Unless my current GC gets fixed I am in the market for another.

I previously had a 2005 GC Laredo with leather and a 3.7 V6.



I'm looking at 2016-2019, cannot afford the SRT lol so I am looking at a Limited or Altitude.

-The Limited I like because of the refinement but the Altitude I like because of the sporty appearance.



Questions:

1) Is the Altitude just sportier looking or does it actually drive sportier?

2) How is the interior and seats in the Altitude vs Limited? I want full leather and am unclear if the Altitude is a leather outline with cloth seats.

3) I take it the V6 is sufficient, much better than 3.7 2005?



Thanks.

 

We upgraded from an '05 WK to a '14 WK2 back in 2016 (WK is the 2005-2010 Grand Cherokee generation, and WK2 is the 2011-2021 Grand Cherokee generation), so I can comment from experience:

1.) The Altitude is just a blacked-out appearance package for the base model Laredo. It doesn't drive any sportier. You can get the 20" wheels and tires (not black like on the Altitude, but a nice polished finish with gray paint on the insides of the spokes) on the Limited (our '14 Limited has only a few options: GPS navigation with the 8.4" touchscreen radio, the smaller sunroof (NOT the one with front and rear sunroofs), and 20" wheels and tires), and they look pretty sporty.

2.) The Altitude has leather on the outside parts of the seat, a a "suede-like" material in the middle of the seats (they also only come in black, as opposed to tan or black in the Limiteds). Limiteds have either non-perforated leather ('14-'16 Limiteds without the Luxury II Group will have "gathered" leather on the standard seats) or perforated leather. All will have heated seats up front, some Limiteds have ventilated front seats as well with the perforation (you'll want to look for the Luxury II Group in order to get those). The seats in the rear are heated for the two outboard seats (at least on the Limiteds). They're very comfortable, much more comfortable than the flat seats on the '05 Laredo we had with leather. The Luxury II Group seats on the Limited are Nappa leather, and will be the same as on an Overland aside from no logos on the seats. I'd test all 3 types of seats, and see which ones you like the most.

3.) We had an '05 WK Laredo with the 4.7L V8 that we traded for our '14 WK2 Limited with the 3.6L V6. It is a lot more powerful and fuel-efficient than the 3.7L V6 and 4.7L V8 of the WK. It is plenty powerful for everyday driving, and is super fun when you put it into Sport Mode. Combined with the 8-speed automatic, we get about 25 MPG on the highway (mostly highway driving, commuting back and forth to work, and using on the weekends). We bought ours with 53k miles from a local used car dealer about 4.5 years ago, and now it has 161k miles on it. Very reliable.

One other suggestion I have (not in your list of questions, but helpful): be sure to get the 8.4" touchscreen, as well as the upgraded nine-speaker stereo system (if a Jeep that you're looking at has it, there will be a speaker in the right side of the cargo area behind the seats, and if it doesn't, you'll just see a second storage bin like the one on the left side of the rear cargo area). It sounds awesome, and the U Connect 8.4 system has a bigger screen and offers optional GPS nav (most of them will have that).

Hope this helps! We upgraded from out '05 WK Laredo 4.7L V8 with 212k miles to the '14 WK2 Limited 3.6L V6 back in 2016, and have put over 100k miles on the '14 since we bought it. We're in love with it, and it's a huge step up in quality and comfort over our old '05 WK.

-Vince

 

Thanks, so it sounds like I want the V6 Limited but what about the Trailhawk?
Is there a way to get the Limited without all the chrome?
I prefer a sportier look.

 

The Trailhawk is great for its off-road abilities. You get the top 4WD system Jeep offers (Quadra-Drive II), which has a low range for ultra rough off-roading, and Quadra-Lift air suspension, which has an adjustable suspension for enhanced off-road abilities, or an "Aero" mode for better fuel economy on the highway (it automatically switches into that mode when the Jeep gets up to highway speeds). There's also Kevlar on the tires (the same material that they use in police vests) to make the tires more resistant to wear on rough pavement.

In terms of appearance, it is a bit sportier, as you get darker gray trim (slightly less chrome), two black stripes on the hood, gray emblems, a red 'Trail Rated 4X4' emblem on the front driver's fender, and red stitching on the front and rear seats, steering wheel, and front and rear door panels. There's also 'TRAILHAWK' stitched in red on both front seat backrests. It comes with all of the luxury goodies that the Limited offers, and has suede inserts in the centers of the leather seats. Going for the Luxury Group on the Trailhawk will get you full Napa perforated leather seats that are heated and ventilated up front (they come with heated front and outboard rear seats as standard equipment). Stuff you'll get on top of what comes on the Limited (The Trailhawk IS based on the Limited trim after all) are features like the 8.4" touchscreen with GPS navigation, Travel Link services (for getting real-time traffic on your route, fuel prices, weather forecasts, etc.), a 9-speaker premium surround-sound system with a subwoofer and amplifier, a power sunroof (a single sunroof in the front, but the Luxury Group upgrades you to a full dual-pane moonroof in the front and back), and some other stuff as well.

I'd highly recommend the Trailhawk trim for you, as it has that aggressive, sporty look you're after, and has all of the off-road goodies as standard equipment (you'd have to get the optional Off-Road II Group on the Limited in order to get those features, and they're not even available on the Altitude Edition).

Good luck in your search! If you're looking for a fairly new one, 2019-2020 Trailhawks are fairly common in Enterprise Rent-a-Car's rental fleets. On the Enterprise Car Sales website, there's a lot of them for sale. And with the 2018-2020 models, you'll get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (integrates your phone apps into the Jeep's touchscreen, and allows you to talk to your Google Assistant or Siri, as well as use Google or Apple Maps). Let me know if you have any further questions.

-Vince

 

Yeh I am having trouble finding something with the sporty altitude appearance with the Limited comfort.

 

The Trailhawk would definitely be your best option then. Inventory is plentiful, and they're relatively easy to find. Again, I'd check your local Enterprise Car Sales lot, as they may have some in inventory.

-Vince

 

Doesn't that have the suede/not full leather seats?
What about the high altitude?

 

You CAN get full leather on the Trailhawk, you just have to get the Trailhawk Luxury Group. The High Altitude will be a bit more expensive because it is based on the Overland, but that DOES include full perforated Napa leather seats. Other standard features on the High Altitude are a panoramic power moonroof, the "Blacked Out" accents of the regular Laredo-based Altitude model, heated and ventilated front seats and heated outboard rear seats, higher-quality wood trim on the interior, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column, and a few driver assistance features. You can get all of that on the Trailhawk (minus the "Blacked Out" accents, 20" wheels and tires, and wood trim on the interior) when you equip it with the Trailhawk Luxury Group.

The way I think of the Grand Cherokee lineup is:

* Laredo/Laredo E/Altitude/Upland- Basic Grand Cherokee w/ few luxury amenities
* Limited/Limited X/75th Anniversary Edition/80th Anniversary Edition- Luxury-oriented Grand Cherokee
* Trailhawk- Off-road oriented version of the Limited with a few more luxury features
* Overland/High Altitude- Ultra-luxury with more standard luxury features
* Summit- Highest-end non-performance oriented Grand Cherokee model you can buy
* SRT/SRT Trackhawk- High-performance Grand Cherokees with larger engines, poor fuel economy, and performance-focused handling

-Vince

 

So it sounds like I want the Trailhawk w/lux package OR High Altitude OR perhaps Overland?

 

My apologies for not responding right away. It's been a busy week.

To answer your question, the High Altitudes are hard to find, and the Overlands include a lot of chrome like the Limited, so not really sporty. Your best bet, based on your parameters so far, is the Trailhawk with the Trailhawk Luxury Group. You'll get the best bang for your buck, and get the most off-road capabilities of any Grand Cherokee. Plus, with red accents and hood stripes (plus back wheel well arches, dark accents on the wheels (they're silver with dark accents), and red stitching on the interior), that'll also give you the sporty appearance you're looking for.

-Vince