Trading the Forester…..Buying my first Jeep !!

[SJetc]

Oh and just adding as far as price goes.

We paid $60k for the KL and $78K for the Overland. Would we do it again for that price? A resounding Yes for both vehicles. No issues after 18 months of ownership for the Grand (just had its 40,000 service) and no issues thus far with the KL (early days though - 3,000km on the clock so far).

[mattyd]

Again, can't thank you enough for your comments, very much understood and appreciated.

You're right about the tech, things like lane departure, auto parking, remote start are really not needed for us. But the ACC was something that particularly interested me, especially towing a 5.5m fibreglass boat (1.2T) on longer trips - I reckon that would be a god send

What about the Quadra Lift - would you ever find yourselves needing that (beach work etc?).

Also can't recall if the front tow hook on the Grand is rated for snatching? I know it is on the TH (who could miss them?!).

Cargo space is a concern, so I'll take the tape measure and compare my current Foz with the TH (rear seats slid fwd to open it up to the max).

I'll defo question that bloody towbar quote too - seems way over the top. I told the dealer the same, he reckons that was cost price......hmmmmm... no so sure about this.

Anyway thanks again. Hopefully a test drive in the TrailHawk mean machine will clear things up this weekend. You guys are pretty spoilt for choice when it comes to your cars

Nice work.

[COFFMAN]

What a great forum this is .... Awesome informed review of both vehicles SJetc. Me not a tech type of guy, D for drive and happy to turn a nob to turn the radio on. But very surprised with the more advanced tech on KL.. Maybe the Grand shouldn't be called the Grand lol.... What ever you end up with it will be the right rig for YOUR needs...enjoy

[SJetc]

There are no front tow hook on the Grand's that are factory fitted for the Australian market. Any that you may have seen for sale in Aust (factory fitted) were supposed to go NZ (which are standard on their WK2s) but inadvertently found themselves in Aust. How that happened I do not know but they are few and far and inbetween.

If you want front tow hooks added after market, then Chief Products is one company that does that.

Quadra-lift is brilliant but not for want you would want it for. LOL We do not go off-road as such. We are on acreage and the vehicles are used in our steep (sometimes muddy) slopes.

I have used Quadra-lift for an old dog (to get into) and an old Mother-In-Law to get out of. LOL

Sorry, that's not much help is it. Yes, we are spoilt for choice. When we purchased the WK2 18 months ago we still had our 'old' '07 WH which was an excellent vehicle.

Unfortunately, the husband wouldn't let me keep it when the KL was due for delivery. My argument that some woman collect shoes and handbags so why couldn't I collect Jeeps didn't wash, so sold it was, but I hope that the Grand and the KL will give us as many issue free years as the WH does.

I've read your post on Whirlpool - just ignore the haters. I don't know why Jeep brings out the crazy in some folk.

[mattyd]

Yeah, I think that whirlpool post attracted a lot of hardcore performance red necks who can't stand the site of an SUV.... I gave up continuing any argument over there (lost cause).

I have only done beach driving about 20 years ago with the parents Dihatsu Scat (little swb troop carrying thing....very uncomfortable at Moreton in the back I can testify!), so I will be relatively inexperienced when I take our new pride & joy on the beach for the first time.

But there's countless advice posted here and elsewhere on the key points where folks go wrong to get bogged in the first place.

I think we'd need to fork out a bit on aftermarket parts (Chief towhook, skid plates etc) before we'd be anywhere near ready for light beach work in the Grand.

That keeps me going back to the TH, as with diff locker (good or bad in sand depending on who you believe) tow hooks, factory snatch straps, hardcore floormats etc....it just seems ready to go on the beach at stock. The 17" tyres have also been rated better for beach work than the 20" that come standard on the Grand.

I guess, as recommended earlier by Roach, we really have to consider that this will be our everyday drive (mainly weekends as we catch public transport for work) and beach work may only be a few times a year. I shouldn't put too much focus on the off-road abilities, and think more about the everyday usage.

Another AU site had a pretty honest review of the KL TrailHawk with comparisons to it's Grand bigger brother:

http://www.campertraileraustralia.co...hawk-tow-test/

I wish I could stump up the cash for the Overland Grand, then get the Cheif accessories, but as you know they come at a price, and I'm already pushing a budget that started out at $50k max.....

There's so many darn tempting goodies on these Jeep models that you just want to keep digging deeper into your pockets until you have the ultimate rig! At least my better half keeps me on a level pegging (Hold me Back!)

[SJetc]

Here's another review of the T/H that I posted on the US Cherokee forum. The editor of Jeep Action Mag gave me permission to post it.

I put it up on our server after turning it into a PDF (I didn't have the digital copy since I get the mag through the post).

You can enlarge the print by using the PDF controls bottom right of your screen.

http://www.pedc.com.au/files/jeepkl.pdf

[mattyd]

*Update - Feb 15 KL Trailhawk Promo*

According to my dealer (Albion) they are running a nice promo price on all new Trailhawk orders for this month (Feb 15).

It's promo price is $48,500 (taking about $4,500 of the RRP) . Not bad considering what the $AUD is doing right now. They even said promo pricing WOULD in fact apply on custom orders direct from the US as well.

Good news for anyone (like me!) who is on the verge of signing the dotted line

Unfortunately there's not many TH with both the Tech pack and Convenience packs in the country right now, so if you're picky about the colour (and honestly who isn't when you're forking out over $50k?!) - then you could be in for a long wait. Anything up to 4 months according to dealer estimates.

Will post update once negotiations have finished.

We're in no hurry at least, still love driving my turbo XT