Hi Scotty!
I'm in the market for a three-row SUV and want one that's good in the snow. I had been mainly considering the Mazda CX-9 and the Toyota Highlander, but then Jeep came along with the Grand Cherokee L last year. I'm eyeing the Altitude trim with 4WD and the 3.6L V6. I'm sure it won't be as reliable as a Toyota or Mazda that's made in Japan, but as long as it's "reliable enough" for the first 200K or so, that'd be good enough considering its off-road chops.
Would love your opinion on this new Jeep model. Thanks in advance!
Stay away from the Jeep if you want something that's going to be reliable and last a long time. #1 choice out of those would be the Toyota, #2 would be the Mazda.
200K miles? Forget it. They are junk.
Making it through the first 100,000 miles - heck even through the warranty period - will be challenging enough, if history is any judge.
Stay away from the Jeep unless you plan to lease it and return before the warranty expires. The previous generations of Jeep Grand Cherokees have had issues and definitely not recommended for long term ownership. This new generation has even more bells and whistles and FCA quality is still lacking, so you are better served looking at the Toyota.
Even the new Toyotas and Hondas - jury is out on how long they will last since everyone’s reliability has gone downhill, but you are better gambling on those than the Jeep.
FYI: My wife has a 2013 Grand Cherokee. Right now at 165,000, and she also wants to get it to 200.
She has the 5.7 Hemi, which is purring like a kitten and throwing no trouble codes. Rides like a dream.
However, the electrical gremlins are driving us crazy. Right now it's the traction control. Fortunately, we have an unlimited mile lifetime warranty, so everything is on Jeep's dime. But even with that, limping across 200K is looking questionable.
How did you score an unlimited mile lifetime warranty? And is that from a 3rd party, I presume? Does all the maintenance have to be serviced at the dealer or do they let you DIY as long as you keep the receipts? I was curious.
Yeah, it’s a 3rd party (I don’t recall which). They had a special on them when we bought it. They haven’t asked for service records, which is good cuz I do all my own. It’s paid for itself many times over, even with the $100 service charge for each claim. If it wasn’t for that, we would have sold the car years ago. But as long as they don’t try to “total” it, we’re gonna just keep it forever. (And, yeah, they stopped selling lifetime warranties years ago)
Well its too early to tell how long the new Grand Cherokee will hold up, but odds are it will be junk in years to come. I would definitely buy a CX-9 or Highlander over the Jeep. Highlander will last the longest.
No, Jeeps are not dependable at all.
I would easily get the Highlander. No question.
From that list definitely without even thinking twice I would get the Highlander.
I don't get why people keep saying getting the Highlander. I'm not a fan of Toyotas and I don't believe they are the best brand to buy, if anything they're usually always overpriced and in general good cars will last if taken care of.
In my opinion the best one to ever get would be the Mazda because they are very well made with a more affordable price than a Toyota. They last just as long and if there is a non turbo I would get that than a turbo one. Mazda makes very good engines and anything 2017 and up have very reliable transmissions. However, I would not get a Mazda older than 2016 because their automatics were made by a junk company and anything under 2014 had lots of Ford parts.
Jeep is known to be extremely unreliable especially with their transmissions, and they are also known to be oil burners. Personally I would stay away from Jeep, they're all rebaged Fiats with 4WD. I have never seen newer Jeeps last more than 150k without any serious problems.
Overall, best vehicle in this list would be that newer Mazda CX-9.
