Off road minivan

[Tero97acb]

Hi folks,

I am considering selling my Mitsubishi Montero and Mazda CX-5 to get what some people refer to as the mini van of Jeeps, the Grand Cherokee L. I like Jeeps reputation for off road capability, and the interiors are quite luxurious. However, I am not familiar with the Quadratrac I system and how cabable it is on its own. The lower trim levels that Ican afford do not come with the Low Range transfer case and presumably other off road goods. They also seems to be a little bit piecemeal or nickel and dime about the options rather than putting them all in one package. I’m comparing against the latest iteration of the Nissan Pathfinder and would love to hear thoughts from GCL / GC owners with Laredo or limited trims who overland.

 

[billiebob]

Quadratrac I is built for urban warfare and winter mall crawling. BUT it is one step up from 2WD.
My last Grand was loaded but even "Trail Rated" it was NOT an overlander.

 

[1stDeuce]

The term "offroad minivan" is usually applied to the Wrangler, not the GC. The GC is really more of an on road minivan... Quadra trac is just a fancy name for AWD. I suspect it's a clutch engaged front system, rather than true full time 4wd, particularly in the lower trim levels... The Jeep heritage lives on in the Wrangeler, but it's dead in everything else badged Jeep IMO.

I wouldn't worry too much about not having low range. Seems like the transmissions of late have fairly steep first gear ratios, and with no clearance, no real articulation, 18 or 20" wheels with not so big tires, what are you really going to do with low range anyway? I should think the GC would compare well to a modern pathfinder, which is, in effect, a large tall station wagon with zero off road ability. Both good for snowy roads and nice heated seats though. Drive some comparable vehicles and see if any of them seem worth the sacrifice of your present vehicles and a 5 year payment...

 

[shays4me]

Quadratrac I is built for urban warfare and winter mall crawling.

Hey, what's wrong with that? That's what I do with my Wrangler, LOL!

 

[AggieOE]

I found this comparing the differences:

Jeep Quadra-Trac vs. Quadra-Drive: What's the Difference?

When it comes to adventuring into the wild, buyers of the Jeep Grand Cherokee get a choice of three 4-wheel-drive (4WD) systems—Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II, and Quadra-Drive II—each one designed and geared to take on different levels of capability. Here's how each system works.

www.jdpower.com

 

[shays4me]

I found this comparing the differences:

Jeep Quadra-Trac vs. Quadra-Drive: What's the Difference?

When it comes to adventuring into the wild, buyers of the Jeep Grand Cherokee get a choice of three 4-wheel-drive (4WD) systems—Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II, and Quadra-Drive II—each one designed and geared to take on different levels of capability. Here's how each system works.

www.jdpower.com

That's very informative. I've been driving Jeeps my whole life and had no insight at all on the differences. Thanks for the link!

 

[kga1978]

The Grand Cherokee is a fine platform for overlanding and unless you're planning on rock crawling, the Quadratrac I should be sufficient - I assume, significantly better than a Pathfinder. Further, you can get skid plates for a GC (and rocksliders? I'm not sure about the L), all of which make a big difference in a less capable car.

I myself have a 2017 GC Trailhawk (which has the Quadradrive II) and I have been very surprised by how capable it is - and it's been a fantastic platform for 'overlanding'. Yes, it's not a rock crawler and articulation is laughable, but it's more than sufficient for 95%+ of what I'd want to do here in CA/AZ. The Quadratrac is going to be less capable (no eLSD (which works a a locker)), but the brake-assisted torque vectoring has been improved in the newer models, so I'm sure you'll be fine. Now, the L is a little long... That, of course, takes away some capability.

In that class of SUVs (big, comfy, nice on-road), I think the GC will be your best bet off-road.

 

[AggieOE]

Another consideration would be a 4Runner. It's comparable to the GC in class but is a true body on frame with a solid rear axle. In TRD Off-Road trim it has a rear locker. The Limited trim may be more your style since you mention luxury. On that note, the Lexus GX isn't a bad option in the same class.

 

[billiebob]

A few considerations for off road overlanding vs mall crawling.

Low Range is wonderful. It lets you go slower and makes TREAD LIGHTLY easier.
Simplicity is wonderful. I love the floor mounted shift lever over the electric dash switch which activates the mechanical shift somewhere under the car. Luxury tends to isolate one from the road and what the car is doing. Overlanding off road is one of those times a basic primative vehicle which lets you hear the aches and groans is actually a better choice.

 

[billiebob]

The only reason for the Wrangler Monivan comparison was because Dodge unloaded a poor performing Minivan V6 into the first JKs in 2007. In 2012 they finally corrected that error and the JKs got the incredible 3.6L V6....

Anyone calling any other Jeep a minivan is just not well informed.... put politely....