How to Turn on Eco Mode on Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Jeep Grand Cherokee was first made in 1974 and has gone through many different changes and adaptions throughout its 48-year history, with one of the newer adaptions being the addition of eco mode. Eco mode itself was first added to cars starting in 2008 and in recent years the two have combined helping make the Cherokee more eco-friendly.

The way to turn on the eco mode in the Jeep Grand Cherokee is by pushing the eco mode button that is located on the instrument panel switch bank. By pushing this it should enter eco mode until you push the button again and or enter a different mode like sport mode or manual.

So, turning on eco mode is very easy, but what exactly is eco mode? When you do enter this mode what is happening to the can, and while it supposedly is more environmentally friendly, how much does it help both the environment and your wallet? I will help answer both of these questions along with several others you may have about the Jeep Grand Cherokee and its eco mode.

What is Eco Mode?

Eco mode is when your car adjusts how much gas it is using in order to provide the most effective amount of fuel efficiency with a tradeoff of having slower acceleration performance.

This is done by having its cars adjusted by modifying how both the engine and the transmission function within the car. However, when you do activate this mode, you are more likely to hear more of the exhaust and also notice more vibrations within the car.

The main purpose of eco mode is to help reduce the consumption of fuel and improve the car’s environmental friendliness. Eco Mode also helps improve fuel economy by adjusting the transmission shift schedule, idle speed, and interactive deceleration fuel shut-off.

Eco mode shifts into higher gears sooner. This gives you less power and is supposed to give you better MPG.

How do You Turn Eco Mode On?

As mentioned earlier, there is an individual area known as the instrument panel switch bank, according to the 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Eco Mode owners manual, where the buttons to change all of the different modes are located. The instrument panel switch bank is located right alongside the radio with many of the other controls and allows easy access to it so that you are able to change from the different modes while driving.

You may independently “turn off” eco mode on your Jeep Grand Cherokee. In order to do it, you have to take the car’s settings into your own hands.

To disable eco mode, simply go to the control panel and deactivate it. Eco mode is only available in auto mode and changing the drive mode will deactivate eco mode. Eco mode will be disabled when another drive mode is selected or the eco mode button is pushed.

What does Eco Mode do?

Eco Mode helps improve fuel economy by adjusting the transmission shift schedule, idle speed, interactive deceleration fuel shut off, and, in V8 engine models, fuel saver cylinder deactivation.

Automatically engaged upon vehicle startup, it activates the Quadra-Lift air suspension system and lowers it when the vehicle’s speed exceeds 55 mph. It does this by shifting into higher gears earlier, preventing your engine from working too hard.

Pros of Eco Mode

There are a large variety of different pros that comes from having eco mode turned on, and the biggest pro that comes from having eco mode on is the increased miles per gallon that you will be able to achieve.

And while the increase in miles per gallon is only 0.5 more, it will still help you save on gas money and when we are at a point where the national gas price average is over $4, any amount of savings can help.

Cons of Eco Mode

The major drawback of using eco mode is that it can damage your Grand Cherokee’s engine. Most often this mode is used while in a city environment and because those drives are shorter it is less likely to damage your engine.

However, if you decide to use eco mode while in a more rural or highway environment it is more likely to damage your engine and transmission. To avoid this it is best to use your eco mode while in traffic or in a city environment as your car will naturally have a higher mpg while in rural and highway areas.

Are There Other Modes Available?

There are four main modes that are available with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, eco mode on, eco mode off, sport mode, and manual. Eco mode on, eco mode off, and sport mode are all automatic modes meaning they will shift gears automatically, while manual allows you to do it yourself.

Eco Mode On

Eco mode on is the mode that I have been covering throughout this whole article, so we aren’t going to cover it anymore as you will know much about this mode already.

Eco Mode Off

Eco mode off is also known as auto mode as it is the equivalent of having your car in its standard automatic shifting mode. This means that your car will be middle of the road when it comes to its MPG and also the middle of the road when it comes to the amount of power it is using.

Sport Mode

Sport mode is the opposite of eco mode as when you enter it you are going to be having more power in accelerating but it is also going to cause your car to be less efficient and have a lower MPG. This works by shifting your gear later so it is going to have a lot more power.

Manual Mode (Flappy Paddles)

Manuel mode with flappy paddles means that it is your traditional manual in that you have to change gears, but instead of using a stick to shift from one gear to another, you use the flappy paddles that are located behind the steering wheel. This is an option to drive in manual if you prefer that over the three other automatic options.