Well, you haven’t got much choice.
But – sometimes – that’s not a bad thing.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee, for instance.
It is one of just a few (one of just two, really) “mid sized” SUVs that actually is mid-sized (allegedly “mid-sized” models like the Chevy Tahoe are full-size and models like the Suburban are super-sized). The GC still offers real-deal 4WD and so, real off-road capability, too – an increasingly rare thing.
It doesn’t offer a third row – but you have your pick of gas V6, gas V8 or turbo-diesel V6.
You can get a vestigial third row in the also-mid-sized (actually mid-sized) Toyota 4Runner – which also offers real SUV off-road capability.
But the only engine it comes with is a gas V6.
There was also the VW Touareg. Also mid-sized and used to offer a diesel.
But not anymore.
Which leaves… .
WHAT IT IS
The Grand Cherokee is pretty much the last vehicle of its type available: a still somewhat-affordable, real-deal SUV with luxury amenities and off-road bona fides that offers three different engines at a starting price just over $30k ($30,295 to be precise) for the base Laredo trim with 2WD and a 3.6 liter gas V6 engine.
You can order 4WD (real 4WD, with a two-speed transfer case amd Low range gearing) for an additional $2,300 – bringing the MSRP up $32,595.
This, by the way is $1,415 less than the base price of the 2WD Toyota 4Runner, which stickers for $34,010 to start. Opting for 4WD (also real-deal) bumps the 4Runner’s asking price to $35,885.
Other Grand Cherokee trims include the Limited (which can be ordered with the gas V6 or a turbo-diesel V6 or a gas V8), Overland, Trailhawk and Summit – with prices topping out at $58,395 for a 4WD-equipped/diesel-powered version of the latter.
You can also order the top-of-the-line Summit without the diesel (and with the gas V6) for $5k less. Or, with the gas V8 – which adds $3,795 to to the Summit’s $53,395 base price with the gas V6.
WHAT’S NEW
The Trailhawk package – which includes a heavier-duty (Quadra-Drive II) 4WD system, increased suspension travel and ground clearance, skid plates, M/S-rated (and Kevlar reinforced!) Goodyear Adventurer 18-inch tires, tow hooks, an electronically controlled limited slip rear axle, 10.8 inches of ground clearance (vs. 8.6 for other GCs) matte black anti-glare hood decal, unique gauge cluster and off-road-minded instruments, including LCD wheel articulation – is a new addition to the Grand Cherokee’s roster.
It and other trims can also be ordered with a self-parking system and electronic Lane Departure Warning.
WHAT’S GOOD
One of the few real SUVs still available that isn’t also really big – or really expensive.
Gas or diesel. Six – or eight.
Genuinely luxurious – and still seriously capable.
WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD
To get the V8 (or the turbo-diesel V6) you have to step up to the pricier Limited/Overland (and up) trims.
Diesel’s high cost ($5k added to the bottom line) negates its fuel economy advantages.
Toyota 4Runner has much more cargo capacity and its body-on-frame construction is more rugged than the Jeep’s unibody layout. It also offers auto-disconnecting sway bars and similar – extremely serious – off-road gear that even the Trailhawk version of the GC does not.
UNDER THE HOOD
Base Laredo – and all other trims – come standard with Jeep’s (Chrysler’s) 3.6 liter V6. It produces 295 hp – already out-gunning the Toyota 4Runner’s standard 4.0 liter, 270 hp V6.
It is paired with an eight-speed automatic (the 4Runner has a five-speed automatic) and either RWD or 4WD.
You’ve got two options here, too.
There is a lighter-duty full-time 4WD system (Quadra-Drive I) that does not have Low range gearing – and a heavy-duty 4WD system (Quadra-Drive II) with a two-speed transfer case and 4WD Low range gearing. The Quadra-Drive II system also has Sand, Snow and Mud modes, as well as Auto – adjustable via a rotary knob on the center console, adjacent to the gear selector.
The Quadra-Drive I system is comparable to car-based crossover SUV all-wheel-drive systems that are meant for on-road traction in wet/wintry weather while the Quadra-Drive II system has off-road capability – including a 44:1 crawl ratio in 4WD Low – as good (or better) than a 4WD truck. Especially when that capability is further enhanced by adding the optional Quadra-Lift suspension and the Trailhawk off-road goodies.
The max tow rating with the gas V6 is 6,200 lbs. Which also beats the maximum tow rating of the Jeep’s main rival, the Toyota 4Runner. It tops out at just 5,000 lbs.
For even more towing capacity (and other capacities) there are two other engines to consider:
There’s a 5.7 liter gas V8 (360 hp and 390 ft.-lbs. of torque) and a turbo-diesel V6 (240 hp and 420 ft.-lbs. of torque). With either engine, the Grand Cherokee’s pulling power increases to 7,400 lbs. – 2,400 lbs. more than the 4Runner is rated to handle.
The gas V8 or the turbo-diesel V6 are also paired with an eight-speed automatic and you can go with either of the two 4WD systems as well.
Mileage ranges from a best-case 18 city, 26 highway with the gas V6 and 2WD to a worst case of 14 city, 20 highway with the V8 and 4WD.
The diesel falls in between: 22 city, 30 highway with RWD and 21 city, 28 highway with 4WD.
This is not hugely better than the gas V6, but it’s much better than the V8. If you need to pull – and don’t want to stop at every other gas station – the diesel could be the pick of the litter. It also has the longest range of the bunch – 738 miles on a full tank (vs. 615 for the gas V6 and 541 for the gas V8).
ON THE ROAD
It’s not the gas junkie appetite that diminished the appeal of the traditonal SUV.
If you doubt that, look at the mileage numbers posted by crossover SUVs.
They suck – literally.
Especially given what you’ve got, power and performance (and capability) wise.
Which is much less.
Consider the Grand Cherokee’s little brother, for instance. The regular Cherokee is a car-based crossover SUV that doesn’t offer heavy-duty 4WD and is both smaller and lighter than the Grand Cherokee. Even so, and even with the same engine (3.6 liter V6, optional in the regular Cherokee) the mileage is only slightly better: 21 city, 29 highway (with the light-duty AWD system) vs. 18 city, 25 highway with real 4WD.
The regular Cherokee can only pull 4,500 pounds, too – good for what it is, but weak compared to the Grand Cherokee’s numbers.
And, I will tell you that in real-world driving, most crossovers – which are almost always under-engined and over-heavy – average in the low 20s. About the same as a real SUV like the Cherokee with the gas V6 or diesel V6.
So, what accounts for the crossover craze, if not “great gas mileage”?
The ride.
And, the handling.
Crossovers surged because most people – much as they liked the up-high seating position and the being able to get to work when it snows capability of a traditional SUV – did not like the rigid (and bumpy) ride.
The clumsy handling, either.
This was a function of the real SUV being (typically) a pick-up truck with an enclosed bed, with a high center of gravity and a beefy but heavy and basically primitive suspension meant for low-speed work, not high-speed cornering. Real SUVSs got a rep for being tipsy, which they often were – when people drove them as if they were sport sedans. Cue the Ford Explorer Rollover Debacle of the ‘90s.
Things haven’t been the same since.
Most everyone went crossover – because the car-based crossover’s car-ish suspension, lower center of gravity and so on delivered the car-ish ride and handling that most people who purchased SUVs really wanted – as opposed to having the capability to go seriously off-road. Which few of them ever needed to do.
But the Grand Cherokee is – honest Injun – as good on-road as off-road. It is even better on-road than many of its crossover cousins. Because it has power, which many of them do not.
And a cush ride.
Easy, precise steering, too.
Take note of the fact that Jeep builds a high-performance SRT8 version of the Grand Cherokee – and you can’t build a viable 160 MPH-capable performance vehicle on a shitty foundation.
Try one, see what I mean.
And then try the 4Runner.
Which is a fine vehicle, if you want a real SUV and all that used to come with that. Including the real SUV’s ride and handling.
Part of this is due to the Runner’s old-school body-on-frame construction and its higher center of gravity (it’s 71.5 inches tall and has 9 inches of ground clearance vs. 69.3 inches tall and 8.6 inches of clearance for the non-Trailhawk Jeep). It also has a much shorter wheelbase (109.8 inches vs. 114.8) and a narrower track.
That’s helpful picking your way in between trees on a narrow backwoods dirt trail. It is not helpful apexing a turn at high speed.
The Toyota is the more rugged of the two, as far as off-roading. Thirty degree angle of approach – standard, without taking off any body parts – vs. 26.2 for the non-Trailhawk GC; 26 degree angle of departure vs. 24 degrees for the Jeep (The Trailhawk’s angle of approach increases to 29.8 degrees; 36.1 degrees if you remove the lower bumper cover). But on-road, the Jeep kills it. No comparison. It rides and handles like a luxury sport sedan.
The 4Runner rides and handles like a 4×4 pick-up with an enclosed bed. That’s not a slam. It’s a reality check.
It’s a fine vehicle for people who like SUVs they way they used to make ‘em.
The GC, on the other hand, does 90 percent of what the 4Runner can do off-road and is a much nicer companion on-road.
Aside from the ride and handling, the Jeep is quick while the Toyota is slow. Even with the diesel, a GC will outrun it – and with the available V8, it crushes it.
AT THE CURB
This Jeep is a best-seller in part because it is a good-looker. Unless you just dislike SUVs, in which case you wouldn’t be shopping the GC or any other such vehicle.
It looks like an SUV – without looking too much like an SUV.
There is a reason why Hummer went away. Vehicular codpieces have a limited appeal.
Speaking of appealing…
The GC is not overwhelmingly huge. Its overall length – 189.8 inches – is less than current mid-sized sedans like the Honda Accord (192.5 inches) and Toyota Camry (190.9 inches). And much less than a “mid-sized” SUV like the Chevy Tahoe (204 inches).
Re-read that last number. The Tahoe is a foot-plus longer than the GC. If you need the third row, ok. But if not, the GC is much less a handful. In fact, it is not a handful at all. Less of a handful than the Accord or Camry, as far as slipping into a curbside parking spot.
And vs. the 4Runner?
It’s a tale of Pros – and Cons.
If you need a third row, the GC doesn’t offer one while the Toyota does. But the Jeep has a much more passenger friendly second row, with 38.6 inches of legroom vs. 32.9 for the Toyota’s second row.
The room for the 4Runner’s third row had to come from somewhere.
Now you know from where it came.
And, that third row is a horror show. Mid-sized rides like the 4Runner are just not phsycially large enough to find adequate space for a viable third row. If you really need a third row, you probably ought to shop something larger, like the (ahem) “mid-sized” Tahoe.
As far as cargo capacity, the Jeep’s got 36.3 inches behind its second row and 68.3 with the second row folded flat. This is less than the 4Runner (89.7 cubic feet with its second and third rows folded) but – like that extra measure of severe off-road capability the 4Runner’s got – you may not have to have all that much space. Either one of these has four or five times as much cargo-carrying capacity as a mid-sized sedan like the Accord or Camry (15.4 cubic feet of trunk for the latter).
Another area of departure vs. the 4Runner is that the GC can be outfitted as a luxury SUV – something the 4Runner hasn’t even pretensions to being.
For example, noise-damping acoustic side glass, a dual-pane panorama sunroof, diamond-quilted ultra-premium leather, heated first and second row seats, a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio rig, dual LCD Blue-ray passenger entertainment system, power rear liftgate and an 8.1 inch LCD touchscreen.
These are features not offered in 4Runner (although the Toyota does offer some serious off-road gear that even the Trailhawk version of the GC does not – such as its optional Kinetic Dynamic Suspension, which automatically disconnects the 4Runner’s stabilizer bars to allow for greater suspension articulation – and locking center and rear differentials).
Again, it’s the ticket for the person who wants a bit more off-road capability in severe situations… and is willing to sacrifice other things in real-world situations.
The Jeep also offers adaptive cruise control vs. plain old cruise control – the former automatically accelerating and braking to maintain your set speed in traffic – as well as auotmatic emergency braking/collision avoidance, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and a self-parking system.
THE REST
You will notice another point of departure between the GC and the 4Runner. The former’s 4WD system is engaged remotely and electronically, via a rotary knob on the center console. The 4Runner has a manly lever you pull on to engage the 4WD.
Also, the GC’s system is always on (Auto) while you can operate the 4WD 4Runner in 2WD, at your discretion.
Both are more in keeping with their respective missions.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The GC is the gentlemanly Jeep. The Toyota has stubble on its chin. Both are very capable vehicles but the 4Runner is less versatile, the more single-minded of the two.
If I were going to spend my weekends (or even one weekend a month) rock-crawling, if I had to deal with Minnesota-level endless winters, I’d lean toward the 4Runner.
But if I needed to pull my boat to the lake every weekend and drove to work every weekday in it, I’d lean toward the Jeep.
The V8 version in particular.
Nothing else like it on the road.
Not that’s new – or recent – anyhow.
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I don’t know if you get comments on old reviews but we’ll try…
We bought one of the “Cheating” Passats that had been ok’d by Uncle to get back on the road. Great car! Actually the nicest car I’ve ever owned. We had a 2013 Fusion but were never really happy with it. When the opportunity came up to buy the car that we really wanted at less than half the price of new with the super-warranty we jumped on it.
And, with that great TDI engine I’ve decided that my next vehicle is going to be a GC Diesel. My on;y concern is that the Italian engine doesn’t have the track record of a VW or Cummins. Since we don’t buy new (let someone else eat depreciation) that is kind of a big deal.
Are there any pros or cons on this engine yet?
What is the longevity on these things? I test drove one of these this past summer and suffered a case of Japanese-Revenge with the million buttons and pedal shifters on the steering wheel which I accidentally pushed into 1st gear while doing 50mph in the test drive. Other than that it was nice.
Hi Brazos,
The mechanicals seem to be pretty solid; it’s the electronics that are generally troublesome in any modern vehicle.
Your best bet is to get out and about and walk the walk and hide as best you can your singular shame. Go to churches community centers agoras. Driving several hours away from home first helps you feel anonymous and less self conscious.
An easy start, is to play the interested customer, a girl on the job will at least engage with you, so you can practice. Don’t bring your money or wallet though, just in case. She might be extremely persuasive.
13 Clues that Will Tell You if She is Single or Taken (If you’re thinking about hiring a saleswoman, make sure there’s at least a chance of relation escalation)
http://www.lovepanky.com/men/essentials-for-men/clues-that-will-tell-you-if-she-is-single-or-taken
The only women who are obviously not single are the ones walking around sporting diamond rings
#1 She makes eye contact. If she wants to talk to you, she will be more than willing to look at you. Even if she’s not making direct eye contact, her face will be angled towards you in anticipation for the inevitable locking of gazes.
#2 She smiles at you. If she doesn’t do this immediately, make the first move and show her those pearly whites. A girl who is single and interested is more likely to smile back and keep eye contact, while a girl who has a boyfriend will smile awkwardly and turn away – for good. There are no look-backs with this one.
Just try to be funny. Or interesting. Kind of like you are here everyday. Put some real life blog article titles out into the air, and see who responds to them, and how. It’s a process. Forget cliches like dating. You’re out promoting your blog, or looking for new article ideas, that’s all.
Question for you Eric. I remember you also reviewed the Ridgeline quite favorably. I know their virtues don’t align completely. But if I put a camper shell on the Ridgeline, either the GC or the Honda could work for me. Their abilities do overlap a lot.
Hypothetically assuming that either would work for you, which one would be your preference, and why?
Thanks.
Hi Mike,
The Ridgeline – hands down. Why? Because I need (and can use) the bed and don’t need the heavy-duty 4×4 capability. I’d go with the 2WD (FWD) Honda, which would be plenty for 99.5 percent of my needs (the remaining .5 percent, I can borrow a friend’s heavy-duty 4×4!). Contrariwise, with the Jeep, I’d have to buy the 4×4 version (costs more) because otherwise it’s RWD and RWD sucks in poor weather while FWD is manageable if you are a decent shoe.
Thanks Eric. I do need some off road ability, but not really “heavy duty.” So AWD, at least, is factored into my requirements.
Think I’d still reach the same ultimate choice. Because of Honda’s better mpg…..and at least a perceived reputation for build quality and long term reliability.
And I don’t think that power/performance would be too different.
I had a 2006 Ridgeline for several years. Yes, the looks were something only it’s momma would love, but functionally it was excellent. The new truck is better in every respect, save the finger-print smeared touchscreen radio.
The AWD system did everything I asked. If you had good tires, it was terrific in snow (until the depth got to where the truck would get high-centered).
As good as the ride was empty, if you put 500lbs in the bed, it got even better.
I had a soft top for it (Softopper brand) and it was pretty much a pain to put on/off. But when it was off you could stuff it into a corner of your garage and you could do it solo. With a fiberglas topper, you’d need a friend to help you, and you’d need somewhere like under the deck to store it.
I liked the lines of an Avalanche but hated the flat black panels all over it. I thought the Ridgeline looked fine and no flat panels bested what Chevy had done. I’d only own one if I could afford it and a full-size pickup too but I can see a lot of people not needing a full-size pickup.
My parents bought and S 10 right after I’d tested everything in that category and told them to buy nearly anything but the S 10. I’m sure they were sucked in by the car-like interior and the comfy ride but we already knew they were POS by that point and the brand new one I drove had bad rear-wheel lockup, a really fast way to get killed in a pickup.
Their next vehicle was an Ext. Cab 1500 Silverado with a short bed and it was much more flexible for them. They could even borrow trailers that were outsized for the S 10 and it became their hauler for things they couldn’t even dream of with a small pickup. I used it a couple times to haul cattle and it excelled at that.
They only bought that pickup because of the Ext. cab and knew many people who had them and really liked them. The truck outlived both of them.
I had a rental GC for ten days this summer. Picked it up in Vegas and drove it all over southern Utah. After a few hours of hatred (visibility, electronics, etc) I ended up really liking it.
Great at 80, great on twisties in the mountains, great in torrential rains, great on some pretty gnarly back roads. Oh, and my wife loved it (she hates driving the Tahoe).
I have never owned Jeep, but I would absolutely consider this one. Great review, eric. Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words, Yeti!
Did you get to drive the V8?
Nope, just the 6. Never felt underpowered, but I obviously wasn’t towing anything.
Overall, it was just a really nice ride. No contest between it and every crossover I’ve driven.
Will you be doing a full 4Runner review?
Hi Yeti,
Having driven all three (gas V6, gas V8 and diesel V6), herewith my thoughts on Pros and Cons:
V6: Best all-arounder; powerful and reasonably fuel efficient (for what it is). It’s the one I’d buy if I didn’t need to tow more than 3,500 lbs. (it is rated for more, but I like a margin) and used it as my daily driver.
V8: Hands down the most fun. So equipped, the thing is quicker than most classic muscle cars. Pulls a heavy trailer easily. If you need to pull 5,000-plus pounds often and can comfortably afford the gas bills… get this one.
Diesel V6: Pulls as much as the V8; better for off-roading (incredible torque) and not-too-terrible mileage. It’s the one I’d pick if I needed to pull the heavy trailer, went off-road a lot but didn’t want to get eaten alive by gas bills. This one delivers on the EPA numbers; the V8 is much worse if you “get on it.”
And who wouldn’t? 🙂
On 4Runner: I’m expecting a 2017 (should be heavily updated) but no word yet from Toyota…
https://www.reddit.com/r/seduction/
The game in a nutshell
https://imgur.com/eoxNJCX
Yogi Bhajan> Quotes
“An attitude of gratitude brings great things.”
“Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light.”
“Make yourself so happy so that when others look at you they become happy too”
“The purpose of life is to watch and experience living. To enjoy living every moment of it. And to live in environments, which are calm, quiet, slow, sophisticated, elegant. Just to be. Whether you are naked or you have a golden robe on you, that doesn’t make any difference. The ideal purpose of your life is that you are grateful – great and full – that you are alive, and you enjoy it.”
“When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful.”
“If you are willing to look at another person’s behavior toward you as a reflection of the state of their relationship with themselves rather than a statement about your value as a person, then you will, over a period of time cease to react at all.”
“Share your strengths, not your weaknesses.”
“Feel good, be good, and do good.”
“The greatest art is to sit, and wait, and let it come.”
“A failure is only a step on the way to your success.”
“Make yourself so happy, that by looking at you, other people become happy.”
“You have to understand the purpose of life, the purpose of life is to do something which will live forever.”
“Have wisdom in your actions and faith in your merits.”
“Self-reliance conquers any difficulty”
“Hope is not a prediction of the future, it’s a declaration of what’s possible.”
“All happiness is in the mind.”
“Our purpose in this life is to live in higher consciousness and to teach others to live in higher consciousness. But the best test to that consciousness is humility, selflessness, and sweetness. When you teach, teach with honesty, truthfulness, and straightforwardness. As a teacher, never compromise. As a man, always compromise. The teacher who compromises is an idiot; a person who does not compromise is an idiot. Because the teacher does not teach for himself, but for the higher consciousness. And higher consciousness will never compromise with lower consciousness. This is a straight law and that has to be considered as a law; that has to be observed as a law.”
“Three mantras you should never say: (1) I don’t know. (2) I’m not ready. (3) I can’t do it. ”
“Love is the ultimate state of human being where compassion prevails and kindness rules.”
“If you can’t see God in all, you can’t see God at all”
“Your total life is nothing without activity. When you are not acting, you are dead. You act in sleep also. You act through dreams. You act through mental vibrations. You are continually vibrating. The moment you don’t vibrate you are dead. Death is nothing but nonvibration of a finite unit. That’s all death is.”
“Life is a book of changes. It should be read only to understand how it works. You can’t help the changes in life; they must come whether they are good or bad because the good must follow the bad and the bad must follow the good.”
“For every beautiful thing, you have to pass through a valley of hardship. There is no liberation without labor. There is no freedom which is free. To create in you the power to create the intelligence which will give you power to be effective in your own living and give you satisfaction in your own joy, you have to work for it, you have to earn it. E”
“The most difficult thing on the earth one can practice is to be humble. It is not easy; it is difficult, because you have to surmount the existence of whole maya and to recognize that God is by your side. Then you feel the humility.”
“If your presence doesn’t work, neither will your word.”
“The whole planet Earth shines with exactly the same radiance, and I am a part of it, and it is a part of me. And I know it is all temporary. Earth has given me a vehicle for staying on it, and I am beyond the vehicle. The day I have to leave, that vehicle has to be left back on this earth, deposited in its bosom safely and securely.”
“Sacrifice is total nonpresence of the I.”
“You are dead because you’re not alive to your consciousness. But when you face the sequence and relate it to the consequence and then surmount the consequences, you become alive. Trust only comes when you trust yourself. When you trust your dignity, you will always be dignified. When you trust your love, you will always be lovable. When you trust your beauty, you will always be beautiful. When you trust your greatness, you will always be great.”
“Be enlightened that the other human being is you. Understand through compassion that passion will make you misunderstand. Vibrate on the cosmos and the cosmos will clear your path. When fear and insecurity leave you, truth and spirit will be with you.”
Tor, I prefer the sayings of the other Yogi, Yogi Berra:
• Perhaps his most famous of all: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
• “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
• On posterity: “I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.”
• “You can observe a lot by watching.”
• “If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
• About a St. Louis restaurant: “No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
• About the effect of the sun in left field in the old Yankee Stadium during late-season games: “It gets late early out there.”
• About Bill Dickey: “He learned me all his experience.”
• “If people don’t want to come to the ballpark, how are you going to stop them?”
• “We made too many wrong mistakes.”
• “Pie a la mode, with ice cream.”
• “I wish I had an answer to that, because I’m tired of answering that question.”
• “You tell the stupidest questions.”
• “Never answer an anonymous letter.”
• On the great Sandy Koufax: “I can see how he won 25 games. What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”
Yeti, I have an ’84 Wagoneer sitting in the “hurt yard” from a friend running the back into a tree….real hard. If he hadn’t ruined that body I’d be driving it now with a SBC and an OD transmission. That was a nice vehicle(expensive too) and I drove it 100mph(top speed)in snow and ice. it would crawl up a trail and with a V-8 it pulled trailers fine, did a lot of miles with a Ranger Trails and a Ranger 335 behind it and it barely knew it. The fly in the ointment was the electric/vacuum controls which I could have fixed with sealant and something other than vacuum line. But that thing was nice, smooth, and not bad on gas considering the 360 was nearly choked to death. I’m not above finding another one and making it my main ride. Cutting the cab off behind the rear seat and putting a bed behind it would work fine too. I’m not that good a body guy though. I could do it with enough time, better spent driving a big rig. Maybe when I retire(drop dead at the wheel).
Yeti, I’ll give you a hint on the Tahoe. Put a rear sway bar on it. They make some big ones aftermarket. i’ve done it and it changes the handling more than you’d believe. Another big plus is aftermarket bushings in the steering, makes it turn quicker even though you haven’t changed anything but the bushings. I also recommend braided SS front disc lines. That will change it from mash to an easy touch. There’s a lot of performance waiting in most things like Tahoes and a Tahoe is an easy one to find those things and easy on the wallet too. Seriously, you won’t believe the way one handles with that big bar on the rear. The Edelbrock IAS Performer shocks provide a true variable rate. I couldn’t believe how mushy they were on the road going straight, a really easy ride. All you have to do is turn the wheel and the harder you turn it the faster it responds. I have never used a shock anywhere as good as they are.
Thanks, Eight! It’s been a great vehicle for me (especially when I was towing a lot and hauling hockey players!), but it does wallow like a lumber wagon.
You’re right, too about the parts. So many aftermarket suppliers everything is cheap and easy to find.
I’ll look into upgrading that rear suspension and steering. Thanks for the advice!
Yeti, do the rear sway bar, the front bushings and replace those front brake lines with something that doesn’t expand in use and you won’t believe it’s the same vehicle.
I did some work on a friends, the rear sway bar the main thing. He told me years later it saved his life. He was forced off the road at highway speed into a deep barditch with a big cut right in front of him. He managed to whip it up the slope right before running into that hole that would have killed him. He said it would have never done it without the rear sway bar.
Like Yeti, in April of this year, we rented a 2016 Grand Cherokee in Vegas. We traveled to Southern Utah, then over the eastern route to South Grand Canyon, then to Sedona and Phoenix, AZ. There were four of us, plus luggage. I was the sole driver for over 1,000 miles. I liked the vehicle. It’s roomy, comfortable, and easy to drive with good gauges and a large entertainment/nav screen. I had to push it to maintain 75 MPH on some uphill sections at altitude and the air conditioning fan had to be loudly run at high speed to handle the 100 degree Phoenix heat but those were my only complaints.
With the base engine, I averaged just over 24 MPG for the trip. I found that impressive but would have loved to have had the diesel engine – probably could have obtained mileage in the mid 30s, plus more power for hills.
Hi David,
It’s a nice rig; I prefer it to the too-big (for me) Tahoe and like that it has real capability (unlike most crossovers) and yet is still a very civilized vehicle despite that.
I’d choose the diesel, too.
I always thought the Grand Cherokee competitor was Rover. The big SUVs from Ford and GM are much too boat-like for major off roading. The 4 runner (and FJ) and former Nissan Pathfinder more in competition with the 4 door wrangler than the GC. The Grand Cherokee has always been the high-end vehicle that looks good in the country club parking lot and has the bragging rights when it comes to going on safari.
Hi Eric,
The Range Rover Sport is very similar… but starts at almost $65k!
I would think it’s closer to the LR4, which starts at $50k with a supercharged 6 (uncle killed the LR V8 here). I’ve got a 2012 LR4 with the V8 and, if the Grand Cherokee was available then with the diesel, I probably would’ve gotten it instead. Love the LR V8, but it gets used for everything from road trips to pulling 7000 lbs, and the diesel (offered by Land Rover for everywhere but here) would be sweet.
“Diesel’s high cost ($5k added to the bottom line) negates its fuel economy advantages.”
I know you didn’t list all the prices Eric, but unless my math is wrong, the diesel is only $1205 more than the V8 in that top of the line trim.
Hi Phillip,
I should have been more clear… the $5k bump is vs. the gas V6 (standard).
Understood. I was just pointing that if you are going to step up the engine, the diesel is not that much bigger a step.
As Ed used to say – you are correct, sir!