09' Grand Cherokee 4.7 for a occasional tow rig?

[xjtrailrider]

awesome ride!!
i`ve been studying another tow vehicle as well ( current tv is a `98 gc w/ v8 ). we don`t tow as heavy a unit as we used too with the dodge cc dually 4x4 diesel. man,i like smaller stuff more than i remember, much less aggravation !
i haven`t put much time behind the wheel of a commander so lay the skinny on us asap please.

After a week of seat time (no towing yet) we are both in love with this vehicle and actually argue over who gets to drive it each day. This XK is by far the best road vehicle I've ever owned. We are getting 12 in town and it only has 400 miles on the odo, I would expect it to get better when we get around 20k on it. To me it rides and feels like a much more expensive vehicle. I currently do not own a trailer but I will get one in a year or 2 and try it out for what I bought it for. The power is smooth and seat pressing, there is no doubt that it could reach the 140mph that is on the speedo as long as you are going straight. I highly recommend the Commander if you need a powerful yet compact tow vehicle.

 

[FlexdXJ]

SO, You trading that JK in Next year for a Diesel JK?

 

[xjtrailrider]

SO, You trading that JK in Next year for a Diesel JK?

Nope! We love the JK, its not going anywhere. We have owned it for 2 years and 24k and it has been nothing but steller in its performance and reliability. Its too new to wheel yet and we have the XJ's for that anyway but it does great in the snow and its a fun summer vehicle. We get 15 in town and 22 highway.


After 3 weeks of Hemi Commander ownership I can honestly say that this is the best on-road vehicle I have owned ever!! It rides great, handles great, has power to spare, and the mileage is decent (13-14 in town). I still have not towed with it, I need a car trailer, but I have no doubt that it will get the job done without any power issues. The Quadra track 2 makes it handle in the rain like no other vehicle I have owned. With the Hemi, four wheels is the only way to put that kind of power to the pavement.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

 

[XJ Stryker]

I just sold my Commander last week lol.

I was in love with it and still really liked it when I got rid of it. But my major draw back is the room. Once you have 3 kids and a dog you get cramped. The third row as good if the kid was 6 and under lol. But I am short 5-5 and my 12 year old when he sits behind me his knees hit the back of my seat. I think they tried to fit way too much into the commander. For a growing family it is not Ideal. I am glad you like it. I did have like a Commander feeling when behind the wheel lol.

It does handle Awesome and I towed a 2003 Ford Escort on a Full Trailer from Washington to Kentucky cruising 85 easy through the Rockies so it is very capable for towing.

I traded it in for a F-150 King Ranch and know this is a comfortable, powerful ride lol.

 

[tonexj]

wtf? why would you buy a jeep to tow with? for a fraction of the price id go buy a clean 12 valve 4x4. i say this because i do have a clean 12 valve 4x4 and its a 5 speed and i get 25 mpg all damn day, on 37's.

 

[MT Mike]

wtf? why would you buy a jeep to tow with? for a fraction of the price id go buy a clean 12 valve 4x4. i say this because i do have a clean 12 valve 4x4 and its a 5 speed and i get 25 mpg all damn day, on 37's.

Commander = seating for 7, Pickup = seating for 5 (if it's a crew cab).

 

[xjtrailrider]

I just sold my Commander last week lol.

I was in love with it and still really liked it when I got rid of it. But my major draw back is the room. Once you have 3 kids and a dog you get cramped. The third row as good if the kid was 6 and under lol. But I am short 5-5 and my 12 year old when he sits behind me his knees hit the back of my seat. I think they tried to fit way too much into the commander. For a growing family it is not Ideal. I am glad you like it. I did have like a Commander feeling when behind the wheel lol.

It does handle Awesome and I towed a 2003 Ford Escort on a Full Trailer from Washington to Kentucky cruising 85 easy through the Rockies so it is very capable for towing.

I traded it in for a F-150 King Ranch and know this is a comfortable, powerful ride lol.

My 16 year old is 6-1/210 (Linebacker on his HS football team), wears a size 13 shoe and fits ok for local driving in the second row. For long distance travel he will ride in the front and my 5-2 wife will ride in the second row. We will never use the 3rd row, I might just take them out. Most of the SUV's in this size range were tight to sit in the second row for a adult with the exception of the Yukon/Tahoe XL. Nothing short of a Suburban is very comfortable in the rear seating area.

A truck is out of the question, this will be "all around use" vehicle for everything family related. We often take 1000+ round trips as a family and need room to stretch and room for luggage. Towing is the 3rd consideration for this vehicle.

1st, interior room to seat 4 comfortably, we do not need a entertainment system since the kids bring their own iPods, DVD players. Our van has the entertainment system now and we never use it.

2nd, enclosed cargo room, we carry a good amount of luggage and no matter where we go my wife seems to find something else to buy and bring back.

3rd, towing, I need to be able to handle a 4k trail rig XJ and trailer safely. It doesnt have to be the most comfortable towing experience just so long as its safe.

4th, it needs to be small enough or manueverable enough for everyday suburban/city driving and can fit into the average parking space.

This is also my wife's daily driver, a truck is out of the question

wtf? why would you buy a jeep to tow with? for a fraction of the price id go buy a clean 12 valve 4x4. i say this because i do have a clean 12 valve 4x4 and its a 5 speed and i get 25 mpg all damn day, on 37's.

This Jeep is built to tow! Hemi power and a 7200# towing capacity. If a truck is your thing thats fine, it won't work in our situation.

 

[XJ Eric]

Speaking to engines only,

Back earlier this year we were looking at Rams and drove a 4.7 ram and a 5.7 ram.

The 4.7 was sluggish and the tranny shifting was too slow.

The Hemi is much crisper, pulls better when on the gas, and I like the tranny shifts. We went with the Hemi.

 

[Phil]

My wife and I bought an '09 Ram 1500 4x4 crew cab with the Hemi as our half ton tow rig. Lots of room, plenty of power, and I got the 3.92 axle ratios. Should be a fine occasional tow rig. It's her DD and she did not want an SUV.

The Hemi should treat you well.

 

[95' heep]

the ram truck dont have enough room in the back seat??? look again

HUGE cab if you ask me

and to get the "enclosed" cargo space, get a topper...

that what i would get, a 1500 RAM with hemi with mega cab and a matching topper. obviously you already got a car, so enjoy it while you can

 

[Phil]

A Ram 1500 Mega cab is a used vehicle.

2009 and newer, the big four door 1500 is a crew cab and the little four door 1500 is a quad cab.

The mega cabs look goofy anyhow.

In the quad cab and crew cabs, I set the driver's seat where I would want it, then sat in the back seat. The quad cab was unacceptable, the crew cab is awesome. I would ride in the back seat of the crew cab.

 

[xjtrailrider]

The Commander ROCKS in the snow! The QT2 system is amazing. I love my XJ's but I now have a new favorite Jeep for moving around in the snow.

We had 18" of snow last night and although the XJ's did fine and my locked/locked XJ on 35's got around just fine but the Commander puts that too shame.

Our JK sucks in the snow and that is with the D-44/LSD and stock width tires. I got around but not as easy as the XJ's or the XK

 

[FlameRedTJ]

Yea the crew cab Rams are nice, I've got an 06 quad cab and its great. I only occasionally have people back there so no big deal. The toys on the 10' Rams 2500 is nice though, wish I could afford a $53k truck.