USED Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 (05 - 10)

My car

I have just taken delivery of a brand new Overland 2008 model, having driven a BMW X5 3.0d sport for the last 3 years.

This Jeep is fully loaded with in-car rear DVD system sunroof mygig media centre (with hard drive) full leather throughout its amazing VFM on the road at £32,000.00.

I was going to buy another X5 but decided to save myself the £16,000 excess.

This is a true off roader with real on road presence and for me stands out from the crowd of euro 4x4 which are begging to all look the same.

The V6 CRD (merc) power unit means this overland moves every bit as quick as my old X5, it drives like a much bigger vehicle than the X5 which handled much the same as regular family saloon. For me this is a boy's car built with boy's in mind.

The vehicle looks mean and sturdy and I paid out for privacy windows which are extremely dark, letting you play the local drug barron whilst going up the co-op for the paper.

Trust me this 2008 model is the b******s as Katherine Tate might say, go and have a look at it, drive it for a day you won't be disappointed........ and with the money you save you can pay the road tax, congestion charges, increased fuel bills and parking fines and still have change to fly to some exotic destination, like Dubai and see a country full of every conceivable 4x4 money can buy and reflect on how modest you Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland really is.

My car

We tried several weekends with several 4x4s, all with their various advantages and disadvantages.

The Jeep’s value and remarkable engine and gearbox stood out from the crowd. The engine note alone leaves you in no doubt that this is a well-engineered vehicle.

A wonderful gearbox and with amazingly low noise, vibration and harshness levels make this car superb on long trips.

By comparison, the Nissan Pathfinder has a practical body and nearly as good styling but that’s where the good news ends… the gearbox is awful and the engine has to work way too hard; that, coupled with a poor reliability record (unusual for Nissan), we decided the Jeep was for us.

Reliability has been good, with just a faulty parking sensor so far. The windscreen pillars are large, but the visibility is fine unless perhaps you are very short.

My car

I test drove the Jeep before buying a Nissan Pathfinder

Nice engine and gearbox.

Slightly dated interior with rather odd timber inlay and green digital display out of a 1970s arcade game. I accept that this is subjective.

What is not subjective is that the vehicle has a potentially very dangerous blind spot caused by the driver’s side windscreen pillar. I had serious concern that this would eventually result in an accident one for which I was not going to be held responsible. As a holder of a bike licence I was even more concerned. Be aware!

My car

This latest GC is so very much better than the previous model mainly because of the superb Mercedes engine, it's incredible value, and in my eyes a much cleaner design.

I average about 28mpg with 32mpg a best on longer motorway runs. My boyfriend seem to get less mpg (25mpg) but he tends to use the ample power more often!

The handling if fine for me, I'm no racer; the ride is relaxing and superb on the bigger roads. Long trips are great fun.

Reliability has been faultless over our six months of ownership. More than can be said of the appauling Disco3 that my sister tried.

We tow quite a bit and the Jeep copes with anything we throw at it. I find it feels more managable than the even larger 4x4's with the slightly lower ride height and without the unnecessary acres of room over your head!

It's the perfect height to nip in and out of, in hunters or in high heels and skirt and it looks the part wherever I go. I just love being the only woman with a Jeep GC in our area; I think it's great to be in something alittle different.

Downsides? I guess the interior is alittle bland and like a Ford from ten years ago but it's exactly that which makes it what it is; a good honest reliable workhorse. Maybe as someone else mentioned here, Jeep could have de-tuned this superb engine for more mpg and less performance but then it might have lot some of it's character. And it is mighty quick!

Best to buy a demo/late used one and save a fortune.