My transition from a Subaru WRX to a Jeep Grand Cherokee

Nelson Gaske -

When I finally acknowledged that my adventurous lifestyle of camping and climbing overtook the utility my 2015 Subaru WRX could provide, I looked into lots of options of moving into 4WD's. I made the plunge in December of 2019 and ended up in a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Diesel for various reasons. The main reasons I made the jump to the 2014 Jeep were:

  • Way more space
  • Not having to worry about scraping the rims or bodywork at climbing crag parking areas
  • Since the vehicle was at about 100,000km with no tow bar or signs of off roading I could be relatively confident the mechanical systems were not beat up by the previous owner
  • Even though it was a 2014 and I bought in late 2019, for a nominal fee I secured a multi-year warranty and capped price servicing contract. This gave me peace of mind that I wouldn't get caught out on one-off extensive repairs that might've been lingering from previous owners
  • Obvious ground clearance and access gained by diesel 4WD. Some local climbing areas (i.e. Waitpinga) require 4WD diesel to access to prevent bushfires due to hotter exhaust system from petrol-based engines.

Some of the reasons I went with a Jeep as opposed to a Nissan Patrol or Toyota Land Cruiser are easily quantified:

  • Other 4WDs hold their values far too well in Australia. A 120,000km Land Cruiser that is 5 years old still goes for A$85,000, what a new Jeep Grand Cherokee goes for.
  • I am the last male on my Dad's side of the family to buy a Jeep. The 4WD'ing culture in the US is called 'Jeeping' and even though it hasn't made the same impact down here in Aus I am willing to carry the flag.
  • The particular Jeep WK2.II I bought has made it the past few years without any engine issues, so I would prefer a known commodity than betting 10's of thousands on an unknown newer engine. I have heard lots of horror stories down here in Aus about Jeep reliability, and most people I have talked to outside of the Adelaide Jeep Club have been skeptical.
Early picture of Jeep after tire upgrade

I knew that once I bought the Jeep that it would be a very slippery slope to spending lots of money on modifications and I was right on the money.

I will try to keep this list updated, but here are the main things that I have done to the Jeep in order (updated as of Oct 2020):

As you can see, the Jeep has been the slippery slope that I anticipated. I did quite a bit of research about the bigger ticket items (fridge, nudge/light bars, and UHF radio) and am happy to share why I went with what I did.

The Jeep as of October 2020