2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Thread starter Thai
- Start date
GC Overland Air Suspension Failed on Test Drive, So Bought a 4Runner Instead
Last week, I bought 4Runner Trail Edition. After months of research, I narrowed my choices down to a Grand Cherokee Overland with Off Road Package and 4Runner Trail Edition. Emotionally, I wanted the Wrangler Rubicon. But, I take a couple 500 mile trips per year from San Diego to Tahoe and cannot imagine my kids surviving in the back seat that long. I thought the GC would be a good compromise. The GC had very comfortable interior, lots of luxury features and a 5.7L V-8. However, the GC's cargo area is tiny. And, what made me walk away from the GC was that on the test drive, the Quadra Lift II Air Suspension failed -- it would not go up or down -- playing directly into my concerns about Jeep reliability.
The 4Runner Trail Edition will meet my realistic needs to bump around the local trails, city commuting and Tahoe trips, and has a tremendous reputation for quality. While not as comfortable and luxurious as the GC, it does have the comfort of piece of mind and is certainly comfortable enough. While the cargo area is bigger than a GC, I learned from a weekend hunting trip, I need to look into roof top storage options. I am excited about modding the new truck and seeing what it can do.
The bottom line, however, is the Jeep's Quadra Lift failure on the test drive ended up making a tough decision very easy.
Last week, I bought 4Runner Trail Edition. After months of research, I narrowed my choices down to a Grand Cherokee Overland with Off Road Package and 4Runner Trail Edition. Emotionally, I wanted the Wrangler Rubicon. But, I take a couple 500 mile trips per year from San Diego to Tahoe and cannot imagine my kids surviving in the back seat that long. I thought the GC would be a good compromise. The GC had very comfortable interior, lots of luxury features and a 5.7L V-8. However, the GC's cargo area is tiny. And, what made me walk away from the GC was that on the test drive, the Quadra Lift II Air Suspension failed -- it would not go up or down -- playing directly into my concerns about Jeep reliability.
The 4Runner Trail Edition will meet my realistic needs to bump around the local trails, city commuting and Tahoe trips, and has a tremendous reputation for quality. While not as comfortable and luxurious as the GC, it does have the comfort of piece of mind and is certainly comfortable enough. While the cargo area is bigger than a GC, I learned from a weekend hunting trip, I need to look into roof top storage options. I am excited about modding the new truck and seeing what it can do.
The bottom line, however, is the Jeep's Quadra Lift failure on the test drive ended up making a tough decision very easy.
I currently own an '11 GC overland that will be traded this weekend for a 4runner. we've got two kids and need a third row vehicle. the GC is very nice and we love all the doo-dads they put into it. but the reliability and terrible resale history for GCs was the deciding factor for us. we test drove a 4x4 limited with 3rd row and we're sold. we like the looks of the GC better and will miss HIDs, power lift gate, and fancy air ride, but i can see all of those items failing just as the warrenty expires.
