Thinking of buying a new car, an SUV. Wife wants a Grand Cherokee.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.
Steve.

Inline 6. Only decent engine offered. Poor gas mileage, top heavy and prone to tip. Electrical demons galore. Not nearly as roomy or as comfortable as others of equal size.

I ain't like one?

Every friend that ever owned one hated it after a short time. I rented an SUV when we went to Louisiana in July and it turned out to be a Jeep Patriot. What a POS.

Amen!

No inline 6 since 2004. I get 17-18 mpg on local commutes and 20-21 on the highway. That's a solid 4-5 mpg improvement over my old Explorer and Blazer and it's more comfortable, handles better and is more stable on the road than either by a long shot. Mine has 78,000 miles on it so far and no problems beyond normal maintenance. WAAAY better than that piece-o-shyt Blazer ever was.

Been quite a few years ago, I had one.
Was not a good vehicle in any area.
Would never consider another one.

Put me in the camp that has had older ones and driven and riden in ones owned by friends and family members and would never consider buying one.

Furthermore having owned both, unless the plan is for actual off road use, I'd say a good awd station wagon is a much better family car than an SUV. They drive better, have as much cargo space, get better mileage and are more comfortable for family trips.

My wife had a 2013 with the 5.7 hemi, bought new in Aug 2012, she initially liked but it had quirks that she came to dislike:

It often smoked at startup, since day one.

Several times it wouldn't start, essentially "dead"... A mystery electrical problem/issue. She lost confidence in the vehicle, worried about being stranded.

Developed surface rust (blisters) on the hood in just a bit over 2 years.

Rear window defrost unit stopped working after the second winter season (mid-Maryland winter - so not a rough winter). The electrical contact detached from one side of the defrost grid.

Mileage in the 17mpg on mixed highway.

It was 'zippy', she liked it for that quality

We traded it away at about 35,000 miles (in May this year)

I'v had three. All had the V8 5.7 and all the bells and whistles and never had a problem. Before the Jeeps we drove JAGUAR xj6 and xjs but as the back and knees start to complain the higher Jeep was much easier to get in and out. The ride is very comfortable and mileage 17 to 20 depending how hard you stand on it. I would buy another without a problem.

W. Bill

Even a Jeep is a step up from Jaguar. 😗

Ouch

My wife is shopping for a Grand Cherokee also
If they were not a good auto they would not sell so darn many and the resale value would not be as strong.

I loved the old Cherokee I had with the 4.0L straight six.

That thing would go anywhere.

It was a simple car to operate - easy to work on

but it did need work - it wasn't a Honda

Wife bought a new one about 3 years ago. Its ok, but nothing great. I was hoping she'd get a mildly used Tahoe or a new Jeep Unlimited. The Unlimited has MUCH better resale value.

She has also had a few electrical gremlins. Once, the rear hatch would not unlock. Another time, it wouldn't turn over. Both resolved "on their own", but worrisome that these issues would randomly crop up.

Also, I'm 5'11". The seats move back plenty, but the silly center console really limits side to side leg room. If I don't move the seat so far back that my arm is completely stretched out, then my dang knee is bumping the center console.

Get a real Jeep or get a Tahoe/Suburban.

My wife had 3 against my judgment. And all 3 sucked, horrable on fuel, electrical problems, rear differential rebuilds, and worst was a blend motor broken thingy that mixed fresh air with the heat or air for dual climate control. It would blow cold air on one side in the winter and it didn't get warm and hot in the summer and it wouldn't get cool. But they wouldnt recall it and they replaced the faulty part with the same faulty part. Gee crystler thanks I didn't get a big enuff root in the tail when it broke the first time. Piece O $hit I tell you. The 4.0 sport was great though.

have been driving JGC's from the first year.
the 93 was the best. I have a 92 Cherokee limited now and a 98 grand Cherokee limited 5.9. both with close to 200k. they are made by people so the do have some problems but no more then most any thing. we have 3-4 feet of snow most winters and have never been stuck. don't even put studs on the 5.9, just siped tires.

friend of mine just had a rental for a few weeks while his had some work done.
to say he was unhappy with it,would be an understatement.
finally wouldt start one morning,rental agency brought over a ford,likes it much better.

We've owned '93, '94, '95, '97, and 04" Grand Cherokees. The '04 with the 4.7 V8 was the best of the bunch, as the others all developed problems with the AWD limited slip differentials at around 130K miles. The 2015 Dodge Durangos, Ford Explorers, and Jeep Grand Cherokees look so much alike that you'd hardly know that they came from different companies without a close look.

If I was buying new, something that I haven't done in years, I'd take a hard look at the Toyota/Lexus SUV that best fits your needs.

I bought this 2000 earlier this year after my full size truck got written off, and it had around 150,000Km on it, now it is at around 177,000Km and the only repair was the fan relay for the electric fan quit, now in the city I never had an issue, but replaced it anyway, supposed to be a common thing, and now I did notice the prndl indicator does not always light up, but so far it has been better than i expected, so I am happy, it is the 4.0 with the sensa trac I think they call it.

FWIW, there seem to be thousands of them here in the New Mexico mountains. I have one.

My sentiments exactly.
My wife had 2 of them, Gawd I hated them.
The ergonomics sucked for a guy over six foot, suspension was so spongy and rolled from side to side like a boat in the water when driven on winding mountain roads and they were mechanically unreliable with numerous expensive repairs.
Jut typing this brings back my strong dislike of those vehicles.

Never again!

The new Grand Cherokees are a different breed than the older ones.....We have a 2013 Limited 4x4 Loaded with 30,000 miles on it, Bought new...never been back to the shop...No quirks. It has the V6 Penstar and gets 21 miles to gal in town ...There is no better vehicle in the snow... If you change your own oil the filter is on the top of the engine. Read some of the pro reviews very highly rated. We normally trade every 3 years the Wife said the Jeep is here to stay until 100.000 miles at least. Totally Happy with it..Would buy another in a heart beat.. It is Holding up very well, the paint is perfect, not even a rock chip, the leather looks like new.

Owned a '98 6 cyl and an '01 with the v8. Parents now own a '14 with the v6. The new ones (WK2's) are so different than their predecessors they don't even warrant a comparison. The 98 (ZJ) and 01 (WJ) were not great on the road but would go places off the pavement most other stock vehicles wouldn't. The '14 is nice on the road, but I doubt it has the prowess off road the other two did. My parents took it on a road trip from MI to NM a month back and averaged ~22-23 mpg.

Chrysler/Fiat makes a "twin" to the Cherokee called the Dodge Durango. Same chassis, same powertrains, but larger cargo area, more of a highway suspension. They are often priced lower or are at least easier to deal on than Jeeps. Test drive one before buying the Jeep. Edmunds and Consumer Reports describe the handling of the Jeep as clumsy (softer off-road suspension) and the Durango as "agile."

We own a 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland model, with the Hemi engine. My wife drives it primarily, and loves it. I keep it serviced and clean, she drives. No major mechanical problems at 50K miles so far. This is our third GC, and we will probably own another once this one gets to around 100K miles.

A Fiat-Jeep, no way!

I test drove the diesel Cherokee. I was impressed with the snap and the quietness. Great mileage. Still thinking about it.

If you want an SUV, get a real one