Best looking, great driving, lots of room, fairly priced.
Written: May 29 '03 (Updated Dec 03 '04)
Product Rating:
Reliability:
Seat Comfort:
Build Quality
Handling And Control:
Roominess:
Pros: Zippy, pretty smooth ride, plenty of passenger and cargo room, lots of standard features.
Cons: Burns lots of gas in the city; suspension can be truck-like at times.
The Bottom Line: The SUV if you're looking for sturdy, car-like ride, flexibility to load up cargo without sacrificing passenger space. Styling like no other, fair on gas, fun and easy to drive.
youngtxyankee's Full Review: 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
I went in to my purchase of a new 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (2WD) looking for a 2003, and the dealer just happened to have this one on the lot and wanted to move it quickly. Though I've never driven a Jeep before, I'm happy I bought what I did.
The overall styling is admittedly what first drew my attention to the JGC. The '04 carries forward the same basic design lines of the '03, with a few superficial changes, most notably to the grill. Whereas the '03's wore a bright gleaming silver grill, the '04 sports a matte platinum color (which I think feels a little refined). Of course 2004 brings the intro of the new Freedom trimline, with a body-color painted grill and a center platinum colored bar in the front bumper, if you prefer something newer.
I'm happy to report that the JGC handles very nimbly. I was surprised to find it has a reasonably tight turning radius, making it easy to maneuver in and out of slim parking spaces. The standard V6 has plenty of pickup, and is pretty quiet through all but the most pedal-to-the-metal acceleration. Overall, you get a fairly smooth ride even over moderately bumpy streets; although if you hit a lot of pot holes over 35-40 miles an hour, you may feel a little like you're bouncing along the back country in a pickup. It's fair to say that this Jeep feels pretty agile, responding in a way more car-like than anything else, with sort of a hybrid ruggedized luxury minivan feel. If you're into high speed sports car-ish cornering and performance than maybe an SUV isn't for you. But sitting up high, you're in command of the road, and this vehicle is anything but sluggish or lumbering.
The interior complements the refined exterior. Dials and gauges are bright and easy to read, laid out simply and straightforward. Controls are within easy reach, and the tilt steering wheel makes it easy for tall folks to get in and out without feeling like a sardine. Mine came with a power driver's seat, which may have just a little TOO many adjustment options, but does allow just the right fit between driver, seat, pedals and steering wheel. Also highly recommended is the power package. After four years driving a car without power, I'm appreciative every day for the power locks, window and fold-away mirrors (hint: throw in the keyless entry while you're at it, since the sole keyed lock on the driver's door could make it inconvenient to be without).
The rear seats fold flat, giving up lots of room for cargo if needed. The rear lift gate lifts high up and out of the way for easy rear loading (and flipper window glass in the liftgate can be opened separately, for easy access to smaller loads). I ponied up $75 for a cargo cover, which quickly converts the open rear to a sort of trunk, good for keeping your belongings securely out of view from prying eyes (the rear tinted glass helps with that too, and shades out the sun without compromising visibility; I also opted to lightly tint the two front windows).
With some convenience group or another came the overhead mini-trip computer/display. I honestly could live without it, but there's nothing wrong with having it. On the upside you can use it as a secondary tripometer (which counts not only your miles but also time), and it'll let you know how much longer until you're due for an oil change or a gas-up, as well as your average mileage (and if and when that gets depressing, you can always switch it to either compass/outside temperature mode, or off).
Honestly, the '04 Jeep (talking about the V6 2WD) isn't an econobox gas miser, but hopefully it won't drain Iraq of oil in a week either. I find that on average, in stop and go city/suburban traffic (and this is Texas, so yes, I keep the A/C running on full most of the time) it'll get around 16 mpg, probably less if you're a lead foot. Surprisingly though, take it onto the freeway and at cruising speed I've been able to crank out upwards of 25-26 mpg. That's not too shabby compared to the Neon I used to drive (which maxed out at around 30 mpg hwy).
In all, the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a comfy, sturdy, stylish ride. A few amenities thrown in will sweeten the deal. As it's brand new, I can't speak yet for reliability, although the standard warranty (3yrs/36k miles bumper-bumper, 7yrs/70k miles power train) makes me feel fairly confident that it shouldn't suffer a major breakdown. For peace of mind, I invested $1900 in the extended warranty, which added 4 years and 30k miles to my bumper-bumper coverage (for a grand total of 7yrs/100k miles worry-free). That'll outlast my payments by two years, and that makes me happy.
*** UPDATE ***
Ok, it's been about a year and a half now, and I have to say I'm still very pleased with this purchase. With the extreme rise in gas prices, my one regret is that this SUV isn't great on mileage. I'm averaging about 16 mpg around town, better on freeways - but most of my driving is in the city. I haven't experienced any breakdowns or mechanical failures, or any loss of performance from any system or component.
One update note on gauge layout: I've noticed, being a tall guy, that my view of the speedometer is partially obstructed by the top of the steering wheel. I usually prefer to tilt it all the way down when I'm driving, for best control. Tilting the wheel up a bit affords a better view of the speedometer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 26,000incTTL
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: Laredo V6 2WD
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