sabasigh
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- September 17, 2006
- Messages
- 130
- Reaction score
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- City, State
- STL Metro East, IL
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '05 XLT 4x4
Again, none of this is to deny that the 4Runner (or indeed, the Jeep we left back on the handling course) is ultimately more capable off-road than the Explorer, but we were struck by the surprising amount of capability that's built into the Ford – certainly plenty of capability for weekend woodsmen, beachgoers and ski holidays. Either way, when it comes time to pack up the weekend cottage and escape from the Dueling Banjos on a snaking dirt road, we'd take the Explorer every time.
They kind of make it sound like it's better than the Jeep off road, which I don't see how that's possible.
While we're nit-picking, if I was to buy a vehicle for off-road use, it wouldn't be the Grand Cherokee either.
They're both unibodys, so it all comes down to gears, lockers, tires, and terrain management systems.
The grand cherokee is an offroader in name only, probably as many people buy one of those for offroad as they buy an explorer these days.
And 90+% of people who buy Wranglers don't off road them either...which is pretty pathetic because Wranglers are built really poorly.
Not to jump on the Jeep-bashing band-wagon but my father in-law is a mechanic of 40+ years, has had his own repair shop in a medium-sized city for ~30 of that. At some point in the mid-90's he starting refusing service if you brought in a Jeep and still continues that to this day. He'll work on anything else, Mercedes, BMW, even Chrysler and Dodge, just not Jeep. With the recession in 2008, people held on to their current vehicles longer which led to him being booked-out for up to 6 weeks at a time, so he's not missing the Jeep income (or headaches as he would say).
Dodge does make vehicles other than the ones you mentioned. And he didn't specifically say what Dodges.So he'll work on a Dodge Nitro but not a Jeep Liberty? Or a Dodge Caliber but not a Jeep Compass/Patriot? Makes a lot of sense.