AlterBridge

Hey !


So, here's my situation. The WJ is probably one of my favorite cars of all time, and I don't like the looks of the WK, but for specific reasons, I'd be able to make a concession and take a WK instead. Let me explain.


The main criteria that would possibly make me think about getting a WK instead of a WJ is the roadholding.


I had to dodge some obstacle at 110km/h with my current car (a Fiat Marea Weekend - break), and even if I know my current car handling perfectly well and nothing bad happened, the way it behaved made me take the decision that my next car must have ESP.


So my concern is, if something a little risky happens with the WJ (dodging some obstacle, full break while turning), how will the WJ behave ? Will it be reassuring or risky ? How does it take the trajectory on bends ? how precise is the direction ?

The WK seems to be in another level in this regards, way more reassuring for different reasons : suspension, electronics, ESP, direction... do you confirm ?


I'd like to have feedback too on suspension, and especially how well it handles little imperfections, and holes in the road ? How good it is at making you "forget" these ?


For all my other criterias, the WJ seems to be better. Comfort, Height, Back space, and of course, the killer look that I'm the biggest fan of.


Thank you all in advance for sharing your expertise with me ! Cheers

jordan96xj

I struggled with similar questions before deciding to move from my 2003 v6 Honda Accord to a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. The Accord probably saved my life a couple of weeks before I decided to switch out of it. Its stability system came to life when I had to do a high speed braking swerve around a deer in the middle of the road on a rainy night. I have no doubt that the system was responsible for ensuring that I did enter an uncontrollable slide.

However, this was about 4th close call in about 2 years. And at their root was a common problem that had nothing to do with stability or traction. It was VISIBILITY. Almost all of the close calls I was having in the Accord were related to terrible driver visibility, particularly when rain and darkness were involved. Very low driver sitting position, very obstructed views from the interior, and a deeply slanted windshield that reflected light in all sorts of unhelpful ways were all factors.

I remember telling my wife that night that I was thankful that the Accord kept me on the road...but that I was done with it.

My 96 XJ is not nearly as safe on the whole (on paper). It has a single air bag (steering wheel). No ABS, no stability control, a rear gas tank that would love to incinerate the occupants, and a body that is thin and never designed to absorb impact (like modern cars). However, in nearly 5 years of driving it, I have -avoided- countless close calls because the most important thing of all. I COULD SEE THEM COMING. I don't speed, I drive with full attention, and I don't take unnecessary risks.

So it is a decision that is quite personal, and is probably unique to each driver's style and environmental factors (night/day, rain, snow, traffic levels, typical speeds, etc).

I drive about 80 miles per day. Most at 60mph or below (lots of 45/40/35 zones), on relatively low-traffic routes (somewhat rural). I try to keep my driving during daylight hours, but winter I deal with darkness, rain, and tremendous snow. So it works for me....for now.

I prefer the WJ as well. For much the same reasons you mention. For me, the lack of stability control wouldn't keep me from going that route. If you work on your own vehicles, the WJ is the obvious choice. The WK is a chrysler/daimler/mercedes combination, so the parts and ease of servicing are quite different. Use carcomplaints.com to identify which WK must be avoided (05/06 are quite bad, and they make up the bulk of what is available on craigslist...hmmm...wonder why).

AlterBridge

Thanks for your very interesting answer !

Your situation with the deer is exactly the kind of things I'm thinking about, obstacle appearing in high speed / while turning / while raining, and ESP will make the difference.

I understand your point. I myself, or maybe about half of myself, consider that most situations can be avoided thanks to the driver, not the car. Especially that I consider myself an "exceptionally good driver"... (like exactly every other man, I presume)

But the other half of me is following the logic that says that if there's a situation that's going to happen, no matter how good my reflexes are, a good "stability system" as you say, will play to my favor, and an unstable car will play against me.

I'd add that the environmental factor here where I live are quite alarming (the way people drive is probably the most alarming, followed by the quality of the roads, and the fact that I drive often at nighttime)

So I decided that when I change my car, I'll go for something seriously stable. Not necessarily with all the latest technologies, but stable enough that I'd be reassured. For example, I don't think I'd go for a car as old as a 1996 cherokee, even if I really like the look.

That's why I wander seriously about the WJ stability, WJ that I'd really want to have.

Thanks again for your awesome response, if they're all of this quality, I'm thrilled to see the other answers !!

Cheers,
AlterBridge

jordan96xj

If modern vehicle stability is important to you, a WJ is probably not a good choice either. It has a suspension that is of similar design to the XJ (though not the same). It has that long/soft suspension travel like the XJ has. But it has about 1000lbs more weight on top of it. I had a ZJ and liked it, but it did not inspire confidence during emergency maneuvers. A more modern crossover would probably be a better choice in that regard. They are largely designed around "car like" handling instead of SUV. Which I personally don't prefer, but it is one of the primary reasons they are so popular. Because many people do prefer that type of nimble handling at higher speeds.

I test drove my friend's WK a few times. It definitely had more of that modern/tighter "car like" handling. It was one of the major marketing points of the redesign. Still not as nimble as a smaller crossover, but definitely a lot tighter and stable than anything like an XJ or WJ. Just as important, is that none of the Jeeps we are talking about here were known for the stopping prowess. Which is also a major factor in avoiding bad situations, and reducing the severity of situations that can't be avoided.

These issues are on my mind right now as well. So you post was well timed.

AlterBridge

Actually, I never drove an SUV or a Jeep, so I have no idea if it is that bad in handling, compared to a "normal car". Is it that bad of a handling ? "How" was it not inspiring confidence to you ? What was it doing ?

jordan96xj

It is not something easy to describe/discuss via text. But in general, older SUVs (Grand Cherokees being a good example), have quite a bit of weight up high, and towards the rear. This combined with the long travel suspensions (that made them so effective off-road) and generally soft handling makes for a fairly sloppy feel to sudden direction changes at speed. So any time you make direction changes at higher speeds you feel it...viscerally...in a not so pleasant way. At best it comes out as some body lean (leaning side to side during turns, lane changes, etc). But at worse, it presents as instability or scary counter-corrections when swerving in order to avoid the rear end losing traction completely with the road surface. The WJ represents the end of an era, where that type of handling was still tolerated in large "utilitarian" vehicles. Considered normal. As this issue started to be seen as not just a comfort issue, but a safety concern, many car makers started including stability augmentation to help reduce the bad roll-over and loss of control numbers that were happening. These systems typically work by manipulating power distribution and braking, and are mostly about keeping the tires in contact with the road, not so much about ride quality or being nimble. But things were changing fast during that period, and the WK represents the shift towards more modern handling. But true SUVs (not crossovers) are still known for their "truck like" handling. That is the type of language you will see used in various auto magazines and review articles. The term is used most often to denote that this type of handling is undesirable to the average person. (Go look at current reviews and press on toyota 4runners, and you will see that type of language a lot. Anything that is body-on-frame will typically get dinged for its "outdated" design and "truck-like" handling. Some of us want that, but the general buying public seems to want something that has the utility of a 4x4, but the design of a sedan.

BlueRidgeMark

Dunno about the WK, but the WJ is definitely not a handling machine. It rolls quite a bit more than my XJ.

If you are counting on modern electronic suspension to keep you out of trouble, look elsewhere.