Loaner car review: 2015 Jeep Cherokee Limited

Once again, the transmission in my 2011 Grand Caravan decided to act up. This time, it was the torque converter. Because you have to disassemble the entire tranny to replace the torque converter, BZ Motors in Lewisburg (recommended by my cousin who is a mechanic for the Army) told me they only had two transmission guys and the work would take more than a week. I told them I needed a loaner car if I was going to be without a car for such a long time.

Kudos to BZ Motors, because they got me a loaner car without any argument, and according to Chrysler's warranty rules, they didn't have to. (GM, by the way, requires that dealers provide a loaner car for overnight warranty work). So thanks again to BZ Motors for going above and beyond.

So, we pull into the parking lot, and I was expecting a 10-year-old Neon or something. Instead, I see a brand new Jeep Cherokee with leather seats and a full multimedia system.

I was able to spend more than a week with the Cherokee and put more than 1,000 miles on it, including a 3-hour trip to the Philadelphia area.

So... here goes.

Exterior styling: Those of you used to boxy Jeeps will be disappointed. The Cherokee, a replacement for the Liberty, which was outclassed by all its rivals the day it debuted many years ago, is a major departure from other Jeeps, and it looks great. Stylingwise, it is a nice alternative to its competitors such as the "Chick car" Honda CR-V, the "transportation appliance" Toyota RAV4 and the "Box on Wheels" Subaru Forester. I especially like the front, with the running lights at the top, and the actual headlights down near the bumper. I think the swoopy styling cuts into the cargo room in the back, though. More on this later.

Interior styling/features: This is really where Chrysler nailed it. The interior is designed and appointed very well. There are soft-touch materials and hand-stitched leather throughout the dash and interior. The dash is dominated by an 8-inch color screen which controls the multimedia system and other functions like climate control. However, there are a few redundant buttons and knobs for frequently used controls like the radio volume, and adjusting the temperature and fan. This was a great idea and a great alternative to many cars out there that just have a screen and a knob, and you have to go through 5 different screens just to turn the heat up. My phone was able to connect to the car via Bluetooth in seconds. The only feature I had trouble with was trying to use Pandora through Chrysler's UConnect app. I got it to work once, but after that it was saying my phone wasn't set up or something like that. No problem, because I was easily able to use Pandora using the Bluetooth connection to my phone. There is also a large color screen on the instrument panel between the dials that can display different information like the speed, fuel economy or even tire pressure (important for off-roading, or so I've heard). The leather seats are very comfortable.

Performance: The Jeep comes standard with a 2.4 liter "Tigershark" 4 cylinder with 182 horsepower. Available is a 3.2 liter version of Chrysler's Pentastar V6 with 271 hp. This model had the 4 cylinder, and acceleration, especially on hills, was sluggish. This is one of the heavier SUVs in its class (I think only the Chevy Equinox is heavier), and a vehicle this size with the heavy 4x4 hardware seems like too much for the 4-cylinder. The engine had to work hard to accelerate, and could be a little noisy at times. I am told the V6 is a much better fit for this SUV. All Cherokees come with a 9-speed automatic. When the new Cherokee debuted for the 2014 model year, there were some highly publicized problems with this transmission starting with the launch of the Cherokee being delayed because of tranny problems, and then many people complaining of jerky shifts, the transmission not shifting at all, and even people who were left stranded by their brand new cars after the transmission seized up. Some software updates seemed to remedy most of the problems, and I had no real problems with my 2015 model, so I am guessing they worked out the bugs. The transmission shifted smoothly. I did see it hunting for gears a few times, but not to the point where it was intrusive. Car and Driver questions if the ninth gear even exists. I think it only shifts into the top gear if you are going over 100 mph. I didn't like the car's handling. The steering was too light and offered little feedback. Understeer is very noticeable, and it seemed ponderous around turns. I like to say that my minivan handles like a smaller vehicle, but this compact-midsize SUV seemed to handle like a bigger vehicle. Otherwise, the car has a smooth ride, and the brakes are responsive. Finally it should be noted that my wife, who is not a car enthusiast, thought the car drove just fine, and had none of the criticisms that I did.

Off-road ability: I didn't have this on any rough trails, but I did drive the Jeep on some smooth dirt and gravel roads in Pennsylvania's Bald Eagle State Forest. The Jeep took the bumps very well, and rode smoothly going as fast as 55 mph on a gravel road. Not as fortunate was the wild chicken I hit while traveling this fast. The Trailhawk trim level is trail-rated, and should be more than capable off road.

Fuel economy: The Cherokee delivered about 23-25 mpg in mixed city and highway driving. That is decent but not outstanding for a vehicle this size and weight.

Safety: Like most vehicles in its class: A full complement of airbags, including overhead and knee airbags, traction control and stability control are standard. Crash test ratings are good, with mostly 4- and 5-star ratings. However, the Jeep received a rating of "marginal" in the front small overlap test, during which the dummy's head slid off the airbag and hit the dashboard. Ouch!

Space/utility: The back seats are roomy for the class. I wasn't happy about the lack of cargo room in the back. My two kids' bicycles barely fit, but my nieces' bikes, which are larger, didn't even come close. The sleek styling takes away from the cargo room.

Value: The "Sport" model starts at about $23,000 for front-wheel drive and a 4 cylinder engine. Power everything, a 5 inch multimedia touch screen and Bluetooth connectivity are standard. The Limited I drove had 4-wheel drive, heated leather seats, a larger 8-inch display and remote vehicle start. This vehicle was about $29,000. A loaded Trailhawk with all available options gets into the mid- to high-30s. I think this is a good value for the money and competitive with other vehicles in its class.

Would I buy it: In a word, no. Although I enjoyed driving it, and loved the styling inside and out, I don't like the way it handles, and most importantly, the reliability problems with the transmission are a major concern. I think the V6 should be standard with all 4-wheel drive models, because the 4-cylinder just isn't powerful enough. It looks like Jeep has worked out the bugs, and they are now selling a ton of these cars. After another year or two, I may recommend this to other people, especially if they are Jeep fanatics. The Honda, even though it looks like a chick car, supposedly handles better, and has a more refined powertrain. I would buy the Subaru Forester, because the Legacy I currently own is a great car, and the crash test results for the Forester put other vehicles in this class, including the Cherokee, to shame. Overall, I would say the Cherokee has what it takes to compete in this segment, but improvements need to be made for the Jeep to take the lead in the compact-midsize SUV class.

What's good:
Looks great inside and out
Multimedia system
Off-road ability

What isn't good
Loosey-goosey handling
Sluggish acceleration with the 4-cylinder engine
Limited cargo space