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What's the skinny on Jeep?

C

cbrunny

Diamond Member
Pardon the somewhat punny thread title (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2421398), but this is legit question.

I'm thinking about a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, but we are shopping around the Crossover/Compact SUV class. It ticks basically all the boxes on my list, except for "big" storage space (an issue I'd run into regardless of what I buy) and potentially a reliability concern. My brother has a Dodge Caravan from a few years ago and had some pretty major problems with the electrical system in it. His was all covered under warranty and I believe he also sprung for the extended, but he suggests staying far way from anything Chrysler. I googled around a bit and had a hard time finding anything that I felt was overly reliable, save for the headlines about their head of quality being let go last year.

Is Jeep/Chrysler one to avoid?
 
They seem to be well reviewed and the few folks I know who have one are happy with it.

I think you'd get a lot more for your $ with a secondhand Grand Cherokee.
 
I will never, ever buy another Chrysler product.

My previous Chrysler blew its automatic transmission at 83,000 miles, despite meticulous maintenance since new. A tooth broke off in the tranny's hydraulic pump, shooting metal throughout the system. It was clearly a defect. "Out of warranty, can't do a thing for you," the dealer said. I drive a Honda now.

My wife just had to have a Fiat 500, so we got it. It has 20,000 miles on it. So far, it has had...

  • Four sets of tail lamp covers, and two sets of lamp housings. The new set is already showing moisture inside.
  • An instrument cluster due to a faulty LCD.
  • A door handle.
  • A steering column cover
  • A crankshaft and crankshaft bearings! On an engine with 20,000 miles on it!
Ironically, it was made in the same Mexican factory that my former Chrysler was. I'm terrified of what this thing is going to cost us when the warranty is up. My recommendation is to avoid Chrysler products at all costs.
 
CA19100 said:
My previous Chrysler blew its automatic transmission at 83,000 miles, despite meticulous maintenance since new.
Click to expand...
Heh - my sister-in-law had a Chrysler (Dodge Shadow IIRC) that blew its transmission at about 20K miles, and they wouldn't warranty it either. This was back in the early 90s when Chrysler was much more craptastic than they are now.

I don't know anyone with a Cherokee...they really aren't that popular around here.
 
2015 Jeep Cherokee Limited owner since Sept 2014. First oil change a couple weeks ago at 3000 miles. Service guy said I had 2-3 RRT's so they'd do that at the same time...think they were all transmission related flashes. Also, I had to replace the windshield due to a rock chip I didn't notice cracked all the away across one morning when temp was in the single digit range. Wasn't cheap either...other than that everything's been running great

All in all...loving the Jeep. I've owned Jeep/Chrysler products since 1996 - jeep Wranger 2, Chrysler sebring 2yrs, 300m 12yrs, and 300S 3yrs
 
My 2014 grand cherokee spent a month in the shop for an electrical problem they couldn't find at first. They did end up fixing it and I'm enjoying the Jeep more now, however it's hard for me to trust it.

That said, no automaker is perfect so I can't recommend much else. What you typically find on the Internet are people that have complaints, not people that have zero problems. I know a few people that have had lots of Chrysler products with minimal issue. What Jeep has going for it is very good interiors with decent electronic features. The Toyota and Honda interiors just seem cheap by comparison, and you have to just up to the Lexus/Acura to get better interiors.
 
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3,000 miles? Seems awfully early for a vehicle with a ~10K interval and a ~4K severe service interval.
 
My dad has 2 Jeep Wranglers

A 2013 Wrangler base (whatever the lowest trim level is, with hand-crank windows and nothing but A/C and radio options), and a 2014 4-Door Wrangler 'Rubicon' fully loaded.

He absolutely ADORES them. I can't say how many miles he has on them, but they've driven across the country a few times and he drives them to work everyday, and he hasn't had a problem with either yet.
 
We have a 2013 Grand Caravan and a 2014 Dodge Durango. Have not had any issues with either vehicle. I really like the Durgango's interior, it is very well done and has excellent materials. The Uconnect system is also excellent.

The current Grand Cherokee and Durango are on a platform co-designed by Chrysler and Mercedes
 
Yeah in our case the Grand Cherokee is out of budget, so we are just looking at the Cherokee. I believe the Cherokee is a Fiat/Chrysler as noted above, though I am far from expert. It's quite a bit cheaper, though surprisingly not that much smaller in terms of cargo space. Grand Cherokee has ~68 cubic feet with rear seats folded, whereas the Cherokee has ~54. To put that in perspective the 5-person Santa Fe by Hyundai has about 71.

I'm having a really hard time with this purchase. Not because its Jeep or Hyundai or GM (Cherokee, Santa Fe, Equinox) but because there is so much variability between the brands within this class.

[ramble]

The Jeep has the most going for it, with an interior that I adore, a wonderfully smooth 9-speed transmission, fuel economy, 4x4, and all the features I could want. There are two things holding me back - cargo size and price. Price point with similar options on the three is very close though, so I guess its just size. And we have a small utility trailer that we use from time to time when the Pontiac G6 doesn't have enough room. We have two Siberian Huskies, no kids, no immediate plans for kids, but want to do more camping and cottaging. Space isn't the most important thing yet, but it will be once kid #2 comes along...whenever that is. But I guess for the three times a year we need the extra space we could pull the trailer. That's why we'd have it afterall... hmm...

The decision to buy has been forced upon us with the death of my wife's Ford Fusion 06. We can comfortably afford the payments on any of these, but have also been considering moving. Things get a bit tighter in the budget area when the car payment is factored in with a new house too. Damn I want it all. Decisions are hard.

[/ramble]
 
What happened with the Fusion? I've had 2 so far and I've had issues, but nothing major.

Given that I'm a Ford person, have you considered the Escape? It too has 67.8cuft of cargo space behind first row (sounds similar to Grand Cherokee), but obviously you're going to give up on some of the nice interior, although I think the technology in them are great. And if you're towing at all, it isn't even a consideration. But, it's a good price (I think).
 
Well we are towing a small utility trailer. 1500lbs at most. Any mid-size SUV that can't handle that shouldn't be in contention anyway haha. I think the Escape has a hitch option for that class of towing. We did test drive an Escape. It was nice, but didn't grab me.

Her fusion has always been a bit of a lemon. She bought it second hand, which isn't normally a problem except that its a Quebec car. It often had issues with overheating due to problems with the thermostat, then the replacement thermostat leaked, and then replacement to the replacement needed replacing too. We recently discovered that it has two holes in the coolant loop, has a hole in the oil pan, rusted exhaust, and currently needs brakes. Brakes are obviously routine but on top of the bill for repairs we are calling it quits on this one at 170,000 km.
 
cbrunny said:
Well we are towing a small utility trailer. 1500lbs at most. Any mid-size SUV that can't handle that shouldn't be in contention anyway haha. I think the Escape has a hitch option for that class of towing. We did test drive an Escape. It was nice, but didn't grab me.
Click to expand...

If something the size of an Escape is in the running, have you considered a Mazda CX-5?
 
DaveStall said:
If something the size of an Escape is in the running, have you considered a Mazda CX-5?
Click to expand...

We have not, but only because I have that weird non-tangible "I hate Mazda for no reason" thing going on. Apart from a friends Mazda 3 a few months ago, I haven't really driven a Mazda in years. I wasn't much of a fan of the 3 though.
 
cbrunny said:
We have not, but only because I have that weird non-tangible "I hate Mazda for no reason" thing going on. Apart from a friends Mazda 3 a few months ago, I haven't really driven a Mazda in years. I wasn't much of a fan of the 3 though.
Click to expand...

I can understand that. It's funny, we must be polar opposites on the car spectrum. My Mazda 3 is hands down the best car I have ever owned and I despise anything Jeep/Chrysler .. lol.
 
I don't know why no one notices that there is not a single model of car new redesigned car that hasn't had any issues currently. Too many new electronics at too low of a price point with too many new fuel regulations crunching in even more on the bottom line. Basically cars have had to get too new too fast.

And I said redesigned above because people like toyota tend to use powertrains from the 90's, like the Toyota Tundra's V8.
 
I had a 1999 Cherokee... It was decent/fair for the money at the time.

These days, prices are a lot higher due to inflation and you seem to get similar quality problems. I've heard good things about the Cherokee from those who bought them, but Chrysler still hasn't erased its poor QC in my mind yet. I know more about their failures of Chrysler than any of the other major manufacturers and I've not owned a Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep in 15 years. (if that explains why I avoid them)

I have a 4Runner and am happy with it. For the money, I'd probably look at CRV or RAV4 unless you just want Jeep for the brand image (offroad vehicle)....just be aware that all of those crossover SUVs are about the same with AWD/4WD and that they're glorified cars.....not Hummers.
 
The new Cherokee with Active Drive Lock is quite capable off-road, as are the Grand Cherokees with quadra trac 2 and quadra drive.
 
LTC8K6 said:
The new Cherokee with Active Drive Lock is quite capable off-road, as are the Grand Cherokees with quadra trac 2 and quadra drive.
Click to expand...
If that was in response to my "glorified cars" statement. I wasn't trying to cut down Jeep, in particular... I was just saying that any awd/4wd vehicle with similar ground clearance will be about the same unless you have 4WD low as an option (which many do).

My biggest gripe for these kinds of vehicles actually being used off-road is that they're just too pretty. If you really use them for trail driving, the body panels are way too thin and they're going to get scratched up. 😛

I think the Grand Cherokees look much more attractive than the Cherokee...but don't know if it's worth the money for a Grand because of my feelings toward Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep vehicles. I've not driven one in 15 years either...so I'm not really one to ask.
 
05 liberty with 225k still going strong
01 ram with 160k and still going

i'll stick to chrysler for a while
 
cbrunny said:
Well we are towing a small utility trailer. 1500lbs at most. Any mid-size SUV that can't handle that shouldn't be in contention anyway haha. I think the Escape has a hitch option for that class of towing. We did test drive an Escape. It was nice, but didn't grab me.

Her fusion has always been a bit of a lemon. She bought it second hand, which isn't normally a problem except that its a Quebec car. It often had issues with overheating due to problems with the thermostat, then the replacement thermostat leaked, and then replacement to the replacement needed replacing too. We recently discovered that it has two holes in the coolant loop, has a hole in the oil pan, rusted exhaust, and currently needs brakes. Brakes are obviously routine but on top of the bill for repairs we are calling it quits on this one at 170,000 km.
Click to expand...

Ah Well 1500 might not be too bad, I'd still probably opt for something else though if I'm being honest.
 
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