Thinking About Replacing the Jeep Grand Cherokee

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86Aviator

Pre-takeoff checklist
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I've had a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 for right at three years. The lease is up next month and I'm debating what to replace it with. I'm hoping the neighborly POA community would be willing to share any opinions or advice. As a preliminary matter, a lease has and continues to be the best option for our current personal situation. For some folks, buying a car and keeping it for years makes a lot more sense than leasing. That's just not the approach that works best for us right now, so the replacement will be another lease of an SUV. My wife and I will likely become parents while the replacement vehicle is in service with us - on wife's orders, it needs to be "a big, safe, tank".

I've been pleased with the Jeep, but I had a bit of sticker shock when I went to a local dealer a few weeks ago to see about a replacement. The new lease for the exact same vehicle - except without 4x4 or the ~$6k interior package that just so happened to come on my current Jeep - is going to be almost $250 more a month. More money for technically less vehicle is a tough pill to swallow. When I leased the Jeep, I was very close to leasing a Range Rover Sport (or possibly a Disco); the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit won out because it was probably 80% of what I liked about the Range, but at roughly 60% of the cost. With the price I was quoted for the replacement Jeep, there are many other options available to us.

Current thinking is:

1. Chevy Tahoe / GMC Yukon - test drove the Tahoe and liked it quite a bit. GMC Yukon is the same thing, but re-badged with a bit different trim level. Right where we want to be price-wise and perfect as to size and capability. Hard to find because of that chip shortage issue.

2. Audi Q5/Q7 - I've never owned an Audi, but I've had several Mercedes. German cars are great when they work; my last Mercedes was a problem child. It even broke down on the way to the dealer to turn it in off of lease. Nonetheless, the Qs seem nice. Smaller than I'd like, but so is the price tag more or less.

3. Range Rover Sport - still love this thing, but it's expensive and I hear a mx hog. It sure is pretty though.

4. Fresh out of ideas. I don't love the Nissan Armada, Ford Expedition or Toyota Sequoia.

Any suggestions? We don't tow anything, don't really get fussed about gas mileage, and 4x4 is less important here in Atlanta than it was in New York when I got the Jeep. That said, wife says it must be an SUV. Range Rover is the high water mark on price; would love to stay well south of $100k. $65k is better. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
If you're considering the Q5 or Q7, you should also consider the BMW X3 or X5. And you could pick it up in South Carolina at the factory and do the track there. It's a lot of fun. I have an X4M40i, which is the SAV version of the X3.
 
I've driven the X3 but never the X5. Good point re SC pickup; sounds pretty cool, actually. I'll take a look.
 
Mine drives just like the similar X3 model, it's just the shape of the sheet metal in the back that's different. My daily driver was a 2014 Grand Cherokee before it, which I still own. I wanted to try something a little smaller this time. The X5 would be more like the GC. I might go to the X6 next turn. I'm only keeping the GC for now because it's got the hitch and the big V8 if I need to haul something.
 
If your current Jeep suits you just fine, why not just keep it? Not sure how that doesn't work for you as opposed to a lease unless you just like flushing money down the drain. If you should happen to become parents . . . the vehicle still works fine as a family hauler. I'd skip anything Land Rover if you want dependable, and Audi isn't ranked too high up the list, either. If you want luxury/sport and good reliability, go get a Porsche Cayenne. Nothing wrong with the Tahoe/Yukon/Expedition, but seems a bit much to drive around for just the two of you and nothing to tow. Genesis has a new GV80 suv that looks pretty nice.
 
To the question about why not keep the Jeep, I should have also mentioned - because of the current car market, I can actually make a few bucks by ditching the Jeep. I have a wholesale buyer (owned by a good friend) lined up at a price for more than the lease buyout. So, I'll be buying it out and then selling it to my friend's wholesale company within about a day and making enough money to make it worth the trouble of doing so.
 
Porsche Cayenne? It did hurt a little to see you dont love the Sequoia tho. We love ours.
 
I've driven the Macan and the Cayenne is definitely something we're looking at. No offense intended on the Sequoia! A guy I used to work with had a purple one and called it "Barney" (as in the dinosaur)...that's just forever etched in my memory lol
 
86Aviator said:
To the question about why not keep the Jeep, I should have also mentioned - because of the current car market, I can actually make a few bucks by ditching the Jeep. I have a wholesale buyer (owned by a good friend) lined up at a price for more than the lease buyout. So, I'll be buying it out and then selling it to my friend's wholesale company within about a day and making enough money to make it worth the trouble of doing so.
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Which then leaves you without a vehicle, forcing you to acquire right back into an inflated market.

I know you said that keeping this doesn't fit into your personal situation... but you liked the vehicle enought to consider leasing out the same vehicle again???

Then again, I'm driving a '99 and an '05 because they still keep working like they're supposed to, and I'm a cheap bastard when it comes to replacing cars.
 
Yes, the market was something we had to consider pretty carefully. A good part of our situation is driven by my work. Annoying, but there's not much I can do about it. One of these days, I hope to have the freedom of getting a car and keeping it for a long time!
 
If you're talking new, any of these things should have a warranty. A good upper luxury car dealership should have loaner cars for you when it's in for service. Of course there are still annoyances that go with having to take the thing in, but in that range I think I would be looking the most at what you like driving. Out of the options that have been mentioned here, the RR Sport is the most appealing to me. We have a Mercedes GL550 (2009, so not the current generation) and my wife loves it. I personally don't much care for driving it, but it is probably the most comfortable vehicle we own.

Porsche Cayenne is also appealing to me.

Audi I think has the styling pretty good, but I have found the newer ones extremely boring to drive. Great technology, poor driving
 
Thanks - the GL550 is a very attractive vehicle; my last MB just left some bad memories. It's unfair of me to hold that posture because even the best manufacturer occasionally pops out a lemon. I'm trying to get over that feeling and just go test drive it.

Thanks for the comments re: Audi driving feel. I'm keen to compare it against how the Jeep drives.
 
Ted said:
Porsche Cayenne is also appealing to me.

Audi I think has the styling pretty good, but I have found the newer ones extremely boring to drive.
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That's an interesting observation considering the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q5 are both built on the same VW platform.
 
asicer said:
That's an interesting observation considering the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q5 are both built on the same VW platform.
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I should have pointed out, I have never driven a Cayenne or a Q5. Actually, I've never driven a Porsche and only ridden in one once or twice. I find the Cayenne aesthetically appealing.

I have driven a number of modern Audis, and I haven't liked any of them.
 
I'm in the same boat with a 2015 GC overland. It just turned 89,000 and crap is messing up. Pretty easy fixes, but I really don't want to deal with it. I'm focused in on the Mustang Mach e or the Tesla Y. Leaning toward the y, but I'm going to try to fix the Jeep in the next few days, so we will see how that goes.
 
Love the new Defender. It’s a little on the small side, but LR did a great job with a classic.
 
They don't make small truck based SUV's anymore. Damned shame. My very first new car was a Chevy S10 Blazer. Other than the fact it was a piece of junk, I loved it and it was a lot of fun to drive and practical. Same could be said about my Ford Explorer, the last RWD model to be made on a Ranger chassis. I can't stand the current generation of squashed bug looking crossover SUV's. To me they don't have a mission. I'd rather drive a Sentra.

Oh wait!
 
asicer said:
That's an interesting observation considering the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q5 are both built on the same VW platform.
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My wife has a Cayenne and I have a Macan and they both drive pretty different from the Q5. There is some shared platforming but they’re pretty distant cousins.

OP- the Macan could be too small unless you and your spouse are pretty short because rear facing infant seats take up a ton of space. That’s why I got my wife the Cayenne - much more comfortable for the grown ups in front. But we are tall (6’6” and 5’11”)
 
Wrangler Sahara! A real Jeep!
 
We are partial to Audi's, have had no major maintenance issues with them in recent ownership. And BMW's have climbed the owner satisfaction survey recently, so a Mazda salesman said yesterday.

Be sure to look at the numbers on your Jeep. Just read online about a fellow who pocketed a quick $10k on a Challenger by exercising his end of lease buyout and then selling it to Carvanna. Crazy market these days.
 
Jim F said:
Wrangler Sahara! A real Jeep!
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I would love to have an old CJ as a "fun" car. Stick, no air, no doors, and a just a touch of a lift kit. Unrelated note, in 2021, a manual gearbox is probably about the best anti-theft device out there. :p
 
catmandu said:
We are partial to Audi's, have had no major maintenance issues with them in recent ownership. And BMW's have climbed the owner satisfaction survey recently, so a Mazda salesman said yesterday.

Be sure to look at the numbers on your Jeep. Just read online about a fellow who pocketed a quick $10k on a Challenger by exercising his end of lease buyout and then selling it to Carvanna. Crazy market these days.
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Thanks for the good words about Audi. Test driving the Q7 and Q8 tomorrow afternoon; looking forward to it. Probably going in that direction unless they just totally don't work for us for whatever reason.

The guy you read about online and I are both having very similar experiences with exercising lease-end buyouts and immediately wholesaling. It's definitely worth my time to do so. My brother in law had a spare Toyota truck (bought it a couple of years ago and then ended up with a company car a few months later); reportedly made a quick $7k by just taking it to the dealership. He's been known to tell a few fish stories, but I'd readily believe he made at least $5k.
 
86Aviator said:
I would love to have an old CJ as a "fun" car. Stick, no air, no doors, and a just a touch of a lift kit. Unrelated note, in 2021, a manual gearbox is probably about the best anti-theft device out there. :p
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Me too!
 
Thanks everyone for the replies, opinions and advice. Went with the Q7.
 
So the test drive went well then? Whats your 2 cent review of it? We are a year or two out from needing a new car, so I like hearing other peoples shopping journeys.
 
The Q7's interior looks and feels nice; it's very tech-forward. I think there are something like three touch screens that control about everything. As of the 2020 refresh, they're all flush mounted instead of standing up on the dash like a mounted-iPad, a look I personally don't love. (That refresh is making its way down the line - we were considering also getting a Q5 for my wife while we were shopping, but it still has the "mounted" screen look, and for that reason she decided to keep her current vehicle until the Q5 conforms to the Q7 in a year or so).

The drive is also solid, comfortable and sufficiently sporty; don't get me wrong, it doesn't handle like a Mercedes SLS or anything, but its a heavy, full-size, three row SUV. It does have a bit more power than the Jeep GC it replaces, however. The guy getting out of a Porsche Cayenne could probably call the Q7 "boring" to drive, but it is a huge family hauler at its core (and weighs something like 6k lbs) - on that basis, I was pleasantly surprised by its performance and handling.

The third row isn't functional for adults, other than maybe for an hour or so at a time. But, that's true for a lot of three row SUVs unless you're talking about a Suburban or similar. We also looked at the Q8, which is more or less the same vehicle as the Q7 but with two rows instead of three (the second row's space being quite generous). Despite the small size of the third row in the Q7, we went with the "have it and not need it, instead of need it and not have it" approach.

It's hard to get a deal in this car market, but ultimately price is what made our decision easier. The lease on the Q7 is just a bit less than what the lease was going to be on a replacement Jeep GC. I've really liked my Jeep, but for about the same money, the Audi Q7 (Premier Plus, with Executive Package) is a nicer vehicle than the Jeep GC Summit in my view. Happy to share our numbers via PM if anyone happens to be in the market.

At the end of the day, we still liked the the Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon better than the Q7 - but you just can't get them in Atlanta right now. Even then, built out similarly, the Tahoe sticker was almost $10k more than the Q7 sticker, and the GMC Yukon sticker was almost $14k more. Not sure we would have ponied up the difference in any event. And I still love the RR Sport, but I have a hard time justifying that much dang money for a car!
 
Thanks! Did you test the Cayenne? A lot of people at work are in the Audi camp over BMW, so I think they are doing something right.
 
Not really; I drove a friend's Macan a while ago, but that's really apples to oranges in my view. We considered the Cayenne (there's a big Porsche center here in Atlanta that looks like a lot of fun), but not seriously enough to test drive it. Like the RR Sport, it, too, gets expensive very quickly.

For the money, we thought the Q7 beat out the BMW X5. Experiences and opinions will differ, of course; BMW builds a great car, but we thought Audi edged them out on what you get for the price. Not for nothing, but among luxury cars, Audi seems to be a bit more subtle as a brand, too. When I was a very young lawyer, I got a Mercedes C class about the same time a peer colleague got an Audi A3. Snide comments were made about "overpaid" associates driving Mercedes, but no one ever said anything about the Audi. *shrugs*

And @a572mike, I agree with you. We took one look at the Ford Expedition online and ran far away. No offense to anyone, but to us the styling was almost cartoonishly bad compared to the GM competitors. Ford did better when they "borrowed" the Aston front end styling for use on the blue oval line of cars, but I'm not sure what they're thinking of when designing their "SUVs".
 
a572mike said:
My $.02 - I'm a Ford guy, but GM won the full sized SUV war long ago. Tahoe or Yukon.
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Funny, the Tahoe/Yukon recent update just copied the Expedition with the rear independent suspension. The 3rd row was a bit cramped in the earlier Tahoe/Yukon/Suburbans because the solid rear axle made the 3rd row floor higher forcing your knees higher up. However, the exterior design of the Tahoe/Yukon was very good for the past decade vs the Expedition. Now, they all look nearly identical after Ford all but copied the Tahoe/Yukon c-pillar design.
 
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