Overview & Reviews

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of the pioneers that ushered in the modern midsize SUV in the early 1990s. Jeep has always wanted the Grand Cherokee to be maneuverable enough for urban duty, roomy enough for family duty, stylish enough to take out on the town and capable enough to tow your toys or shuttle your passengers to a remote campsite. Modern Grand Cherokees are far more refined than the early models, but they're no less versatile.

Unlike most other traditional SUVs, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always been built using a carlike unibody platform for superior on-road handling. Yet Jeep's strong reputation for off-road prowess is retained, thanks to the Grand Cherokee's advanced four-wheel-drive systems and capable suspension. It's a rare combination of attributes in a modern utility vehicle, as the Jeep is able to venture farther off the beaten path than competing crossover SUVs.

User Reviews:

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  Transmission problems - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Connie j - November 9 - 10:00 am

  I did love my Jeep until I had transmission problems at 62000 miles. Brought it for repair and they put in a new software but 3 weeks later while on a road trip the tranny went out. It is at a dealership 9 hrs away now getting a new transmission at 65000 miles, luckily I have an extended warranty but this does not cover my expenses of getting the car back and renting a car to get home. Also the seat heaters went out 2 times once under warranty which I fixed and then out of warranty which I chose not to fix for $500. Will never own a Jeep again.

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  I Didnt Like It at All - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Cad-Lad - November 5 - 12:58 am

  To the point, the car is a jeep. It does everything and anything you could possibly need. Need to get somewhere? Check. Need to go through bad weather? Check. Need to get groceries? Check. Need to tow something heavy? Check. Wanna attract the ladies? Check. --- Now the downsides: You dont get to do the above that often. I dont know if its just having the 2005 model, but frankly the car wasnt that good. Useful and practical, very; enjoyable not at all. It has a million little issues reliability wise, but with adequate maintenance, youll never be stranded. Not to mention parts are cheap and very easy to find, but that in mind seeing warning lights and hearing beeps every 10 minutes into a ride gets annoying FAST. --- It has a horrible interior. Im not nit-picky, but good lord, I have never seen an uglier interior. The colors for the dash can normally be ignored if nothing else, on most cars, but youre constantly reminded of it in this jeep. It may seem tolerable at first, but believe me, its one of the worst interiors ever created. No where you can touch that wont feel scratchy, rough, or just simply displeasant. --- Onto the absolute worst parts: the seats. Some people like them. I didnt, you have to be fat to sit in them. Or have weird posture. The seats DO NOT hold you in place, unless you are almost fat albert levels of obese. This car has wide side bolsers, and way too much lumbar support. If youre young and charming, like myself, a wily fellow to whom extreme back support is unnecessary, youll get sore and tired fast. Older folks or folks with weaker backs should be fine, because even the lowest settings for lumbar proved too much to me (the lowest lumbar setting was still excessive and exacerbated by how hard the seat are), and I found the seats to push against the top of my back too (the bulging part where they plant the jeep logo). Compared to the previous generation, these seats feel like lead and iron in terms of hardness and were my personal enemy for the 6months that I was stuck with the thing. As for seating room, Id rather you think of it as a coupe. The back seats are somehow worse than tbe front seats lacking in depth or space at all for your legs. --- Onto performance, it was actually Not awful. It wasnt very good though; it had body lean in a straight line and I wasnt personally a fan of the way the transmission shifted and felt (1st second and third were rev happy, 4th wouldn5 budge and no matter how hard you pressed on the pedal youd have to wait a while for it to downshift), thats all my opinion of course, the first few cars I ever worked on were fords and chevies and even ford didnt have such a garbage transmission engine pairing. Chances are youd like the jeep if youre used to driving diesel trucks. It has good power delivery Ill admit, and the gearing is pretty good up until it hits 4th gear (and more horribly 5th). It can stay in low gears pretty well when you ask it to I guess. It does have manual shift (poorly executed since you cant lock fifth gear) -and the 290-305 ft-lbs of torque let you accelerate without revving when you ARE stuck in high gear. The engine is good without a doubt, even if it has a horrible transmission pair. As I stated, this car has too much body lean for aggressive driving. You might not mind, you wouldnt expect an suv of its weight to handle at all; it has some low speed maneuverability which at times can be surprising. The suspension isnt as bouncy as the previous generation, and seating position is much lower and less tank like. If you want a jeep that still feels like you can go to war in it, look for the previous body style. --- As per the technology, its without a doubt simple and efficient, I have nothing bad to say. --- Off-roading? Hahahahahahahaha! Thats so 1963. But I guess it probably does it well, if you do an enormous amount of off roading, buy a wrangler instead. The grand cherokee is more for people who want to camp occasionally on a trail, but also have handy car around for when the time arrives. I sold my jeep to someone who wanted a replacement after he drowned his TJ in a mudpit at some mountain, his was a newer TJ and he was surprised at the tech that came with the Jeep especially its GPS console. --- Bottom line: if all you want is a nice commuter car, skip it. This jeep is for people who have other things to do, mountains to climb, and snowy parking lots to be alone with their girlfriend in.

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  Never Again!!! - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By tries - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 99 Jeep used a couple years ago and I doubt Ill ever buy another. If it wasnt for the extended warranty Id be in the poor house. The a/c went out three times and the heat twice. The entire rear-end has been replaced twice. Im finding it almost impossible to sell or trade.

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  Almost but not quite - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By GCOwner - October 29 - 8:43 pm

  This vehicle is an odd and frustrating mix of good and bad qualities. The good: The styling (interior and exterior), ride and options are nice. It is impressive off road, and that is a Jeep. The Bad: Certain mechancial systems are simply flawed, like the front break system, the steering system and possibly the transmission on some units. Youll get to know the service guys.

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  Please issue brake recall!!! - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By oz - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Thank goodness I decided to lease! I leased my JGC because I was reluctant Jeeps reputation for poor reliability ("Its a Jeep thing"). I figured that if I leased, all repairs would be under warranty. At 8000 miles the front brake rotors warped. (5 friends with JGCs ALL had the same problem) Coincidence? I think not. I was past the 12 mo/12K mile warranty on the brakes and had to bully the dealer to make the repair for no charge I was assured I would be charged "when" the rotors warped next time. Jeep has ignored this known problem. The dealer gave me some BS about "Seattle traffic" is hard on brakes. Give me a break! My next SUV will be a Toyota Landcruiser.

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  Out of warranty & out of money - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By passt2009 - October 23 - 10:43 pm

  This is my second Jeep and it will be my last, nothing but problems (costly repairs). Brakes, rotors, air conditioning, water pump, exhaust, throttle position sensors, coolant leaks, broken seats & terrible stability problems. The Jeep was great for the first four months or so, then it just went downhill fast, it seems to have lost its stability and handling and has required too many repairs. My first Jeep was a 1994 Cherokee Sport, which had very little problems (over 125k) and no stability issues. Maybe I just got a lemon but I wont be taking a chance and buying another one to find out.

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  2005 GR Cherokee LTD, 4.7 V8 - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By A. Kinsler - October 23 - 12:06 pm

  Seats - too firm, only 6 way power. Needs larger side bolsters. Fuel Economy - poor only 12 or 13 - 16, 4.7 V8, MFG rated at 16-21... not even close! Computer was better on overhead (04 model better). Built in GPS, not the best (Alpine), requires expensive DVD upgrade. Several other German touches could have been better.

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  NEVER AGAIN - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jeep Man - October 3 - 2:00 am

  This is my first and LAST Diamler/Chrysler product! The tires went bald at 25000 under normal driving conditions, with regular rotating. The brakes had to be done at 27000. Soon after both window motors in the front doors had to be replaced at my expense. Then the automatic headlight switch went bad causing my battery to be drained, had to purchase new $150 switch and battery. Most recently the back left door automatic locking mechanism is not working. Im a military Officer and proud American but will never again buy a Domestic vehicle, my $11,000 97 Nisan Sentra has never had a problem and it has power everything! Dont say I didnt warn you!

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  Our Cherokee - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Greg Van Lieu - September 2 - 10:00 am

  Very poor reliability. It is a shame because the interior is very nice.

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  Typical Domestic - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By thebobbiejeep - August 26 - 2:00 am

  We bought our Jeep w/88,000 miles on it. After owning several foreign 4x4s I was astonished at how well it was holding up and it has been a great vehicle till it hit that 130,000 mile mark and, just like all domestic vehicles it began to literally fall apart. $$$$$$! So much for comparing it to my toyotas that went nearly 300,000 miles w/no problems.