2012 Diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee: First Drive

[vicpick58]

You ought to buy a lottery ticket, or stay out of a lightning storm. As near as I can calculate the odds of having two Jeeps go that many miles rank between being hit by lightning ( in any one year is 1 in 700,000, the odds of being struck in your lifetime is 1 in 3,000) and winning the lottery (winning a Powerball jackpot is 1 in 175,223,510) so get out there and buy one you lucky guy!

No actually I have the worst luck whenever I try gambling. The Jeeps were not exactly trouble free miles, but did have good engines and transmissions.

My anal maintenance schedule and use of synthetic fluids may have helped.

My first Jeep was fairly good so I bought a second one used, (big mistake) the second one was the top of the line Overland model with all the bells and whistles. Well almost all that crap failed or gave me problems over the years. Especially the automatic HVAC blend doors.

Another reason why I chose the Trail Edition, fairly simple with out a lot of that extra nonsense stuff. Except of course the two knobs in the upper console, I have yet to use them and see no need for that stuff.

2 high, 4 high, 4 low and rear locker is all I need. I wish the anti lock brakes could be disabled when in deep snow or gravel. I still like to be able to lock em up for a second or two to build that ridge in front of the tires when trying to slow down.

 

[1engineer]

No actually I have the worst luck whenever I try gambling. The Jeeps were not exactly trouble free miles, but did have good engines and transmissions.

My anal maintenance schedule and use of synthetic fluids may have helped.

My first Jeep was fairly good so I bought a second one used, (big mistake) the second one was the top of the line Overland model with all the bells and whistles. Well almost all that crap failed or gave me problems over the years. Especially the automatic HVAC blend doors.

Another reason why I chose the Trail Edition, fairly simple with out a lot of that extra nonsense stuff. Except of course the two knobs in the upper console, I have yet to use them and see no need for that stuff.

2 high, 4 high, 4 low and rear locker is all I need. I wish the anti lock brakes could be disabled when in deep snow or gravel. I still like to be able to lock em up for a second or two to build that ridge in front of the tires when trying to slow down.

I totally agree on the two knobs. I have yet to use them either and I like my money to be used on durable, reliable parts instead of bright shiny bling items. I am loving the seat material though! Mud is no problem. Water? bring it on.

 

[crunchcity]

I never hear friends bragging about their Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge anything "still going strong" with 150,000 miles or more. It seems commonplace with Toyota's. This Jeep does sound like a great package but it still looks like an M&M with wheels.

Seems a good percentage of this forum flip their vehicles every few years, this would never come into play for many.

 

[Bay33saw]

No actually I have the worst luck whenever I try gambling. The Jeeps were not exactly trouble free miles, but did have good engines and transmissions.

My anal .....:jaw drop:.........maintenance schedule and use of synthetic fluids may have helped.

My first Jeep was fairly good so I bought a second one used, (big mistake) the second one was the top of the line Overland model with all the bells and whistles. Well almost all that crap failed or gave me problems over the years. Especially the automatic HVAC blend doors.

Another reason why I chose the Trail Edition, fairly simple with out a lot of that extra nonsense stuff. Except of course the two knobs in the upper console, I have yet to use them and see no need for that stuff.

2 high, 4 high, 4 low and rear locker is all I need. I wish the anti lock brakes could be disabled when in deep snow or gravel. I still like to be able to lock em up for a second or two to build that ridge in front of the tires when trying to slow down.

Wow........LOL ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[KCcarguy]

I totally agree on the two knobs. I have yet to use them either and I like my money to be used on durable, reliable parts instead of bright shiny bling items. I am loving the seat material though! Mud is no problem. Water? bring it on.

OK 1e, I was already jealous of your new TE. Now you're just rubbing it in! Now....let me get back to blacking-out all my "bright shiny bling" with the rattle can.

 

[1engineer]

OK 1e, I was already jealous of your new TE. Now you just rubbing it in! Now....let me get back to blacking-out all my "bright shiny bling" with the rattle can.

I was talking about the JGC's smoke and mirrors shiny bling lol.

 

[Curt Sauve]

Has anybody else had failure of a CRD Resonator Valve on 3.0CRD WK2? - Jeep Garage - Jeep Forum

Impressive....I wonder how many of these will break-down before they finish their first tank?

Every time I think about the Grand Cherokee, I remember the news story with guys at the JGC plant smoking pot and drinking on their lunch break. These guys were never fired due to "lack of evidence". Keep that in mind when you drop that 45-grand.

 

[KCcarguy]

Has anybody else had failure of a CRD Resonator Valve on 3.0CRD WK2? - Jeep Garage - Jeep Forum

They must have had a good lunch break the day they built that one.

 

[Intruder]

I totally agree on the two knobs. I have yet to use them either

The right knob is meh, but you really need to try the left knob at least once on a trail - preferably a decent hill climb.

 

[Antman]

My anal maintenance schedule and use of synthetic fluids may have helped.

This part is just plain gross, good man!

 

[Titanpat57]

This part is just plain gross, good man!

It never gets a rest in your little corner of the world does it?.....



















:becky:

 

[Lolrax]

This part is just plain gross, good man!

Hahahahaha!

Honestly when it comes to this topic, I just can't bring myself to buy a Chrysler product. The JGC is like buying a McMansion.

 

[M1911]

Just saw the 2014 design on Autoblog:

While the 2014 Cherokee does look awful, that is the 2014 Cherokee (that is, replacement for the Liberty) NOT the Grand Cherokee.

 

[DDM4]

Jeep's quality is improving while Toyota's has been waning of late. I don't think they've passed each other going opposite ways yet, but some of the comments I've read are pretty ridiculous.

I don't think there are many (if any) pure piece of shit vehicles manufactured today. If you have a frame of reference of more than a few decades, you'll feel more comfortable agreeing with me. A lot of you guys refer to the old Daimler days while bashing the current crop... You've lost me on the logic progression with that line of thinking.

Still a toyota fan first for the main reason of ruggedness and quality of work, but let's not get lost in fanboy-ness. Especially if the feelings are driven by an outdated reference.

 

[msommers]

The latest generation Grand Cherokees are completely different than their previous versions. They're actually built on a Mercedes-Benz platform and the overall fit and finish shows.

I was seriously considering a GC Limited or Overlander as it came with a V8 option, fully adjustable height suspension, CONSIDERABLY nicer interior, WAY MORE creature comforts and they were offering 0% financing. Gas mileage on the V8 is also better than the V6 4R. But the price was ~$55K new or the $40K I paid for my 1 year old 4R. Not sure how much a used GC would have cost me. They've been out for a few years now, any serious reported problems on the latest generation?

I had one for about a week when I was in Maui and it was quite comfortable to drive. Feels a ot more nimble on the road than the SR5. I'd be really interested to see how it drove off the lot onto the trails. Any of the serious offroaders here have modified their vehicles already and Jeep owners would do the same.

The latest redesign is horrendous though.

 

[Quentin]

The latest generation Grand Cherokees are completely different than their previous versions. They're actually built on a Mercedes-Benz platform and the overall fit and finish shows.

So, is this a Daimler car or not?

Gas mileage on the V8 is also better than the V6 4R.

According to Consumer Reports, the V6 4Runner accelerates on par with the V8 Jeep while getting the same mileage of the V6 Jeep.

 

[Curt Sauve]

Jeep's quality is improving while Toyota's has been waning of late. I don't think they've passed each other going opposite ways yet, but some of the comments I've read are pretty ridiculous.

I don't think there are many (if any) pure piece of shit vehicles manufactured today. If you have a frame of reference of more than a few decades, you'll feel more comfortable agreeing with me. A lot of you guys refer to the old Daimler days while bashing the current crop... You've lost me on the logic progression with that line of thinking.

Still a toyota fan first for the main reason of ruggedness and quality of work, but let's not get lost in fanboy-ness. Especially if the feelings are driven by an outdated reference.

So, you work for Fiatsler/dealership, but still own/drive Toyotas?

 

[msommers]

My mistake on fuel mileage. I was interested in the 2013 numbers so I looked at their brochure and saw the highway numbers which were better than mine by about 1L/100km. Then I saw the advertised numbers on the Toyota website...lol I've never even gotten close to their 9.4L/100km...guess you can never rely on brochure numbers. I feel bad for all the Ecoboost truck owners ound:

The JGC is hardly an ML for a lot cheaper but from what I've read, there are a lot of similar parts, frame, suspension etc. There is a reason why the price is so much more on the MB and it's not just because of the brand. Still, I think the JGC is a lot of vehicle for the price.

 

[Barry694]

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Comment about being built on Mercedes frame makes it even worse. Go to the Mercedes forums and you will find out they spend a lot of time in the shop. I own a 4Runner and a Lexus LS460. On the LS Forum you will find a number of people who owned Lexus, went to Mercedes, and came back to Lexus in a couple of years because their Mercedes again spent too much time in the shop. Reliability is what most people want in a car and no one beats Lexus and very few can come close to Toyota. I have owned 25 new vehicles and 12 of those were Toyotas and 3 are Lexus. Before, those I owned various products, both U.S. and foreign. I will continue to stick with the Toyota/Lexus products. I never had any mechanical problems with any of them.

 

[M1911]

So, is this a Daimler car or not?

Jeep and Daimler worked together the develop the platform that underlies the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, Mercedes ML, and Mercedes GL. IIRC correctly, the engineering wasn't complete before the companies split.

Note that while they share platform engineering, the bulk of the vehicles are different -- drivetrains, interiors, electronics, etc.