So it’s been a mixed bag with the 2015 Jeep Cherokee Limited, and since I just reached the 1000 mile mark, I figured I’d share my experience.
the transmission is a daily adventure. recently it’s mellowed a bit but still once a day I have an odd “event” in which the gearing makes the car lurch or there’s an awkward downshift or whatever. this truck is not for hypermiling, that’s for sure. it does not like to be “floored” and at the same time, when you “baby” it and ask gently for gas, it sometimes gets confused and halts before proceeding. I drive mostly in Auto mode but Sport is worse that way – the gears are way too tall.
[this leads to a question: since so much of the transmission is software, shouldn’t it be possible to custom-adjust it according to driver tastes? I would pay good money to have a tech ride with me, figure out where I like the shiftpoints, and dial them into the Jeep. failing that, I have to hope that there’s another flash update on the near horizon.]
I have a slight version of “the wobble” in 2nd gear. it has improved a bit and I’m hoping that it is part of the transmission breakin. I’m alternating between 87 and 89 octane fuel, so that might have an impact as well – with the higher grade fuel there seem to be less hiccups all the way around.
Stop Start is fairly steady but as others here have noted, there’s a feeling that this will, over time, add significant wear/tear to the engine. I’ve noted that it does work occasionally when AC is on low and fan at 1 or 2. other times, it doesn’t. for me the biggest concern is in parking: often I arrive at destination, put the car in park and before releasing my foot from the brake the shutoff happens. then I have to release foot and let the car start so I can turn it off. this is ridiculous.
U Connect was not as “user-updatable” as advertised. I got the d/l to work and did the install properly (it gave me the “Success” prompt at the end, at least) but when I next went to drive, I had no Sat Radio and no Nav. the Nav was “Initializing” but never finished. it took the dealer a few hours to rectify this.
and then none of the alleged benefits of the update were noticeable – it still hangs for just a second between commands/screens, etc. also in the Audio realm, sometimes I can adjust audio settings and sometimes that box is “greyed out” and unresponsive. what’s up with that? what’s up with the Back button that seems to do nothing?
sunroof visor does not operate automatically until it reaches the halfway point above rear passenger cabin.
the rear driver’s side door handle is broken. the other day I arrived at work only to notice that the rear door on the driver side had lost the small plastic endpiece (where the key would go in the front door, the little piece where the keyless button is on the front door). when I attempted to open the door, the handle came off in my hand! no idea what caused this. when I got home I found the endpiece in the driveway and was able to snap the handle back in place but that’s obviously going to be another dealer visit. dismayingly, when I called Chrysler customer service they could not tell me how long this repair would take....
nice vehicle otherwise!
the transmission is a daily adventure. recently it’s mellowed a bit but still once a day I have an odd “event” in which the gearing makes the car lurch or there’s an awkward downshift or whatever. this truck is not for hypermiling, that’s for sure. it does not like to be “floored” and at the same time, when you “baby” it and ask gently for gas, it sometimes gets confused and halts before proceeding. I drive mostly in Auto mode but Sport is worse that way – the gears are way too tall.
[this leads to a question: since so much of the transmission is software, shouldn’t it be possible to custom-adjust it according to driver tastes? I would pay good money to have a tech ride with me, figure out where I like the shiftpoints, and dial them into the Jeep. failing that, I have to hope that there’s another flash update on the near horizon.]
I have a slight version of “the wobble” in 2nd gear. it has improved a bit and I’m hoping that it is part of the transmission breakin. I’m alternating between 87 and 89 octane fuel, so that might have an impact as well – with the higher grade fuel there seem to be less hiccups all the way around.
Stop Start is fairly steady but as others here have noted, there’s a feeling that this will, over time, add significant wear/tear to the engine. I’ve noted that it does work occasionally when AC is on low and fan at 1 or 2. other times, it doesn’t. for me the biggest concern is in parking: often I arrive at destination, put the car in park and before releasing my foot from the brake the shutoff happens. then I have to release foot and let the car start so I can turn it off. this is ridiculous.
U Connect was not as “user-updatable” as advertised. I got the d/l to work and did the install properly (it gave me the “Success” prompt at the end, at least) but when I next went to drive, I had no Sat Radio and no Nav. the Nav was “Initializing” but never finished. it took the dealer a few hours to rectify this.
and then none of the alleged benefits of the update were noticeable – it still hangs for just a second between commands/screens, etc. also in the Audio realm, sometimes I can adjust audio settings and sometimes that box is “greyed out” and unresponsive. what’s up with that? what’s up with the Back button that seems to do nothing?
sunroof visor does not operate automatically until it reaches the halfway point above rear passenger cabin.
the rear driver’s side door handle is broken. the other day I arrived at work only to notice that the rear door on the driver side had lost the small plastic endpiece (where the key would go in the front door, the little piece where the keyless button is on the front door). when I attempted to open the door, the handle came off in my hand! no idea what caused this. when I got home I found the endpiece in the driveway and was able to snap the handle back in place but that’s obviously going to be another dealer visit. dismayingly, when I called Chrysler customer service they could not tell me how long this repair would take....
nice vehicle otherwise!