USED Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 (05 - 10)

My car

The video review of the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee is rubbish. Within 100 miles of my home in Colorado there are 11,000+ mountain passes often snow/ice covered from November to March (lowest tempt has been -53 degress f.), scorching valleys with summer temps over 110, un-improved rock filled dirt roads through the mountains ,streams to cross for the best fishing and I-70 filled with drivers far exceeding the 70 m.p.h. speed limit.

The 2006 5.7 Jeep Grand Cherokee handles it all in safety and comfort. It is a unique vehicle which fully meets its design goals and capacities. The interior, far from cheap or "plastic", is designed for function: fishng gear, huntng gear, camping gear, dogs, plenty of beer and God knows what else. It's easy to clean and hard to hurt.

It is very comfortable for me at 6'@215lbs. Great sound system and outstanding G.P.S. trail capacity for finding my way home from the mountains after dark.

The 5.7 Hemi is the perfect engine for mountain driving because of its aspiration, type fuel injection and valve design. High altitudes are no bother.

This not a vehicle made just for highway travel. It is a real-deal 4WD! Other "SUVs" are not in the same category.

My car

I bought this car in May 2006, so it's still early days yet, but so far I have been very impressed.

The engine is a gem: it's powerful, quiet, and relatively frugal for and size and performance. The ride and handling are good. There is bags of standard kit, and the price after negotiation means that it is tremendous value for money.

The equivalent Land Rover Discovery 3 with the same equipment would be £10,000 more and three seconds slower to 60mph. BMW and Mercedes are £15,000 more once reasonably equipped, therefore the press are not comparing like with like. Don't listen to the press and drive this car for yourself to make your mind up.

My only areas for critiscm are the plastics, which are not up to European standards, but again you are not paying that price premium.

Overall, this is my second Jeep, and if this one performs as well as the last, I would gladly have another.

My car

I agree with most of the positive points other reviewers have written. I was still half-minded to go for the Land Rover Discovery, but the discount and terms on the Jeep were too good to refuse. The sales guy didn't want to let me out of the showroom without buying, so push to get the deal you want.

My brand new Grand Cherokee was delivered on 28th March 2006, 10 days after ordering. Sadly, after two days following a long, hard day's work and longing to get home, my shiny, new leather-smelling car failed to start. That was on 30th March, and today as I write this review on 12th May - six weeks later - my poor car sits in the Jeep workshop, still unable to start.

The immobiliser failed. It's a two-module system that's made uniquely for every car. They don’t stock spares, because they never expected the immobilisers to fail, I'm told. They're made to order and since they're so busy making them for new cars as they roll through production, they can't afford to make another one for my vehicle.

I call the dealer every week and they say they'll call me back, but never do. I visit them at their workplace so they don't even have to get up from their chair (apart from to shake my hand with a sweaty hand and an embarrassed smile). They say they'll chase it up and call me, but they never do. My patience is wearing very thin now.

My car

I've owned one of these cars since april 2006, and I think it's great. It's extremely capable off road, is first class on the motorway and even nipping down to Tesco is a pleasure.

My only issue is how fast the fuel needle drops, but what else can I expect from a 3.0-litre motor weighing in at two tonnes?

This is my first 4x4 and if first impressions count for anything, I'll be in the queue for my 66- plate model!