G'Day Fella's,

Bit of a Dumb Question but have any of you blokes had any personal experience, with the current model Jeep Cherokee Overland model?
I was thinking of buying a new one, with the 5.7 liter V8 petrol engine but have no experience with these vehicles. I'm looking for a more comfortable ride, as I've been driving Land Cruisers for the past 30 years, and my aching body needs a break from this!
Any advice on comfort, reliability and off road/4WD use, would be very much appreciated!

Regards
Homer

I am on my second GC Overland. Had a 2011 and now a 2014 with the 5.7. Cannot say enough good about it. The biggest asset is the motor and drive train which was mostly designed by Daimler-Benz. On pavement, the GC hauls ass quite well leaving most everything else in your dust. If you like street performance you will not be disappointed.

Off road and in the snow the GC performs exceptionally well assuming you have quality off road tires. With the Overland air suspension, ground clearance is very good for a hybrid street/off road SUV. Also it has very good towing power and capability - better than most everything else in it's class. Certainly beats the pants off the high end SUVs when it comes to towing and off road. Street ride quality is also very comfortable at highway speeds and beyond. Acceleration from 80 to 100+ is amazing.

On the inside, the touch screen controls most everything with a plethora of steering wheel buttons that do everything else. Some of the computer wizardry is gimmicky, but there is some meaningful information at hand.

From a maintenance standpoint, there have been two recalls of note. One for a brake water shield replacement and the other was a wiring issue regarding the passenger visor mirror - nothing compared to the competition recall list. Chrysler is doing a very good job with software updates, so every time I go in, a new software update is loaded that provides additional functionality. It sort of fun to see what they have added with each update. I have had no other reliability issues and I put a lot of highway miles on mine.

I added a cold air kit and rechipped it to get the most out of the 5.7. Well worth the $$$ as you can easily add 55 horses to the already stout motor - for a total of 400+ horses. I only wish that the SRT 475 horse 6.4 or even the Hellcat was available in the Outland. It would eat Porsches and BMWs for breakfast.

Will upgrade to the new updated model that should be arriving in 2016.

G'Day Fella's,

Opus1, a big Thank You for your reply and for all your positive experiences you have had with your two GC Overland's!
Nice to know about the recalls which I would assume, are no longer an issue but thank you for letting me know about them! And also, for making me aware of the availability, of the computer chip upgrade!!! Mmmmmmmm Donuts!
Yes, I was initially looking at the SRT and that 6.4 Liter Hemi! That was until I realised the SRT is probably more of an On-Road, than a On & Off-Road vehicle (but Wow, what On-Road performer, it would be hey!!!).
Still, I would like to have that 6.4 option, available in the Overland! Mmmmmmmmm More Donuts!!!

Opus 1, I checked out the www.arb.com.au web site today and they make a Bull Bar/Roo Bar(aka-Kangaroo Bar or as we call them down here, "Hopper Stoppers") for the current G/Cherokee. So given this, I'm starting to run out of reasons to say no to this vehicle..........
I'll let you know what my final decision was, in a couple of months.

Thank You again Opus1 for your informative reply, Very Much Appreciated!!!

Regards
Homer

Homer, I live part of the year in Namibia. I still drive a Hilux double cab there because I am off road in the outback so much and need the extra room and range. Fitted with extended fuel tanks and water tanks it is the way to go considering that the nearest gas station may be 3 hours away.

What is interesting to see is the number of new GCs in Namibia. They have really taken off there due to their price and performance over the high end BMWs and Strange Rovers. If I needed another vehicle there, I would grab a GC in a heartbeat. There is nothing else in the market that performs any better for the price.

Good luck in your search.

G'Day Opus1,

Thank you for the additional praise on the GC!
The more I think about it, and read the Jeep brochure, the more I think it will be an CG-Overland!
Opus1, I've never been one to rush into anything (unless it's a new firearm), and the $'s are in a term deposit for another couple of months, so I will kick this "Can" around until then.
Thank You again for your advice and support on this one!!!

I forgot to mention, I assume you may be Hunting(?) in Namibia, so if correct, all the Best of Good Luck with the upcoming hunting season!!!

Best regards
Homer

My brother in law has a Dodge/Jeep Dealership. He sales a lot of the Jeep Grand Cherokees. He also does A LOT of service work on them as well. They have many issues from electrical, heating/cooling, and drivetrain. He put my sister into a demo vehicle and she told him to either put her in something else or she would make him sleep on the couch. She hated the Cherokee that bad.

I had a standard Cherokee for many years and it was a great vehicle with minimal maintenance required. Same with our Jeep CJ-7. The problems have always been with the Grand Cherokees from what I have read over the years.

The 2014 Jeep GC has been one of the highest rated SUVs for sales, build quality, and customer satisfaction.

Maybe your brother in law is talking about the legacy GC which were largely crap and had lots of drive train and electrical problems. The "new" model GC was largely designed by Daimler-Benz that's why the models resemble each other and with similar build quality.

http://www.jeep.com/en/2014/grand-cherokee/awards/

Maybe I am just one of the lucky ones...

His comment is about the Grand Cherokee overall. My coworker bought a brand new 2008 Grand Cherokee with all the bells and whistles. He told me of many issues he had with having to have the transmission replaced at 20,000 miles, two alternators, rear differential twice, electric window motors,etc etc. He had 55,000 miles on it when he traded it in on his current vehicle which has given him zero issues.

The Grand Cherokees look nice but that's where it stops. If you want something more reliable then I would suggest sticking with Toyota.

My experience with the 5.7 Hemi is that it is more suited for a car than an offroad vehicle. It produces it's power in the upper RPM range and when you are locked in 4Lo the last thing you are wanting is having to stomp on the gas to give you the power. Most of my 4wd is slower navigating rock obstacles, washes, and old washed out roads. A heavy foot is not needed 90% of the time.

GC and Durango share the same under carriage. Dodge added a few inches to the back to make the Durango a 3 row crossover.

2013/14 Durangos had front boot/shaft problems and rear strut load leveler problems. Not sure if it's also a GC problem.

My wife drives a 2013 JC Overland 5.7 2WD. Great vehicle overall, very comfortable, plenty power, but there is a design flaw with the water pumps on that model, can go out around 45K miles, costs about $800 to fix.

Based on online reviews for 2014 year, I would strongly consider other alternatives.