Jeep Grand Cherokee fails "Moose Test," Chrysler insults testers

[giant_mtb]

I drove one of these Jeeps today.  It was a 3.6 gas base model.  It was a pretty comfortable ride.  Nothin' fancy, but it looked great once I was done cleaning it up (only had 9,400 miles on it) and it rode nice.  Slow.

[r0tor]

The XC90 did pretty well for being a 10 year old car.

...and how much did they weigh it down...

[CJ]

...and how much did they weigh it down...

Probably the same standard as the Jeep.

[Secret Chimp]

Even if the VW and Volvo were laden to their sticker weights, they still look like they're being driven completely empty compared to the Jeep, even after the Jeep's payload was reduced a few hundred pounds below the supposed door sticker (when it went from tippy to tire-popping)

[r0tor]

They load it to the max the vehicle can carry... I'd bet the jeep can weigh more

[CJ]

The Jeep is still probably the one I'd buy.

[r0tor]

Without a doubt... and mine doesn't bounce -shrug-

[Secret Chimp]

Does it clap?

[r0tor]

Early on consumer reports complained that the stability control was too "loose" for their liking as it was possible to get the JGC a wee bit sideways.  There was a recall to tighten up the thresholds of the system.  I wonder if the euro spec models received the retune.

It actually looks like on the initial turn the backend steps out, the driver ignores it and  slams the wheel towards the opposite direction for the next turn, and I'm wondering what the stability control is doing at that instant.

The suspension is far from being a complete softy.  From my observations, spring rates acheive a bit higher then a 1hz tune which is about where you want a comfortable cruiser that can go offroad.  Low speed rebound could be a bit stronger though as its a bit too underdamped for me.  However, it was loads better then a lot of other suvs I test drove.

[Rupert]

Nothing weighing 7000lbs is going to be able to swerve or stop all that well...

Last winter I was a passenger in a 2011 Dodge 2500 4x4 crew cab truck with a decent load in the bed and towing > 10,000 lbs, and we swerved around a deer at 65 mph without even breaking traction. It was a similar situation to that for this test-- straight road, but the deer popped out of seemingly nowhere.

[Tave]

Moose are soooo scary. I saw them constantly driving back from Winter Park, CO, usually in the dark. I'm lucky it didn't give me a heart attack, can you imagine what one would do to the poor little Aveo?

When you drive a 5,000+ lb SUV, you dont swerve around a moose, you drive through it ... -shrug-

No, that's a great way to kill yourself.

Last winter I was a passenger in a 2011 Dodge 2500 4x4 crew cab truck with a decent load in the bed and towing > 10,000 lbs, and we swerved around a deer at 65 mph without even breaking traction. It was a similar situation to that for this test-- straight road, but the deer popped out of seemingly nowhere.

I would have tee'd him off.

Maybe, I've been known to swerve around deer against my better judgment.

No grill guard?

I haven't hit a deer in 9 years (knocks on wood). One did run into the side of my car a few years ago but that was her fault and she didn't cause any damage so I don't count it.

[Soup DeVille]

Damn, the Swedes are fucking Chrysler over pretty good.

Payback for that press release, methinks

This will hurt sales significantly, at least in Scandinavia.

Was Chrysler expecting to sell many cars in Sweden this year anyways?

[Soup DeVille]

Last winter I was a passenger in a 2011 Dodge 2500 4x4 crew cab truck with a decent load in the bed and towing > 10,000 lbs, and we swerved around a deer at 65 mph without even breaking traction. It was a similar situation to that for this test-- straight road, but the deer popped out of seemingly nowhere.

Deer "pop" more often than moose.

[Rupert]

Deer "pop" more often than moose.

Yeah, I don't know that I would have swerved if I had been driving. The top of the hood on this thing was high enough that the deer would have just been creamed corn at the end. Probably would have still damaged the front end quite a bit, but no risk of death, etc.

[Rupert]

Moose are soooo scary. I saw them constantly driving back from Winter Park, CO, usually in the dark. I'm lucky it didn't give me a heart attack, can you imagine what one would do to the poor little Aveo?

No, that's a great way to kill yourself.

I would have tee'd him off.

Maybe, I've been known to swerve around deer against my better judgment.

No grill guard?

I haven't hit a deer in 9 years (knocks on wood). One did run into the side of my car a few years ago but that was her fault and she didn't cause any damage so I don't count it.

No grill guard. Too much money, or at least it's perceived that way way by the money bags.

I've never hit a deer, fortunately. Few small rodents and birds, maybe. Only one confirmed strike. My boss completely dismembered a squirrel a month ago when it made it through the truck's tires, but didn't see the huge trailer behind. I was following, and I admit that I laughed a little.

[Laconian]

Fun fact: when you hit a deer, you're sent airborne long enough to sing an entire rock song.
Proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaMiVDZu_T4

[Tave]

No grill guard. Too much money, or at least it's perceived that way way by the money bags.

I've never hit a deer, fortunately. Few small rodents and birds, maybe. Only one confirmed strike. My boss completely dismembered a squirrel a month ago when it made it through the truck's tires, but didn't see the huge trailer behind. I was following, and I admit that I laughed a little.

What a bunch of fascists, they pay for themselves many times over.

[Rupert]

Eh, I don't think it's a big deal. IMO, most grill guards just push themselves into the grill and do as much damage as without them, anyway.

[Tave]

Pshaw! You need a custom guard from a shop, not some half-assed pre-fab POS that damages the car.

[mzziaz]

They load it to the max the vehicle can carry... I'd bet the jeep can weigh more

You're grasping at straws, here.
The GC has a shitty suspension setup. Period.

[Tave]

Or it has a great suspension for its intended purpose and a not-so-great suspension for executing extreme emergency maneuvers at speed.

[Cookie Monster]

So if your car is low enough and you hit a moose, will it go over you?

Maybe I should lower my car some more for the sake of safety.

[Raza]

So if your car is low enough and you hit a moose, will it go over you?

Maybe I should lower my car some more for the sake of safety.

You have to speed up to hit it with enough force to flip it over your car. 

Better get a supercharger too. 

[Cookie Monster]

You have to speed up to hit it with enough force to flip it over your car. 

Better get a supercharger too. 

Meh, coilovers and a V8 swap would work.

[SVT_Power]

I would like to see this attempted.

For science.

[Tave]

So if your car is low enough and you hit a moose, will it go over you?

Maybe I should lower my car some more for the sake of safety.

I think I remember an internet story from a couple years ago about a motorcycle rider who claimed to have survived a moose encounter by ducking down and driving under its belly as it stood broadside in the middle of the road. I don't know if there was any truth to it, but I guess it might be physically possible if the moose was big enough, the bike was low enough, and everything lined up perfectly.

[mzziaz]

Or it has a great suspension for its intended purpose and a not-so-great suspension for executing extreme emergency maneuvers at speed.

Yeah, no.

[mzziaz]

I think I remember an internet story from a couple years ago about a motorcycle rider who claimed to have survived a moose encounter by ducking down and driving under its belly as it stood broadside in the middle of the road. I don't know if there was any truth to it, but I guess it might be physically possible if the moose was big enough, the bike was low enough, and everything lined up perfectly.

A moose aint that big. I suppose you could slide under it with lots of luck.

[giant_mtb]

Or it has a great suspension for its intended purpose and a not-so-great suspension for executing extreme emergency maneuvers at speed.

I dunno; this is apparently the first vehicle in years they've had fail so catastrophically and consistently...

[Cookie Monster]

I think I remember an internet story from a couple years ago about a motorcycle rider who claimed to have survived a moose encounter by ducking down and driving under its belly as it stood broadside in the middle of the road. I don't know if there was any truth to it, but I guess it might be physically possible if the moose was big enough, the bike was low enough, and everything lined up perfectly.

Damn, what kind of bike is low enough to do that?! Maybe a cafe racer or something small.