Don't know if any of you guys have seen the latest commercial on tv for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but they are touting its off road capabilities. They say it has a raised air intake, (so does the H3), triple door seals, (not the H3), and a 'water tight' drive train. Anybody know if we have a 'water tight' drive train?

 

At the end of the day the Jeep is rated for 20 inches of water, and the H3 is rated for 24.

 

My next door neighbor just bought a 2011 Grand Cherokee. I asked him when we were taking it off-road.

He and his wife both said "Never!"

Not much for ground clearance and those 20" wheels will be costly to put new tires on.

Doug

 

Honestly, the Jeep defies EVERYTHING typical Jeepers want; limited slip, no lockers; IRS and IFS, not live axles; yadda yadda.

Ya the H3 is "rated" for 24" of water, but people go thru 36", yep 3ft, of water with zero issues.

The door seals are fine and dandy if you plan on driving to the middle of your local lake and fishing from your Jeep; other than that sealed doors are bad. If your going thru really deep water, the truck normally only fills if your going slow or stop. Otherwise, you want the truck to fill up with water to keep it from washing away with the current.

The I see immenent fail with the new cherokees

 

that commercial is for the off-roader wanna-be

he'll get that grand cherokee because it's all nice and pretty, dream about it's off road capabilities at night, and brag to his friends about what it can do...

yet he'll never take it past a graded dirt road

 

My wife has a 2007 Grand Cherokee and I have a 2009 H3.

The 2007 6 cyl Grand Cherokee is much nimbler... quicker... more powerful than the 5 cyl... more agile...tighter turning radius... narrower... shorter... but lower (less ground clearance).

I need ground clearance for minor off-roading while hunting... and feel safer with the H3... like I won't as easily hurt the undercarraige.

 

The 2007 JGC does not have a tighter turning radius.

 

The Jeep does NOT have a tighter turning radius. The jeep has a less powerful motor, in a similarly weighted truck; it's not faster. As far as shorter, I'm sure thats not true either. They are pretty long. HUMMER def has better GC though.

 

I have 35's on the H3 so the GC does turn tighter... I guess I should have mentioned that...

 

H3 length 187.5", GC length 186.7"
H3 width 74.6", GC width 73.3"
H3 wheelbase 111.9", GC wheelbase 109.9"
H3 turning circle 37 ft, GC turning circle 36.7 ft
H3 weight 6001 lbs, GC weight 5900 lbs
H3 HP 239, GC HP 210
H3 FP 241, GC FP 235
Combine all this with the aerodynamics of the GC compared to the big boxy H3 and
the H3 can't catch the GC... or get through some of the trails the GC can... believe me I know since I drive both.