2014/15 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk vs 2015 Toyota 4Runner Trail edition

[toyotech]

The 4Runner is also unfortunately a dying breed....it will soon be sent to pasture.

No it's not. Toyota considers it a "world vehicle". It's used/sold all over the world. They will keep making it even if it won't be sold in the US but I doubt it.

At least Toyota backs their products. I don't see any other company recalling their known mistakes as much as Toyota has. Even after the warranty has expired and been more than 10 years old.

A friend of mine use to work for Nissan as a tech and now with Toyota where I worked with him for a good amount of time. Anyways he said Toyota is much better overall compared to Nissan and he seen a lot in his days.


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[cjgolfer7]

I can't even believe this is up for consideration. 4runner hands down.
I mean I know this is a jeep forum. But we're talking about the new cherokee. Im a jeep guy dont get me wrong. I just sold an all original, unmolested 85 4runner to buy this...

 

[toyotech]

I can't even believe this is up for consideration. 4runner hands down.
I mean I know this is a jeep forum. But we're talking about the new cherokee. Im a jeep guy dont get me wrong. I just sold an all original, unmolested 85 4runner to buy this...

Bet u cashed in on that runner. Should have built the runner instead


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[cjgolfer7]

Not when I sold it for 6500 and only had 900 in it. Bough that from a 4x4 shop because the last owner that had the mods done couldnt fit the bill. Handed the title over instead. Scooped it up and still have 3500 to play with. My plan was to build the runner. But my car bit the dust and i needed cash quick.

 

[cjgolfer7]

4runner had no rust. One owner out of ga. 105k was flawless. His wife just wanted it out of the drive way. Needed a fuel pump. Started right up and went 4 fours home no issues. Was a nice one. Just unfortunately needed the loot.

 

[K2ZJ]

That would mean a whole new 4WD computer and sensor system, all new suspension geometry, and significant modifications to the unibody so you could mount all this without ripping it apart or flexing it like a wedge of warm cheese. Then you would have to open up the wheel wells to accommodate bigger tires and more travel. By the time you are done you will have spent more than you saved.

What is your experience with a unibody Jeep?

 

[Blind_Io]

I owned a 2001 XJ Cherokee. The unibody on that had a scary amount of flex. When tripoding the doors would jam against the body, I actually rubbed all the pain off parts of the doors and door jams due to rubbing. That doesn't even touch on the plethora of other reliability problems. In 3 years that Jeep was in the shop more than the FJ80 was in 15 years.

 

[toylandcruiser]

border line racism? excuse me? Please elaborate?

Japscrap? That has nothing to do with Japanese people but with where the originating company is and the type of vehicle. I am far from racist. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket. Or As I would like to call it, the pussification of America. No one can say anything in a joking manner without someone getting their undies in a massive knot. I have a big group of Asian friends, and guess what, they call Japanese cars "japscrap" too. I OWN Japanese cars as well, just not Toyota. I never was a fan and always thought they were over rated compared to other offerings. Again, they are built from sub par materials and lets not forget the flying Toyota syndrome. That was an awesome feature as well. Go with a Nissan if you want a Japanese Off road rig, NOT a Toy Yoda.

approximately 50 tacomas and now tundras in the rust yard is far from a anecdotal evidence. its a serious problem considering how many people are serviced by my local dealer.

damnt i thought i put you on ignore

 

[K2ZJ]

I owned a 2001 XJ Cherokee. The unibody on that had a scary amount of flex. When tripoding the doors would jam against the body, I actually rubbed all the pain off parts of the doors and door jams due to rubbing. That doesn't even touch on the plethora of other reliability problems. In 3 years that Jeep was in the shop more than the FJ80 was in 15 years.

You had the first unibody built by Jeep over 30 years ago. Since then there have been four generations of Grand Cherokees, two generations of the Liberty, the Patriot, Compass, Commander and now the second Cherokee. Do you think they may learned a thing or two since your model? I know going from my ZJ to the WJ there were significant improvements in the unibody. Like your former XJ, when I am on three wheels, if I open the liftgate I can't close it. However that is not the case on a WJ. Just like you I don't have experience with new Cherokee, I have only looked inside the one we have at work, but I would guess they are not the Cherokee of old.

Now in context to the OP's original question, I don't foresee him "tripoding" very often, and looking at pictures of the Pryor Mountain trails doesn't yield too much in the way of large rocks. My guess that if he can deal with a smaller vehicle it would suit his needs fine.

 

[GetOutThere]

After driving the new Cherokee, I wouldn't take it anywhere.

4Runner all the way here. You may never run into the off road issues that would make the Cherokee the wrong vehicle for you. However, judging by your post, and the adventure you're looking to go on, I would say that the 4Runner may serve your adventurous spirit a bit better. The interior space is also more usable.

The Cherokee, despite its tech bells and whistles, really is just a soft roader with a locking diff.

 

[kojackJKU]

That being said, I would love to see somebody by a trailhawk and use all the money they saved not buying a Toyota to make it completely awesome.

How about take a new trailhawk and 4 runner and actual see how far the trailhawk can follow a bone stock runner. I bet farther than everyone thinks.

 

[Blind_Io]

You had the first unibody built by Jeep over 30 years ago. Since then there have been four generations of Grand Cherokees, two generations of the Liberty, the Patriot, Compass, Commander and now the second Cherokee. Do you think they may learned a thing or two since your model? I know going from my ZJ to the WJ there were significant improvements in the unibody. Like your former XJ, when I am on three wheels, if I open the liftgate I can't close it. However that is not the case on a WJ. Just like you I don't have experience with new Cherokee, I have only looked inside the one we have at work, but I would guess they are not the Cherokee of old.

Now in context to the OP's original question, I don't foresee him "tripoding" very often, and looking at pictures of the Pryor Mountain trails doesn't yield too much in the way of large rocks. My guess that if he can deal with a smaller vehicle it would suit his needs fine.

30 years ago? 2014-2001=13. The Cherokee I had was the last year it was produced and, allegedly, one of the best of the XJ series. The exhaust manifold had been changed so it didn't crack, the radiator was now more than a single core so it didn't overheat, and there were a number of other changes to the construction of the chassis over the years. Of course that didn't keep the fuel system from throwing codes every other month, the U-joints going out after 20,000 miles, the seats falling apart, the seems in the dash opening up, the suspension collapsing, hell, even the paint failed. Chrysler said the cracking on the hood and roof were because the vehicle was "outside too much." I owned a Volvo that my grandfather bought new in 1976, it spent the last 15 years of its life parked outside under desert sun and in freezing winters, that paint never cracked.

I have just had too many problems with Jeep build quality to trust my life to it. Jeep is currently ranked 23rd in initial quality with Chrysler following two steps behind. Toyota has slipped, but still ranks 8th with their Lexus line ranking 1st.

 

[K2ZJ]

30 years ago? 2014-2001=13. The Cherokee I had was the last year it was produced ...

It was designed before 1984 when it was first released. 2014-1984=30.

EDIT: Your grandfathers 1976 Volvo had paint that is no longer allowed to be used due to environmental and health standards. Look at a ton of vehicles today and how crappy the paint is (GM). Car companies were forced to use new crap that took a while to fix. I do agree Chrysler's paint in that era was quite terrible. Your XJ seems to fall outside the norm of most XJs. There are still tons of them on the road while many other Chrysler products seem to be disappearing. A 4.0 and an aw4 (ax15 too) are quite the combo. I personally put over 100K on my 95 ZJ and I bought it with 109K. The transmission was my only major failure and I did replace the header due to the common crack. Now I have since swapped the 4.0 and trans for a 4.7 stroker and built trans, I may go buy a used motor and swap this one back out. I don't like it. My paint is pealing on the roof, it is always kept outside, and my doors still open and close fine. Not the hatch when flexed hard as noted above. I would trust most XJs for a cross country trip any day. I am not saying the Toyota is a bad vehicle. In fact I wouldn't buy a Toyota or the new Cherokee, one is overpriced and the other doesn't fit my needs.

 

[Singlespeed92]

It certainly falls outside the norm of my XJ experience with my '98 (all the issues he had with his). Never occurs to most people that maybe they just had a "Friday Evening Special" vehicle (a lemon-nothing to do with the owner or how they care for or don't the vehicle in question...sometimes you just get a dud),they'd rather just lump all of the millions of others as bad because their one individual unit had issues,LOL!

 

[Singlespeed92]

How about take a new trailhawk and 4 runner and actual see how far the trailhawk can follow a bone stock runner. I bet farther than everyone thinks.

I agree (and I'm not a fan of the new Cherokee for offraod/trail,but I've seen em go farther than most would expect-I've also seen em hang up on spots you'd expect them to pass...),it'd be fun to see,and yeah,the ones I've seen did surprise me a bit,but not all the surprises were good (some were,not all bad either-heck,I just like watching trucks trail,so yeah,I second this,LOL )