Rental

A good way to test out a possible new car is to rent it first. Not that I’m in the market for a new motor but you may find this useful.

I got a free upgrade from a Ford something or other to a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Given our current location 4×4 may come in handy. Anyhow, here’s my 2 cents on it.

Here’s a photo so you have an idea of what it looks like. 

 
It’s kinda cool looking but that’s where it ends….at least for me. The first thing I noticed was I could not see out the drivers   window, as the side view mirror is huge. It literally block the entire view range when turning. As a result I have no idea where the corner of the car is….well once I did as I drive over a curb!

Next, the ride. Think farm tractor meets pickup (from the eighties), that’s loud. Nuf said on that.

Handling, it’s a typical 3’000 + pound car thats top heavy. You turn the wheel, it reacts….meaning the steering wheel goes around, then the car reacts…meaning it starts to lean, then the suspension decided to get in on the action and does something….really more lean, then you start to go around the corner….then you have to let off the gas….to stop the lean, then it snaps back and you start the process over…. just in the other direction. It’s more like a pin ball going back and forth that a car going down a highway.

Next we have the blind spot. Those that know me know that my side view mirrors are adjusted so I cannot see the side of my car….because I already know what that looks like, instead I’m looking at the entire lane(s) next to me. Typically in my car I can see the back corner of the passing car in my side mirror and part of the nose out of the corner of my eye….all at the same time. The Jeep on the other hand….I managed to lose a bus in the blind spot for a few seconds. That was a city bus, not a short one….yikes. I did readjust but given the before mentioned huge mirror I was a bit surprised.

Beyond that it does have one really cool feature…it has a heated steering wheel. Again, given our current location that will come in handle.

In closing….its unlikely that a Jeep Grand Cherokee will be in my future, but don’t let my opinion sway you from loosing a bus, camper or oversized SUV in your new blind spot.