything u can think of. if i could do it over again i would get a v8 just cause it has more power but thats just me.

 

i love my 5.2 it sounds better too..

 

Go with the v8! You will have less limits as to what you can tow, definitely more torque, & prob better hwy mpg not by much but every little bit counts.
Thats y I chose my 4.7 v8 but I wish I woulda the extra ca$h to get the 5.7 v8 with the HEMI!!<--(My next purchase!)

 

on the towing subject i can move our camper (not on the road its a 32 footer w/ super slide and im not wired up for breaks and its a bit too heavy....) up the driveway. were my buddy couldnt pull their 28ft camper w/out slide forward 30 ft up the same sized hill.

 

Thanks guy you all are allways so helpfully thanks agin