Considering purchasing a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Thread starter Roadkill
- Start date
LandCruiser
New member
Jeeps come with the option of the massive V8, and the Trailhawk is super nice. The leather interior is something out of a luxury car.
My problem is that they are very expensive and depreciate fast. Chrysler's dependability is spotty, and if were to buy a Heep, it'd be the Rubi Wrangler.
My problem is that they are very expensive and depreciate fast. Chrysler's dependability is spotty, and if were to buy a Heep, it'd be the Rubi Wrangler.
coversion
New member
I too was at one point on the fence, coming down between the T4R & the JGC. Most everything has been covered, and at the end of the day it's your choice to make given your needs & desires.
One thing I do think still worth pointing out that weighed heavily in my final decision was looking at comparable "enthusiast" forums.
Just look at the top pages with the most active threads. Here, for example, you will see gripes, questions, and the occasional bug. However, for the most part, all you see are people enjoying their 4Runners. Most the threads are mods, how-to's and pictures of people loving their vehicles.
Conversely, go look at a Grand Cherokee forum (WK2 Grand Cherokee Forum - JeepForum.com)
Look at all the fun these Jeep Grand Cherokee enthusiasts are having with their WK2's (the latest model). Just a sample from the top page:
-2014 GC – Elctrical Problems?
-Rattle up front
-Hydroplaning increased on stock tires
-Service Bulletin: Transmission
-Transmission Shudder
-TSB #s??
-2013 Oil pump problem
-3.6L V6 Cylinder head failure
-Remote start issue
-2014 GC – mic issue
-2014 Overland – Clicking at low speeds
-2014 RA3 – Electrical oddities
To me, this was very telling. Sure, every vehicle will have issues and no brand is without lemons. If you're willing to take that risk to gain the luxury features - go for it.
One thing I do think still worth pointing out that weighed heavily in my final decision was looking at comparable "enthusiast" forums.
Just look at the top pages with the most active threads. Here, for example, you will see gripes, questions, and the occasional bug. However, for the most part, all you see are people enjoying their 4Runners. Most the threads are mods, how-to's and pictures of people loving their vehicles.
Conversely, go look at a Grand Cherokee forum (WK2 Grand Cherokee Forum - JeepForum.com)
Look at all the fun these Jeep Grand Cherokee enthusiasts are having with their WK2's (the latest model). Just a sample from the top page:
-2014 GC – Elctrical Problems?
-Rattle up front
-Hydroplaning increased on stock tires
-Service Bulletin: Transmission
-Transmission Shudder
-TSB #s??
-2013 Oil pump problem
-3.6L V6 Cylinder head failure
-Remote start issue
-2014 GC – mic issue
-2014 Overland – Clicking at low speeds
-2014 RA3 – Electrical oddities
To me, this was very telling. Sure, every vehicle will have issues and no brand is without lemons. If you're willing to take that risk to gain the luxury features - go for it.
Over the years I've been both a Toyota and Jeep enthusiast. I've owned 3 Wranglers (fairly reliable) and, now, 5 Toyota trucks. A few months ago I was in the market for a more highway friendly alternative to my Wrangler 4 door. The contenders boiled down to the JGC and the 4R. I did about 5 test drives in both 2013 and 2014 JGCs but just could not get myself to love them. While I was spooked about the reliability issues, I was able to convince myself that these would have been worked out for 2014 (new transmission, etc). I was also smitten by the advanced features available in the JGC. But what swayed me to the 4R were slightly less tangible items. The first was the steering. I sampled 2014 6 and 8 cylinder JGCs as they do not share steering systems (the 6 uses electronic and the 8, hydraulic systems). I found both to be unnaturally twitchy and high strung at 80+mph. I did not find either vehicle to be a relaxing hwy cruiser for this reason. I also didn't find the seats comfortable in the JGC. I found the luxury car interior of the JGC to be a bit fussy looking and not inviting of a filthy mountain bike, etc.. I also found that the Jeeps drove pretty much like any other generic car/CUV. They had no character IMO. In addition, they felt like your ordinary modern plastic vehicle.
The 5th gen 4R (trail edition) in contrast felt to me like an old pair of worn in jeans. The steering, seats, interior simplicity, functionality, ergonomic sensibility, visibility, the overall lack of pretense, the iron clad feeling of the chassis/structure, the relaxing hwy drive, adequate power coupled with the dated but reliable transmission, the fact that there is not one to be seen on every street corner and the ugly/beautiful exterior styling did it for me. Oh all of that, and the 4R's well earned reputation for durability and reliability. The 4R feels like a vehicle built for the ages while the JGC feels somewhat disposable. I realize that all of the above is entirely subjective. But, the OP is asking for people's impressions.
The 5th gen 4R (trail edition) in contrast felt to me like an old pair of worn in jeans. The steering, seats, interior simplicity, functionality, ergonomic sensibility, visibility, the overall lack of pretense, the iron clad feeling of the chassis/structure, the relaxing hwy drive, adequate power coupled with the dated but reliable transmission, the fact that there is not one to be seen on every street corner and the ugly/beautiful exterior styling did it for me. Oh all of that, and the 4R's well earned reputation for durability and reliability. The 4R feels like a vehicle built for the ages while the JGC feels somewhat disposable. I realize that all of the above is entirely subjective. But, the OP is asking for people's impressions.
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Roadkill
New member
Agreed. The number/degree of horror stories certainly seem to have a statistically significant difference.
Thank you, [MENTION=13953]zznalg[/MENTION] and [MENTION=84640]bigbillyt[/MENTION], for relating your purchase evaluations/experiences, and thanks also to everyone else who has added constructive feedback.
The Sleeper
New member
Co-worker of mine has a 2013 GC, he got it about 3 months ago and it has spent more time at the dealership repair shop than he has had time to drive it. Major electrical problems and a clunking transmission that they say is "normal because it is a thinking transmission" whatever that's supposed to mean.
He is in the process of trying to return the vehicle but is currently in a pretty tough battle to get his money back.
STAY AWAY!!!!!
He is in the process of trying to return the vehicle but is currently in a pretty tough battle to get his money back.
STAY AWAY!!!!!
Roadkill
New member
This is a generic question, but if someone had a brand new vehicle that has spent 45+ days in the shop then why wouldn't they lemon it?
Presuming your coworker is from CA, I just checked California's law and it seems that 30 calendar days out of service (aggregate) is the threshold. Is it just too much hassle to go through the process to get a buyback and then move on to a different vehicle?
The Sleeper
New member
1engineer
Moderator
I think that has to be for one issue. If you have a lot of issues then they can make it really hard.
Did you find anything constructive on non partisian sites like true delta? We grt so many trolls here people who are actually really doing research is a minority. I am not a Toyota fanboy but I am a reliability and durability nut. I have owned several Jeeps in the past and is part of the reason I buy Hondas, subarus and Toyotas now lol. I never owned a JGC so I cannot comment firsthand. Many friends have them though and due to issues three of them now drive Toyotas. One has a new Landcruiser, one has a 4Runner and one has a Highlander. Again, bells and whistles are entertaining but rarely to you get the cool stuff AND reliability under 50K. Maybe you should look at the lexus 470?
Sundog7121
Member
Roadkill
New member
That may be; I don't have any experience filing a lemon claim. However, there often seem to be two angles of relief:
1) Multiple failures to resolve the same issue (usually 3 or 4), or
2) Number of aggregate days out of service
This is what I was reading for CA's law, which is in line with some of the other states lemon law summaries I have read previously. In fact, California's law isn't as good as, say, Iowa's (Iowa only gives them 1 strike on critical safety issues, 20 days aggregate out of service, and 3 strikes on normal repairs).
There seemed to be a bathtub curve: lots of complaints about the uConnect "electronic vehicle information system" (aka. touchscreen/radio/nav thing). I didn't find these as concerning because it's firmware updatable. It's QNX-based, which is an excellent choice of platform, so I think the Jeep firmware devs are just in over their head/don't have a good handle on their software development lifecycle right now.
These types of issues could merit a "wait and see" approach—this tradeoff seems reasonable, because the system is quite advanced and offers a lot of potential if they get it sorted. Anyway.
The other end of the bathtub curve seems to be issues related to questionable engineering design decisions that leave the JGC with low tolerances for assembly error. Here is a video example of a demon-possessed JGC WK2. It seems quite likely that some of these issues are due to poor electrical grounding, but it's certainly not a good sign that the vehicle is so susceptible. In the case of that demon-possessed Jeep, it seems that water leaked through a cracked drain for the pano sunroof and found a path to short out the computer. Again, a questionable design that didn't have "defense in depth" for issues like this and therefore must rely on assembly workers remaining diligent when installing gaskets, etc.
I have to say I was initially concerned about the 8-speed transmission, but I eventually was placated by the fact that it isn't a Chrysler product. The diesel WK2 JGC would have the ZF 8HP70. I also admit I am relying on comments from non-Jeep enthusiast sites that this is a good transmission, rather than my own background. I also suspect the QuadraLift air suspension may be a long-term failure issue.
As for the 4Runner, I admit I only glanced at those truedelta reports because I already know the vehicle is eminently reliable and no further research is necessary.
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I had a lot of self imposed pressure in deciding to get a new truck. My wife did not see the need to do it. So whatever I got, had to look good and be reliable.
This really narrowed the search down. It eliminated all American brands, plus Nissan and Honda. Although, if the Ridgeline had come in an SUV version instead of a P/U truck, it could have been a contender. This left only the 4Runner as the only viable option.
Truedelta's reviews helped in this decision too, along with reading member's experiences here. The reviews on Truedelta are from real owners and show real repair histories. I joined it when it first started seven years ago. The 4runner is the only SUV that consistently received "Green" or better than average repair trips. The items repaired were generally small in nature. Every other SUV was rated "orange" or "red", worse than average with larger repair items. You can also view year by year going back multiple years to get an idea of how each vehicle holds up.
I've owned American vehicles all my life and I'm really glad I made the switch to Toyota.
This really narrowed the search down. It eliminated all American brands, plus Nissan and Honda. Although, if the Ridgeline had come in an SUV version instead of a P/U truck, it could have been a contender. This left only the 4Runner as the only viable option.
Truedelta's reviews helped in this decision too, along with reading member's experiences here. The reviews on Truedelta are from real owners and show real repair histories. I joined it when it first started seven years ago. The 4runner is the only SUV that consistently received "Green" or better than average repair trips. The items repaired were generally small in nature. Every other SUV was rated "orange" or "red", worse than average with larger repair items. You can also view year by year going back multiple years to get an idea of how each vehicle holds up.
I've owned American vehicles all my life and I'm really glad I made the switch to Toyota.
![ht21_1[1].gif](https://www.toyota-4runner.org/data/attachments/73/73384-070aa93ec2861698aaa0a89f1f170f3b.jpg?hash=9gGOXlQUsJ "ht21_1[1].gif")
![ht21_1[1].gif](/data/attachments/73/73384-070aa93ec2861698aaa0a89f1f170f3b.jpg?hash=9gGOXlQUsJ)
tacobill
New member
I test drove a 2014 JGC after curiosity got the best of me. I found the 8 speed rather "clunky" along with a complete lack of interior places to put things. Jeep clearly is pursuing a "luxury theme" and I didn't feel at home in it. Once you get past the "glitz" factor, surf the forums. Electrical, transmission and engine problems, (and quite numerous), should be enough to convince you to avoid the purchase. Otherwise, go for it and hope you get lucky.
4Run4YourLife
New member
If you still haven't made up your mind after writing the above paragraph's then all hope is lost. You have done the research and found the results. Will you follow your heart and buy the Jeep :fish: or will you follow your brain and get the Toyota?
1engineer
Moderator
You knew about it just didn't know the name "bathtub" curve. Everything has a bathtub curve. Our lives are a bathtub curve. Our 4Runners have a bathtub curve. The only difference is the amplitude of either side and duration. You are a lot of things but stupid is not one of them lol.
Roadkill
New member
Thank you for covering for me and posting the informative graphic. I should have explained the term.
LandCruiser
New member
My mom has a murdered out SRT8 CG, total stealth mode.
Flawless.
15k miles. Fit and finish perfect. The interior looks like something out of a Bentley. Toyota wishes they could have seats that comfortable, instead of figuring out what a gaijin might like then making it 30% larger.
It's also a rocket sled, with proper launch control. It has a friggin Christmas tree light stack on the launch switch.
...also cost close to 60 grand, but still. It is awesome.
Can't/won't go off road worth a shit, but still... awesome.
Flawless.
15k miles. Fit and finish perfect. The interior looks like something out of a Bentley. Toyota wishes they could have seats that comfortable, instead of figuring out what a gaijin might like then making it 30% larger.
It's also a rocket sled, with proper launch control. It has a friggin Christmas tree light stack on the launch switch.
...also cost close to 60 grand, but still. It is awesome.
Can't/won't go off road worth a shit, but still... awesome.
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