Jeep Ownership - Week 1

"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
03/12/2020 at 17:25 • Filed to: jeep thing, its a jeep thing, jeep cherokee, it needs a name, 2020 jeep cherokee

I’ve had this thing a week now, and here are some thoughts.

It fits in the garage real nice with the Trans Am shoved to one side.

The tailgate opens very tall, taller than the Durango or our old CX-5, both of which my 5foot 12inch ass had to slightly duck under lest I bang my nogg.

It rides nice. Not as squishy as the Durango, more stiff like the Mazda was that I remember.

Engine is still kinda buzzy. At idle and low RPM if you twist your ankle and touch your right foot to the center console you get a mini foot massage. Nice!

The headlights are AMAZING. Curiously, everything else being LED, the reverse lights are not. Same goes for inside. Just the front map and glovebox lamps use bulbs. Rear dome and cargo lights are LED. Why not ALL LED?!?

The passenger side wiper juts up at the edge of the windshield, ruining an otherwise clean viewing experience out the front.

Cargo room is good. Both dogs fit, separately. We rarely take them BOTH somewhere at the same time so in a pinch I think we could make that work, or leave a kid at home. They’re teenagers now anyways. They don’t like to leave their room, nevermind the entire HOUSE.

The lane departure in the Ford Escape we (I) drove was MUCH better at keeping the lane, and navigating curves in the road. Its the ONE regret I have. But the payment on the Jeep came in $10mo cheaper than expected, so the gap to the more expensive less discounted Ford was even higher than first thought.

The adaptive cruise with Full Stop (ensign Crusher) works fine. Its a little slow at getting going again, especially if the car in front was just slowing for a turn, but I think hitting the ‘Resume’ button alleviates that. Haven’t fully tested on it.

The lack of a full spare tire liner irks me. I think it was decontented for the 2020 model, since 2019s seem to have it. Like the one in this video screencap:

I lift up the floor and all I have is tire looking back at me.

I mounted my dashcam, fire extinguisher (Jeep is part Italian you know), and fit my tow strap emergency kit in with no problem.

There is not a lot of room up front for phones and drinks at the same time, and no ideal place to put cords. Its a situation I will figure out someday, but for now I make it work. Stupid shifter.... they should have put a dial in or buttons like everyone else is.

What else, what else.....

Oh, the panoramic roof is noisy in the wind. I didn’t want it, but the wife did. So long as it doesn’t annoy HER (not that she’d admit) I’m fine with it. I’ll just crank up the radio louder...

Which BY THE WAY now that I got Android Auto to work (phone issue, not the Jeep’s fault the first time I tried) it’s brilliant. I’ll probably never use the navi the Jeep came with.... unless I lose cell signal. It also works great with the Amazon Prime Music app that I use a lot of.

Hmm, anything else?

Ah, the 9-speed. I have confuzzled it a few times, but nothing too jarring. It does tend to hang onto RPMs for the first two or three shifts when cold, like my truck’s 8 speed did. Maybe ts by design, maybe its Maybelline.

That pretty much sums it up. Put gas in it for the first time yesterday. We averaged 21.4mpg on the first tank of gas, which isn’t bad. I was expecting 20, but we had a couple warm-ish days there to bring the average up.

Taking a trip to Chicago this weekend so long as Illinois doesn’t shut down or the event we’re going to for my birthday doesn’t get cancelled.

I’ll have some more detailed observations after that trip I’m assuming. And maybe I’ll pick a name for the thing.

DISCUSSION (8)

MonkeePuzzle > Takuro Spirit
03/12/2020 at 17:29

5 foot 12 inch... you wat?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MonkeePuzzle
03/12/2020 at 17:33

If he says 6 feet, then everyone automatically assumes he is 5 foot 8. Fellow six footer exactly talking.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > MonkeePuzzle
03/12/2020 at 18:05

Modesty.

Brickman > MonkeePuzzle
03/12/2020 at 18:17

Im 5 foot 13 inches.

Thisismydisplayname > Takuro Spirit
03/12/2020 at 18:27

The 9 speed gets confused easily. At least in our Pacifica it does. Especially when it goes from my Wife to me driving.

hike > Takuro Spirit
03/12/2020 at 21:34

Android Auto is one of the few features I wouldn’t want a car without. I’ve needed regular GPS once in the last 4 years, but otherwise exclusively use Android Auto. It’s fantastic.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Takuro Spirit
03/13/2020 at 01:40

Our Compass has the same wiper configuration, where the long-arm/small-blade passenger side wiper crosses right into your field of view like it doesn’t give a crap.

It’s probably due to the Jeep brand’s insistence on a relatively flat and rectangular windshield. Having the wiper angled like that maximises its coverage without resorting to expensive dual-hinges.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Takuro Spirit
03/13/2020 at 08:43

Glad you’re liking it so far! These new Cherokee’s are really good looking too.