Thanks, I really appreciate it! At this point though, in light of the recent developments I mentioned in my previous post this morning, maybe I’ll just hold out a while longer. I don’t know. I will say that your Imgur photos you posted the link to just made me want a new GC, reliability issues or not…
Granted, it was a long time and like 3 owners ago, but when I was researching a new Jeep back in 2012 after many years loving my Cherokee Sport, the GC was pretty well rated, but the mid-range models-- your Libertys, your Compasses, were not. I got the impression that they focus a little more on quality with the GC, being the flagship vehicle, and maybe the Wrangler as well-- not sure about the Wrangler, since I’ve never looked into buying one.
Maybe, but he could have said “I’m sorry, it’s closing time and I have to go, but another time I’d love to talk more about why a Bronco is perfect for you!” Instead, he seemed to be actively discouraging me. I wonder if he maybe sensed I was leaning toward something else, and I was just doing more of a ‘process of elimination’ look.
Can you get the GC with the 5.7 hemi? I know they’re coming to the tail end of their run, but there are guys in Mexico that can assemble that engine in their sleep. My 2010 Dodge 1500 has 204,000 miles and the only engine problem it has had is broken exhaust manifold bolts (a known problem).
I know they discontinued the hemi in the 2024 models, but maybe there are still 2023 GCs with hemis out there, I don’t know.
Anyway, I’m sure a GC with a hemi is fun as heck to drive, but I imagine it’s a pretty big gas guzzler. I’ve been happy with the Pentastar 6-banger engine in my 2012 GC-- decent enough pickup and not terrible mileage-- better than the mileage the straight 6 on my previous Cherokee Sport got.
Yeah–you’d be happy to see 20 mpg on the highway. I do know with the turbo 6s you only get decent MPG if you keep your foot out of it. Once you get into boost you might as well have a V8.
I googled the Toyota Land Cruiser out of curiosity-- not a bad-looking SUV, I have to admit.
Then I compared it to the Grand Cherokee on Edmunds.com. Same overall 7.9 rating, but holy bejeebers, the TLC runs an average of 20k more than the JGC. No thanks.
Yes, the Edmunds site is rating ‘new vehicle’ factors, not long-term reliability, but…
…as reliability goes, my 2012 GC-- yes, it has had multiple recalls, but those were at least free fixes. Out of pocket I don’t feel like I’ve spent all that much on repairs over the years, and it’s still going strong.
I’ve been following this thread eagerly awaiting your Bronco test drive…sucks that you were treated that way. On the subject of vehicles that sane people question, I looked into the Flex based on my experience with a rental vehicle, but I never got as far as going to a dealership because I wasn’t impressed with the engine offerings. Turns out the trasmissions were garbage.
My '97 GC (ZJ) put me on the side of the road one time, on the morning of what turned out to be one of the longest and most boring safety meetings in my company’s history. Even after waiting for a flatbed tow truck and arranging for alternative transportation, by the time I got to work the meeting had only been over for about 15 minutes. (The breakdown was totally my fault; I had ignored a mystery sound from the water pump.)
But others have said that the Grand Cherokee - unless it is one of the ones with tow hooks- is more of a dirt road vehicle.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been positioned as a luxury vehicle but when equipped properly, it can tackle almost any off-road trail. If you want the most off-road-ready Grand Cherokee then the 4xe Trailhawk has everything you need to go off-road. The Toyota Land Cruiser is the more off-road capable vehicle here since it was built with a lot of off-road capability just like every other Land Cruiser.
I’m skeptical about the JGC 4xe. No data, just skeptical about its long-term reliability. And of its overall performance. Like a JGC 4xPrius.
I loved, loved the WK2 JGC. Personally I prefer it to the T4R or the TLC. I’m not too keen on the styling of the WL JGC, but I’m confident it is great.
Damn, you guys, you’re almost giving me buyer’s remorse for getting the OB and not a JGC. When I off roaded my OB, its limits on approach and departure angles were evident. I’ve got some exhaust pipe damage I need to fix. I need to get some armor for it.
I remember that I should clarify about this. For me, my rig is and has been my daily driver, with about 95% on-road miles, 5% off-road miles. No serious rock crawling. The JGC with QL sits lower than the T4R or TLC. Lower center of mass means better on road handling. For my 95% on-road miles. I found the T4R to have ‘drifty’ handling. The JGC’s handling was tight compared to it. Not as tight, though, as the OB’s handling. I did not drive the TLC. It’s too big for my needs.
So the QL on the JGC was perfect for me, even with its bump stop thumps when up at OR-2 height. But for my 5% miles, it was perfect.
Sorry, I’m using a lot of acronyms:
T4R = Toyota 4Runner
TLC = Toyota Land Cruiser
QL = Quadra-lift, the Jeep’s air suspension
OR-2 = off road 2 ride height, the highest of the QL’s adjustable ride heights.
QL has ride heights, from highest to lowest:
OR-2
OR-1
NRH = normal ride height
AERO
Entry/Exit = lowest, at slow speed; great for the elderly ingress/egress
Aero is the only ride height you cannot manually select. It lowers automatically when at highway speeds.
QL is generally a great system for me and my 95% / 5% use.
I’m not really an SUV guy, but that is my perception of the Bronco vs. the GC just based on reviews I’ve seen. The GC is positioned as a luxury SUV with some semblance of off road capability. The Bronco is meant more as a serious off roader, with everything designed to be rugged and durable, not luxurious. If you want things like quietness and a smooth ride, which you seem to like about your GC, I think you might be disappointed in the Bronco. Which is why I voted that you should get another Grand Cherokee.
Stellantis’ business model seems to be to acquire all the worst-built automotive brands and marry them together so they can share parts. Unless this is some sort of automotive homeopathy, I do not understand this.
ETA: In case my flippancy obscured my point, it was that while I get the Jeep Love, as a daily driver? Never, ever, ever. I will say (and I am no Ford fan boi), my Ford experiences have all been excellent, and that includes two Crown Vics, and Escort, and an Edge. All driven to 200,000 miles or so.
Also, if I were giving my kid a car, I wouldn’t really give a damn whether he liked the particular car or not.
Thanks, I appreciate the Jeep warning advice from all, even though I don’t want to hear it. I really, really just want another JGC— on paper it’s my perfect combo of comfort and smooth ride, off-road capability and towing capacity. But I’m slowly starting to realize another one is just not a good idea for me. If I was a leasing guy, maybe— 3 years and out. But I like to buy and drive my vehicles for a long time. And everything I hear is “oh, you have a year old Jeep and you love it? Wait till it gets past 30k miles. And after 100k? Well, you just don’t see many 100k Jeeps on the road…” This Reddit thread I found has a cargo load of Jeep horror stories.
It’s not like he’s refusing a used Jeep I’m offering because he doesn’t think it’s good enough for him. He already drives an older model Toyota Camry which he had planned on driving to the Keewenaw peninsula up in the U.P. I offered my old Jeep instead, thinking it might be better in snow and more rugged conditions up there. But he’s decided to drive with a friend who is also attending the same college, and not bother with a vehicle at all— there are free shuttles into town, apparently.
I imagine you’re just being a bit facetious, but it’s actually probably a smart choice for him. It’s a small northern college town area, free shuttle service, probably readily available Uber drivers. Having a vehicle that might just be sitting idle out in some student lot most of the time, enduring brutal U.P. winter conditions, might be more of a liability than an asset.
Just got back from a grocery run and saw a Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro in the lot. Tuff-looking SUV. Looks like something you’d take on an African safari or into the Australian Outback. Size-wise, it looks like it compares to my JGC in terms of roominess and cargo capacity.
That MotorTrend article is a little confusing, because it says “base” price, but that appears to be the price for the TRD Pro trim, which is the top of the line 4Runner. According to my Googling, the lowest trim, the 4Runner SR5, starts at $40,705, and there are several other trim levels in between that and the TRD Pro. (I assume “base” in the article just means “before you add and more options on top of the TRD Pro trim package”)
To recap, when I last left off here, I was unsure of what direction to go with a new vehicle. I’ve been pretty much convinced not to get a new JGC in the Stellantis era, and a Bronco didn’t quite fit what I was looking for: I mostly want good cargo and towing capacity, and off-road capability is secondary. The Bronco is mostly about off-road, and its towing capacity is significantly less than my current JGC. Cargo a little less too. I tried to wrap my head around a Toyota or a Subaru, but I kind of want to stick with what’s left of the big 3, being a lifelong Detroiter. Plus I get a family employee discount if I go with Ford.
Then my wife said “what about a pickup truck?” For whatever reason I never thought of myself as a pickup guy, but it checks a lot of boxes:
Cargo capacity: naturally. My wife and I love to kayak, and while I still can lift the kayaks above my head to put them on the rack on top of my Jeep, it’s not fun, and I ain’t getting any younger. Would be nice to just put the kayaks in the truck bed.
Towing capacity: huge. Pickups are pretty much all about cargo and towing, so yeah.
Off-road: pickups are 4x4s with big clearances, so should be all good here.
Make: I’d go with Ford, since they pretty much have built their rep on trucks.
The cons would be:
Too big to fit in our garage
Mileage would be pretty bad. Maybe look into a hybrid model-- they make hybrid pickups, right?
Clearly I need to do a lot more research if I decide to go pickup, but what do you guys think?
Cargo capacity of a truck is good, but be aware that most Ford dealers (at least in my neck of the woods) only have crew cab trucks with 5.5 foot beds. Ford does make 6.5 foot and 8 foot beds (though probably only with King cabs or regular cabs) but these seem to be unicorns. But in my opinion, trucks are all about beds, so get a long one if you need one. Then again, kayaks might require a rack anyway.
I just bought a truck, and ended up with a Nissan Frontier, crew cab 4x4 with a 6 foot bed. Though I don’t intend on towing, it has a rated capacity of 6240 lbs. Normally aspirated V-6, but unfortunately an automatic transmission.
I did consider a full size truck, but they were about $15k more than the Frontier. But I drove a 91 Ford Ranger with a 6 foot bed for decades, so a mid-size truck is comfortable to me. And it fits in the garage.
Coming from an older Ranger, I had figured that a new Ranger would be my pick, but inventory in my area is minimal, and Ford removed the 6 foot bed option.
