To ORA or not to ORA. That is the question

3Fort said:

I just joined and it said i needed to post something. So here goes (sorry if long-winded. I'm new):

In the last 9 months, I've spent about 1/4 the price of a new Grand Cherokee fixing my '01 Limited. I've kept it in mint condition but had some fluke issues (cracked engine head, warped brake rotors, etc). But it's paid off and i just thought it made sense to keep fixing it.

Last Winter, we got caught in a blizzard that made a 3 hour drive into 7. SUVs were off the road everywhere, but my Jeep never wavered. So I drink the coolaid.

i'm planning to keep the '01 for my better half, ditch her Equinox (POS IMO), and get the new Overland. Seemed simple enough until the 4WD system came up.

As I'm clearly sold on my current QuadraDrive, I simply wanted the current equivalent. But the only V8 Overlands anyone has are QTII not QDII. Never thought I'd buy a brand new vehicle but the depreciation on '13s does not seem to be enough to offset some of the additional features in a '14.

In any case, it looks like I'm going to order one from the factory w/ QDII. Since I'm a designer for a living, looks matter. So I'm curious about the wheel size (18 vs 20) if I add the ORA pkg for the $200 more. Also, am I losing MPG or highway horsepower with this setup? My brother had an 07 Trail Rated GC Limited Hemi that he said he had to get rid of because his gas mileage was so bad with the added weight and drag of the skid plates. Etc.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

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