The Grand Cherokee for Overland Adventure?

I have always liked Grand Cherokees, even the ZJ when it was released in the nineties.  I remember sitting in a red Laredo ZJ in a dealership one afternoon.  I was super impressed that Jeep was building a solid axle SUV with coil suspension and a manual transmission with a real transfer case.  Heck, it was pretty much a Wrangler with a roof!  Well, that was the only manual ZJ I would ever see and probably one of 17 that Jeep ever built.  However, the ubiquitous “Grand” has been, and remains a huge success for the Jeep corporation.  It has some truck parts underneath to give off road capability yet is also a quiet and comfortable unibody car.  To many, it’s the best of both worlds.  Jeep isn’t joking when they claim it’s the most rewarded SUV….ever.  If you’re going to name something “Grand”, it had better be.

Well, I didn’t buy that red ZJ, I had recently bought a 1991 YJ Wrangler SE and was in love with the topless freedom and short wheelbase.  You can’t blame me, I was in my twenties.  Flash forward twenty more years….  I am over a decade (and thousands of dollars in modifications) deep into my second YJ, and it is thoroughly built out for overland adventures, complete with an expedition trailer.  I wanted something capable for my continuing adventures but also comfortable and quiet for the long trips.  After returning from another “trip” to Afghanistan, I purchased a 2005 WK Grand Cherokee Laredo with a 4.7 V8 and a pile of miles.   That WK was a revelation.  The cruise control!  The air conditioning!  The digital media navigation radio I could actually hear on the interstate!  The roominess!  The ride!  The fuel economy!  Oh, I was in love, and this was just a Laredo!  Not fancy by Grand Cherokee standards at all.  The WK proved to be capable enough that I didn’t hesitate taking it on some weekend warrior missions.  I was convinced it may even replace my YJ on the next big trip…

So why repent of a beloved YJ so well built?  Why leave behind years of R&D that resulted in a one-of-a-kind Wrangler that can take you wherever you want to go and back?  Well, that YJ is as uncompromising in its capabilities as it is compromised in comfort.  It isn’t “X-TREME!”, but it’s still a Wrangler.  Driver fatigue at the end of the day is real.  You will read all the time from Jeep vehicle enthusiasts and overlanders how they want a diesel or V8 powered Jeep.  The enthusiasts with deep pockets end up spending tens of thousands of dollars making that dream happen.  You can also certainly pony up $80-100 thousand for an AEV JKU350 or Brute Double Cab and have a world class overland platform.  Or… you can walk onto pretty much any Jeep dealer’s lot and drive out with a V8 (or even a turbo diesel!!) Grand Cherokee for less than half that.  Your aftermarket support isn’t nearly as diverse as with the Wranglers, but for some of us, what we can’t easily buy, we can build if we need it bad enough.

Stay tuned to see how the True Blue WK2 becomes our next overland hero!