Ever been in a rental car that you loved??
New DD Explorer vs Jeep
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Ever been in a rental car that you loved??
Just waiting to get the computer code, than ordering a tune for it.
yes. a fully loaded Flex i rented in hawaii
Wife and I have a 14 GC Altitude. It's been solid. Even though it's the pentastar it has plenty of power with the ZF8 transmission. We get over 20mpg city and it runs on the cheap swill. THe only issue we've had with it was a small window trim molding that was repaired under warranty.
I probably wouldn't want a pentastar equipped GC if it had the old 5 speed transmission. Probably wouldn't be enough power at that point, but with the new ones (I know you're looking used) that 8 speed really makes a huge different.
The Altitude model also gives you a 3.92 final drive which helps as well.
Just had this out in it's first snow yesterday and it's one of the best snow vehicles I've ever driven, even on an all season tire from the factory. Great road holding, traction and stopping. Hot heated seats and the heated steering well are a bonus.
I probably wouldn't want a pentastar equipped GC if it had the old 5 speed transmission. Probably wouldn't be enough power at that point, but with the new ones (I know you're looking used) that 8 speed really makes a huge different.
The Altitude model also gives you a 3.92 final drive which helps as well.
Just had this out in it's first snow yesterday and it's one of the best snow vehicles I've ever driven, even on an all season tire from the factory. Great road holding, traction and stopping. Hot heated seats and the heated steering well are a bonus.
That would be my suggestion as well.
I do agree that the Explorer feels kinda minivan-ish but the sport model is really pretty good. My sister has one and up at our elevation it will run very close with the old 6.1 SRT8 Jeeps. I think the GC is a more attractive vehicle but a girl I work with, her mom bought a 2014 GC and it didn't make it through the winter before the chrome corroded. It's a little odd because vehicles around here don't seem to corrode that quickly and she is a stay at home mom with a $500 annual membership so she gets it washed every Tuesday. Chrysler told her she needs to be washing it more often and refused to warranty.
That's crazy! I have never heard of washing frequency voiding a warranty! That's absurd. If they don't specify, how can it be held against someone?
As has already been said, the Explorer is a jacked up FWD based Taurus. More a CUV than a SUV by definition. More interior space/seating than the Jeep. The Jeep is a more conventional RWD based platform, with a much more muscular look IMO. It also has a lot more towing capability. Two different takes on the segment.
Reliability/quality is probably a coin flip between the two. They recall everything these days, so you can't really used that a a good measure, and you can always find someone with a bad story about either model.
Reliability/quality is probably a coin flip between the two. They recall everything these days, so you can't really used that a a good measure, and you can always find someone with a bad story about either model.
If work vehicle probably a base Explorer. Like comparing a base V6 mustang to a GT500.
Almost 30k miles on our 2013 Explorer Sport. Love it. No issues, except an early TSB on some filter that made the cabin smell of gas under heavy acceleration.
We have about 35K on our 13 Xsport. About 20K being LMS tuned. No issues.
I have a 2011 JGC with the 5.7 and really have no complaints with it...
It's currently got 123k miles on it (we drive the piss out of it)...I got 80k miles out of the stock tires and this current set looks great as well...I really had no issues with it whatsoever until this Tuesday (11/11/2014). Went out to go somewhere and it would not crank, wouldn't even go into the on or accessory ignition positions. Turns out the WIN? module (the part that the starter button plugs into) had gone bad. a tow and $675 later and that was fixed...
Had them check the A/C too as it was starting to go downhill and the evap had a leak and had to be replaced which turns out to be fairly pricey...
Having them handle some other service items while it's there (brake job, tranny service, coolant flush, etc.) and I'm going to be looking at around $3k to fix it all and do the needed service....
Other than that it's been gas & oil for 123k miles so it's hard to complain...
It still looks great, the interior and exterior have held up extremely well, it's comfy on long trips (a couple trips to upstate New York and a couple trips to various places in the south). It tows my boat, tows my trailer (sometimes loaded down with the Shelby, sometimes loaded down with my small tractor)...I wouldn't hesitate to buy the exact same vehicle again if I had it to do over...
With the 5.7 we get right at 20-21 highway and 17-18 city...
It's a 2wd Laredo with leather, radio upgrade & NAV. Got it for $35k OTD brand new....I couldn't touch that price on the Explorers optioned similarly at the time because of the way Ford packages their cars....I really like how on the Jeep you can get a base model and then add the options you want a la carte without needing to upgrade to a limited or overland and getting all the superfluous stuff I didn't care about which really kept the price down for us...
It's currently got 123k miles on it (we drive the piss out of it)...I got 80k miles out of the stock tires and this current set looks great as well...I really had no issues with it whatsoever until this Tuesday (11/11/2014). Went out to go somewhere and it would not crank, wouldn't even go into the on or accessory ignition positions. Turns out the WIN? module (the part that the starter button plugs into) had gone bad. a tow and $675 later and that was fixed...
Had them check the A/C too as it was starting to go downhill and the evap had a leak and had to be replaced which turns out to be fairly pricey...
Having them handle some other service items while it's there (brake job, tranny service, coolant flush, etc.) and I'm going to be looking at around $3k to fix it all and do the needed service....
Other than that it's been gas & oil for 123k miles so it's hard to complain...
It still looks great, the interior and exterior have held up extremely well, it's comfy on long trips (a couple trips to upstate New York and a couple trips to various places in the south). It tows my boat, tows my trailer (sometimes loaded down with the Shelby, sometimes loaded down with my small tractor)...I wouldn't hesitate to buy the exact same vehicle again if I had it to do over...
With the 5.7 we get right at 20-21 highway and 17-18 city...
It's a 2wd Laredo with leather, radio upgrade & NAV. Got it for $35k OTD brand new....I couldn't touch that price on the Explorers optioned similarly at the time because of the way Ford packages their cars....I really like how on the Jeep you can get a base model and then add the options you want a la carte without needing to upgrade to a limited or overland and getting all the superfluous stuff I didn't care about which really kept the price down for us...
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I bought a new 2014 Explorer with a 3.5 V6 TIVCT, 6-speed selectshift trans, 4WD, Flexfuel capable two months ago. For the vehicle's size and cabin room I think it is a pretty good bang for the buck. I had never driven an SUV of its size before so it took some getting used to, especially when it came to parking. Mine is a base model so there is no navigation, no keyless entry, no extra candy/luxury items.
Is it underpowered with the engine mentioned above? I would give a hesitant 'yes' inre acceleration, but it's not a big deal for me. I use it as a commuter vehicle and grocery getter and like the room in back since I always seem to be dragging home something from the furniture store or Lowe's. (I can't vouch for its towing capabilities however.) I bought a 4WD version since I like going up to the Sierra Nevadas in winter as well as Colorado. My mileage is a bit over 22mpg with a highway/city percentage split of about 60/40.
Would I buy one again? Yes, but maybe with a bit more powerful engine. Here's a few pics I posted several weeks ago.http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?1036217-New-DD&highlight=
Is it underpowered with the engine mentioned above? I would give a hesitant 'yes' inre acceleration, but it's not a big deal for me. I use it as a commuter vehicle and grocery getter and like the room in back since I always seem to be dragging home something from the furniture store or Lowe's. (I can't vouch for its towing capabilities however.) I bought a 4WD version since I like going up to the Sierra Nevadas in winter as well as Colorado. My mileage is a bit over 22mpg with a highway/city percentage split of about 60/40.
Would I buy one again? Yes, but maybe with a bit more powerful engine. Here's a few pics I posted several weeks ago.http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?1036217-New-DD&highlight=
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Just bought the wife a 15 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. She test drove just about every mid size suv out there and always compared it to the jeep. I had to agree with her it just rode that much better than all the others plus packed with awesome features. We were looked at the limited model but decided to get the overland for the extra features offered in it. Mostly I wanted the safety features for her after what she had been through in her last car.
I can take pictures if you want.
kinda comparing apples to oranges. the jeep is tiny, closer to an edge. the explorer would be a better comparison for the Durango. if you have kids and car seats stay away from the jeep, too damn small in the back.
We just traded in our CX-9 for '14 GC Limited. We have two car seats in the back and feel like there is plenty of space back there. I wish I could have convinced the wife to get the HEMI, but the penstar w/ZF8speed is a good combo.
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I also work at a Jeep dealer, and I agree with this. I'd avoid the 11s. My mom has a 12, and knock on wood, it has been an excellent vehicle. She has the V6, and it doesn't set the world on fire. The new 8 speed auto makes the car decently powered with the V6, but my personal choice if I were doing a new one would be the diesel. It flat out moves.
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