# Jeep Grand Cherokee (Laredo) question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016 "2015-09-20T22:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/1 "2015-09-20T22:39:38Z")
Last week a kid in a Chevy ran a red light and clipped my right headlamp off. Within two hours, his insurance company notified me that they are accepting 100% liability, so, yay. I brought my car into a body shop and had a lady fron Hertz pick me up and provide me a replacement vehicle. This is why I’m driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee this week. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with an owner’s manual, so I’m pretty much on my own wrt figuring out the instrument panel (which is all-digital, and has many layouts to choose from). The layout I find myself using most has a green arc inside the speedometer, labeled “current.” It also has a numeric indicator that displays the magnitude of the green arc, which, of course, expands and contracts depending on what’s happening under the hood. Anybody know what the hell this is? I’d think of it as a charging system ammeter, but it does weird shit like increase the reading when I’m braking. And it seems like it’s never displaying anything that I’m likely to interpret as the battery discharging (for instance, if I shut off the engine while the headlights are still lit). Any ideas? TIA. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/2 "2015-09-20T23:44:37Z")
I looked through the manual a bit but I didn’t see what you were describing inside the speedometer. I easily found the manuals by googling “jeep grand Cherokee manual”. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/3 "2015-09-21T01:17:16Z")
What kind of numbers are being displayed? ---
**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/4 "2015-09-21T02:17:50Z")
Probably means “Current MPG” (as opposed to “Average MPG” for the trip). ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/5 "2015-09-21T03:00:38Z")
[Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner’s Manual: Understanding Your Instrument Panel](http://www.chryslercanada.ca/owners/en/manuals/2015/2015E-Grand_Cherokee-OM-2nd_R1.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/6 "2015-09-21T03:08:33Z")
If it’s anything like the last few (all Hondas) cars I’ve had, it’s how ‘good’ you’re driving. If you punch the gas real hard off red light, does it turn red? If you take your foot off the gas and coast down does the green light get brighter/greener/bigger? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/7 "2015-09-21T04:18:20Z")
I haven’t punched the gas real hard off a red light. When it’s idling, the green arc is absent, and the number shows 0. It never gives a number thats plausibly interppreted as a snapshot of the mileage. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016/8 "2015-09-21T18:43:43Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > When it’s idling, the green arc is absent, and the number shows 0. It never gives a number thats plausibly interppreted as a snapshot of the mileage. When idling, you are getting 0 mpg, so that seems instant mileage. You also said when you are braking it goes up and that would be correct for mileage also. When you are coasting/braking you are moving but using little or no gas so the instant mileage would go up. My jag used to read 99mpg when coasting.