LOL.

Trying owning the Jeep for about a few years and see if you still have the same affection for it as you do now, especially out of warranty at the same mileage as your RX.

Any new car will feel better than an older car.

Like you mention, your RX needs some new shocks/control arm bushings so the ride have degraded over the years like with any car including the new Jeep eventually.

I do like the new Jeep styling but i have enough sense to admire Jeep/Dodge products from a far.

 

I understand what you're saying in regards to the depreciation hit. But since I have reservations about new GC's a pre-owned GC wouldn't even be a thought for me.

So if I had to buy one (gun to my head LOL) I think I would rather lease a new one for 2 or 3 years so that way I can simply give the keys back.

 

Wait, what!?
You found that driving a Lexus on a cobblestone road in an ancient city was bumpier than driving a Jeep GC on a smooth road in Orlando? This made you start a thread about how the Jeep might offer a smoother ride?
That's an interesting thought process.

 

Companies like Jeep/Dodge, etc., keep on keeping on, because some people would "rather have clap than drive a Jap." I've heard this over and over from a variety of people who buy junk, whine every month when it breaks, lose their shorts on a trade in, then do it again. Why? Because grandpa was a WWII, vet, worked for Chrysler 200 years ago, or cousin Vinie lost his job, when Toyota made a better car than the big three back in the day and Detroit had to rethink their ways and laid the old boy off.

True story, our 99 GX 400 sprung a hose leak on the power steering line a little over a year ago, which managed to leak onto the alternator and ruin it. We had no warning lights or anything and driving in the daytime, so the warning we got was way too late and for the first time in 13 years of ownership stalled in the middle of the intersection.....long story, but the short of it is a guy in a brand new Dodge pulled up and asked if we needed help, then laughed and said "that's what you get for driving a damn Taaayoda" and drove off. There's no shortage of hatred over stupid stuff or brands and I let stupid waste their money all day long. I have better things to do than waste my time at a dealership waiting to pick my car up again for the third time that week. I buy something and drive it, till it doesn't make financial sense to keep it a decade or so later.

If it wasn't for rental companies or the blind followers, they would have been long gone. They may still make a decent truck, but that's about it. Car companies aren't what they used to be. Most are now employing American workers if that's the hang up, but that makes no difference to some. Their still ticked for cousin Vinie and they even now hate cousin Vinie!

 

Well, Orlando may miss cobblestones, but I encountered a few of *mighty* potholes at intersections. I've noticed that while the Jeep' body hitting a pothole with a wheel stays almost horizontal, my RX in similar circumstances tends to stow in the pothole. This is very annoying...

 

Not to thread drift too far, but I've never been a huge 'japanese' car fan.... until I kept reading and reading about the Camry reliability, and bought my wife a 2007 Avalon. We drove it seven years, to the day, and it never missed a beat. Bought her a 2014 Avalon Hybrid and she loves it. Bought the daughter a new 2010 Corolla, and at 106,000 it still runs wonderfully.

Still have some old guys at church, who worked for GM (and draw a GREAT pension 30 years later), who swear at my 'japanese' car.

http://www.npr.org/sections/money/20...car-made-today

 

My last American car went back to the American manufacturer under the American Lemon Law. Never again.

iginoc, it sounds like you need to have the suspension checked. Those cobblestone roads may have taken a toll on your 450h. Who knows, maybe you'll be a happier owner after. BTW, my parents have a Grand Cherokee. They're on their second one.

 

LOL, I was actually thinking the same exact thing when I read that post but didn't respond to it. It just didn't make sense, nor did comparing a 6 year old, 75,000 mile RX to a 2016 GC. In all fairness to the OP, IMO I don't think he was saying the GC overall was a better vehicle, I just think he was surprised how well it rode and how nice it was.. Again IMO.

Well let's see how that 2016 GC rides in 6 years with 75,000 on it, not to mention how many times it had been in the shop compared to the RX.

 

New shocks and bushings and the RX will be good as new. New engine, transmission, suspension, electronics and interior, on the same age Jeep and it too will be as good as new....how boring for Lexus owners. You just can't catch a break and get all those new parts!

 

Folks,
I am not interested at all in FCA cars. I am just trying to understand here.
Prior to spend not less than 2000 bucks for the shock absorbers job, I want to be sure that it is worthy.
I used to own a 2002 Skoda Superb... when I sold it with some 100000 miles on its shoulders, it was a lot more comfy of the Lexus RX on the same bumpy streets.

For safety, in my country cars are tested every 2 years in order to verify the efficiency of brakes, suspensions and lights. My RX passed the test last year, without any issue.

At the end, could be more sensible to replace the 19" wheels with 18" ones, maybe just for the winter season.

I did something similar to my 2010 Prius, downgrading it from 17" wheels to 16" ones. It worked well.. I will think about it.

 

The wheel size is an obvious guess, but are the suspensions in European models stiffer? All I hear about around here are how soggy the RX is, unless you have the FSport.

 

That's what I was thinking too. The EU gets a different suspension setup in the RX. Adjustable is an option over there.

May I recommend OP test drive the 2016 RX? I am done driving a 2016 RX350 loaner and I must report, it does drive more like a boat, which many may prefer. It is quieter too.

P.S.
The Skoda may have felt more comfortable because the shocks were shot and it allowed more float, as springs were not damped properly.

 

Interesting, the 2016 I drove was stiffer with more road noise. Not sure which package, but it had 20s

 

I found that tyre pressures make a big difference to ride compliancy. I have reduced my tyre pressures to the recommended 230 kPA and the ride quality is much better than at the higher pressures. I am willing to sacrifice a bit of fuel economy for the sake of a better ride. Also I've found that the interior trim panels tends to creak less with the lower tyre pressures, presumably due to less road shock being transferred through to the body. This is my first vehicle with 19" diameter wheels, so the lower profile tyres make for a more sensitive ride.

My 200 Series rides on 17" diameter wheels and has a pillowy soft ride. Some don't like it, but I appreciate the comfort and superior insulation from road shock.

 

Keep in mind that the Jeep Grand Cherokee (and the Chrysler 300, Dodge Durango, etc) are the last vehicles to be built on the aging Mercedes Benz platform from when MB was the owner. Their next generations will be on Fiat platforms.