Jeep Grand Cherokee 2012 ( With Dual battery pics)
I have had a heap of people ask me about the new jeep so i thought i would post a quick review.
Before i start i always use to be very Toyota bias( I still own a 60 series) and disliked jeeps.I looked around for months for a decent 100 series td or a 200 series td without being happy with any. I looked at Dmaxs, rangers, patrols and RRS, i didn't even think about looking a jeep until i saw the 3.5t Towing.
I bought the new WK2 18 months ago now its the Laredo 3LTD with 177kw/550NM stock standard apart from:
Quadralift suspension
Tow bar
Tinting
Protection pack
Braking controller.
12 Pad ERPS
120Ah Dual battery with Solar
30' LED Spotlight
Heavy Duty Roof rack
The diesel is quicker and more poerful than the v8 petrol and come with a 90l tank. Wow this thing is quick i couldn't believe that this new little diesel was quicker than my BF 6spd manual falcon!! I have now done 5000kms and have not had any problems at all ( belive me i was expecting some)
Towing
I have now done about 10 ramp trips and a few 100kms towing trips and i am pleased to say the Jeep towing the the boat @ 2600kgs (with Hardtop) and 5 guys with gear with absolute ease, i have never felt the 'i want more power' like i use to, even fully loaded it has plenty of guts and i could comfortably overtake without over revving. The 5sped auto gearbox isn't phased at all and i haven't had to hold the gear climbing hills over anything. The Quadalift is a dream for towing, drop 300kg on the back and it auto ajusts to maintain the correct ride height.
Off road
With the bling 18's my first thought was rip em off put 16's with some decent tread, my views have somewhat changed. I have taken it through the back dunes of wedge on some decent hills with hard tires (36psi) with not to many dramas. The tyres let down at 20psi the jeep cruises nicely over softish sand with ease. The so called IFS plough hasn't been a problem yet. I Cant wait to tackle some really soft sand and some harder rock terrain. I haven't done very much rocky stuff but a little bit of mud and no worries there. The Quadralift is handy but i wouldnt get it if i was going to do more serious offroad.
Onroad
It's just absolutely pleasant to drive, comfortable as with all the little extras the no one even needs e.g auto high beam, dimming mirrors, touchscreen hd deck etc etc. The Tyre pressure monitor is pretty hand but.The car has plenty of room and good storage.
Economy
Brilliant around town about 10l/100, country 7l/100 and the 2 longer tows that i did came up at 13.3l/100 and 15.7l/100 but the verdict is still out on the towing figures until i do some longer tows.
I have done some long fully loaded tows and i now budget 15l/100 those figures are good!
Over all i don't have one bad thing to say about the car , some parts are hard and expensive to get but they are getting better. Just a few pics
Have added Dual battery pictures. 120Ah Vision battery and ctek 200 dual battery management. Faultless over the last 3 years. Have attached pictures off roofrack, spotties and stuff!
Up to 30,000 and happy as! Few mods coming soon!
Cheers Vinnie
First Day
cudbfishn
Posts: 1311
Date Joined: 06/04/09
Nice one, the inlaws have
Nice one, the inlaws have bought 1 but the petty v8. Looks nice but i havent been in it yet. They dont tow or go offroad so it suits them. I might not give them so much crap now after reading your report lol.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
haha yeh, my mate bought the
haha yeh, my mate bought the v8 version , very nice to drive but luckily for me the diesel is quicker!
cudbfishn
Posts: 1311
Date Joined: 06/04/09
looking at the specs online
looking at the specs online and it even says the td is quicker than the v8. looking at other specs and youd wonder why you would buy the v8? 8.2 sec 0-100 for a diesel is bloody quick.
Busted Arse
Posts: 253
Date Joined: 02/07/10
If there was a Chrysler
If there was a Chrysler stealership up north id seriously consider the TD option.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Yeh it really is that quick
Yeh it really is that quick too, not sure about the v8 i just assume its because its a far bit cheaper and can do the towing if need be !!
Colt_Striker
Posts: 624
Date Joined: 26/07/09
Good write up mate, I went
Good write up mate, I went down the same track October last year, traded the Colorado in on the Jeep, Done 2 Albany trips & 3 jurien trips towing the boat, 3 tonnes plus gear hasn't missed a beat, even to the point of loooking down & going oh shit doing 130.
jng
Posts: 488
Date Joined: 03/08/07
Should be picking up my new
Should be picking up my new grand cherokee limited TD on Monday! Can't wait
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Yeh colt the speed creeps up,
Yeh colt the speed creeps up, you just about forget your towing. jng you wont be dissapointed! colt did you get seat covers ?
SABRE
Posts: 404
Date Joined: 17/05/12
V8
My brother in law has the v8 grand Cherokee we towed his 6.7 fiberglass tub to exxy and what a good tow car. Bit thirsty but heaps of grunt and the active cruise control is a god send on a long drive. Good value to compared to similar Nissan or tojo.
If fishing is a sport I,m an elite athlete
spearfisher
Posts: 82
Date Joined: 20/09/08
nice looking rig ,do they
nice looking rig
,do they come in 7 seats ?
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
sabre.yehvwould tow great any
sabre.yehvwould tow great any ideas on the economy ? Spearfisher not sure.!
JoRn
Posts: 368
Date Joined: 20/11/07
good news, after speaking to
good news, after speaking to you vinesh i ordered an my13 overland
bloody 5month wait for these things
justin - how did you gets yours so quick?
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Good to hear JoRn, yeh theres
Good to hear JoRn, yeh theres a decent wait, i luckily got mine in 2 days haha. I just took mine through mud rock and gravelly tracks very very impressed no sliding out on the gravel tracks at speed at all!!
jng
Posts: 488
Date Joined: 03/08/07
Hey John, They had one
Hey John,
They had one sitting in the yard. Pretty much the only diesel in WA. I spoke to heaps of dealers and it was a long wait to get your hands on one.
You went all out with the overland? You going diesel?
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
JNG did you get your at
JNG did you get your at maddington by any chance ?
jng
Posts: 488
Date Joined: 03/08/07
Yeah getting it at
Yeah getting it at maddington. Did you see that car for sale?
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Nah i just know that
Nah i just know that maddington are dodgy and are the only yard in WA having the diesels on the floor haha, thats how i got mine.
SABRE
Posts: 404
Date Joined: 17/05/12
Vinesh didn't do figures but
Vinesh didn't do figures but we were getn bout 400ks out of a 90l tank ?? But we were sitn on 110 ish no worries.
If fishing is a sport I,m an elite athlete
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Yeh about 20l/100 which is
Yeh about 20l/100 which is what i would expect. But yeh would tow like a dream haha
SABRE
Posts: 404
Date Joined: 17/05/12
Company car so we weren't
Company car so we weren't paying for fuel : )
If fishing is a sport I,m an elite athlete
JoRn
Posts: 368
Date Joined: 20/11/07
justin have a look at the
justin have a look at the moose test
i have emailed chrysler to see if they have an explanation, few talks about cars getting stuck which the dealer have put their head in the sand
was going to buy from maddington but it such a long drive for me
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
the moose test haha so many
the moose test haha so many different factors to be considered, what do you mean cars getting stuck ?
Busted Arse
Posts: 253
Date Joined: 02/07/10
Theres been a couple of these
Theres been a couple of these jeeps transported back to perth from the northwest with unknown faults. Thats what I heard thus why i would need re-assurance of having Chrysler support up north before committing to one. Not trying to knock Jeeps as Im a Jeep enthusiasist owning a XJ as my fun ride.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Yeh fair enough i have heard
Yeh fair enough i have heard of unknown faults too would suck up there. Will be interesting what reply you get Jorn, keep me informed!
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Few additions that people
Few additions that people have asked me about. Firstly installed a Dual Battery.
I have a 120ah Vision AGM battery installed in the spare wheel well inside the wheel. Yes i need to lift the battery out to change the tyre but oh well i would need to lift the fridge and everything off anyway so hopefully i can just use my puncture repair kit. I have it running straight from the battery under the seat to a CTEK 200dual which chargers and bumps the voltage and uses soalr inputs etc etc. I installed 2 x 10 Heavy duty plugs in the rear for the fridge an other stuff.
Heres a few pics.
bmwbmw
Posts: 1
Date Joined: 22/03/15
Dual battery pics
Hi Vinesh,
Just trying to nut out a dual battery for a potential Jeep GC purchase The pics you reference in above post seem to have disappeared. Do you still have them? Info seems difficult to come by here.
thanks
Bernie
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Will repost them when i get
Will repost them when i get to a computer!
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
They are back, pm me if you
They are back, pm me if you have any questions!
JoRn
Posts: 368
Date Joined: 20/11/07
thats pretty smart vinesh i
thats pretty smart vinesh
i am thinking of following suite just trying to decide which one
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Cheers! If you don't have
Cheers!
If you don't have quadralift it will fit under passenger seat with slight mod? But I do so this was by far the best option I feel and solid fixing. The vision battery is mm perfect 120a I can send uou the part number if need be ?
Cruise Control
Posts: 973
Date Joined: 03/11/10
Thanks for that Vinnie, good
Thanks for that Vinnie, good to get some more positive feedback on Jeeps, I know they have been working hard to improve their product and reliability. Had my diesel Overland now for 8000 Km's. Goes like a scalded cat and 14.4l per 100 Km's towing 23 cruise craft. Fuel consumption in town is 8.5/100 stop start but I have the 8 speed with the fiat motor. No issues so far (touch wood).
Travelling to Coral Bay with the boat in July so proof will be in the pudding I guess. Had Cruisers for 20 years plus so was a big call to go Jeep. Drives more sporty than a cruiser and perhaps not as comfortable (firmer ride) and is noisier but these minor issues pale into insignificance when you experience the power and the economy. Mind you all of the alarms and warning chimes do give me the sh*ts sometimes !
Got mine at Maddington. They did a good deal for me and delivered in 3 days, can't say I'm a fan of the Service Manager and I have let them know my feelings about his casual attitude. Last service I noted he wasn't there and the service people were very focused. Time will tell.
cheers
shonky
Posts: 203
Date Joined: 22/04/12
goodies
if your after goodies for your jeep check out www.cruisinon.com.au/
they do an excellent dual battery system.
This habit is getting expensive!
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
They look like they have some
They look like they have some good stuff even the RRO stuff and a good price.
Not sold on the Duall battery system but, only 55ah. i looked at putting a battery there and couldnt fit any decent size battery.My system for everything was about $500 incl Battery, cable and ctek which does solar and voltage boosting for a better charge/stage charging! But if your not inclined to DIY then this would be a good thing!
FYI the pics i posted are from when it first when in and its refined since then.
If you don't have quadralift a decent battery fits under the passenger side seat which is the best option!
Cheers
Vinnie
shonky
Posts: 203
Date Joined: 22/04/12
no chance
under the passenger seat is full of electronics, no idea what it is and I dont have quadra lift. that battery would suit me as all i use it for is the engel.
This habit is getting expensive!
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Sorry mines MY12 so in my
Sorry mines MY12 so in my model you could put under the seat easy as!
Yeh 55ah doesnt last long with engel. No worries if you drive around everyday but i tend to park up and not move for a while haha