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

[AutobahnSHO]

My dad had an OLDER Cherokee. One of the really square ones. I laughed when I drove it, the visors are full of warnings about a high center of gravity and that the vehicle doesn't handle like a regular car.
Duh.

[Galaxy]

That's exactly what they do, they test how fast they can drive through a cone obstacle. Eventually every car fails. Here are the highest posted speeds in the test from the testers themselves.

http://www.teknikensvarld.se/2011/06/12/14314/algtestet--resultat-bil-for-bil/

My bad I had memorized that they drove it at highway speeds.

Btw. wtf is the Citroen Xantia doing at the top of the list? 

[Galaxy]

Load up a xc90 to 7000 pounds and let's see what happens....

The difference is that Volvo does not allow you to load an XC90 to 7000lbs.

[2o6]

My bad I had memorized that they drove it at highway speeds.

Btw. wtf is the Citroen Xantia doing at the top of the list?  

Xantia Activas post some insane grip numbers.  There's reports of that car posting over 1g on stock 205 tires.

[SVT_Power]

My bad I had memorized that they drove it at highway speeds.

Btw. wtf is the Citroen Xantia doing at the top of the list? 

Active suspension, interesting car.

[SVT666]

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

You must have mini mooses.  Ours are huge.  A bull moose will be 7ft (2.1m) at the shoulders and weigh 1500 lbs (680 kg) with an antler spread of almost 6ft.

[mzziaz]

You must have mini mooses.  Ours are huge.  A bull moose will be 7ft (2.1m) at the shoulders and weigh 1500 lbs (680 kg) with an antler spread of almost 6ft.

I doubt you have moose so large you can drive under it with a bike. That, or you have really small motorbikes.

[SVT666]

I doubt you have moose so large you can drive under it with a bike. That, or you have really small motorbikes.

No, but the belly of a full grown bull moose will be between 3'6" and 4'0" off the ground.

[mzziaz]

The premise was that a driver on a motorcycle could just duck and drive under a moose since they are so big, which i doubted.

[93JC]

Yeah, I don't buy it either, unless you're riding a ridiculously low sportbike.

[Raza]

I had a very similar experience years ago in the Passat.  Avoid to the left, into oncoming traffic, find a free slot, drive into it, and then over the median.  It's mostly instinct at that point, you're just reacting and attacking.  I'm predisposed to react in that manner, whereas other people would react differently.  So you can't just say "oh an average person wouldn't do this", because you don't know what they would do.

[r0tor]

The difference is that Volvo does not allow you to load an XC90 to 7000lbs.

So in this great test it carries a fraction of the weight and then is claimed to be perfectly fine because of that... itd a BS test from the get go

[Secret Chimp]

So in this great test it carries a fraction of the weight and then is claimed to be perfectly fine because of that... itd a BS test from the get go

Again, look at what the JGC does even when loaded down to what Chrysler claims is the correct weight. It bobbles around and blows tires.

[Cookie Monster]

So in this great test it carries a fraction of the weight and then is claimed to be perfectly fine because of that... itd a BS test from the get go

Oh noes! The Porsche 911 Turbo also carried a fraction of the weight the JGC did! This test is full of shit!





All the cars are loaded up to what the manufacturers max load specifications. Chrysler designed it to carry that much, so it better be able to do so safely at any speed.

[r0tor]

Oh noes! The Porsche 911 Turbo also carried a fraction of the weight the JGC did! This test is full of shit!





All the cars are loaded up to what the manufacturers max load specifications. Chrysler designed it to carry that much, so it better be able to do so safely at any speed.

Nothing is safe at any speed

[2o6]

My bad I had memorized that they drove it at highway speeds.

Btw. wtf is the Citroen Xantia doing at the top of the list? 

This video explains everything

http://youtu.be/09-C33SrJi8

[SVT666]

Nothing is safe at any speed

[r0tor]

Oh come on, any vehicle that has the real world advatage of being able to haul a load of crap is automatically put in a gigantic disadvantage in the test... its crap

[280Z Turbo]

Would a GMC 2500 HD Crew Cab 4x4 be able to pass the moose test?

[r0tor]

Probably not...

Hell, why dont they make vehicles also do the test towing their max capacity... cause you never know when one of them damn moose will suddenly jump out

[2o6]

Quit acting as if the Grand Cherokee is the only vehicle sold or tested.

[ifcar]

Oh come on, any vehicle that has the real world advatage of being able to haul a load of crap is automatically put in a gigantic disadvantage in the test... its crap

It's not an advantage if it can't carry that load safely. If you don't care about load affecting handling, you can overload something else.

[r0tor]

Good, then let's also make the vehicles tow there max during the test to make sure it can tow safely

[Galaxy]

So in this great test it carries a fraction of the weight and then is claimed to be perfectly fine because of that... itd a BS test from the get go

No one has said that one should not buy a GC because of this, or that the GC is not a great car.  People just want Chrysler to look into this situation to see if something needs to be done.

You are acting like the father of a princess who is upset that princess got scolded because she pulled the plants out of the pots at school.

[r0tor]

No, I'm just pointing out its a stupid test and I applaud Chrysler for calling the testers idiots

[Secret Chimp]

... the fact that the JGC bobbles around like the shocks are blown and pops tires is the test's fault?

[280Z Turbo]

... the fact that the JGC bobbles around like the shocks are blown and pops tires is the test's fault?

It's a 4x4 off roader. The fact that it makes the turn at all is pretty good.

[r0tor]

It's a 4x4 off roader. The fact that it makes the turn at all is pretty good.

Exactly

[Rupert]

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

$$$

And we get new rigs every five years.

I mean, shit, if I could do what I wanted, they would all get BFGs, custom bumpers/guards, winches, lights, external mounts for shovel, Pulaski, hi-lift, etc. As it is, we're lucky to get LT tires and a discount at the end from the body shop for all the dents and scratches!

[Rupert]

A lot of you guys are looking at this thing like it's a typical car. That's why the Volvo did so much better-- it's a car, not a truck. The JGC is a very capable off-roader, so there shouldn't be an expectation for it to perform the same as a 911. I've driven the previous generation GC (WK, I guess) 4000+ miles this summer already, and probably 10,000 miles before that. Compared to a car, it handles like ass, of course, but it's a lot better than the full-size trucks we often drive. The JGC is also at least as capable in most real-world (i.e. not a mud pit or literal boulder field) off-road type situations as, for example, the old Dodge 2500s with huge tires.

On the other hand, it did fail that test pretty spectacularly, repeatedly. I think that's worth noting that fact, and if you're a soccer mom, maybe it's worth paying attention to it.

If any OMG ITZ A TERRIBLE CAR conclusions are to be drawn, we should do it after comparing these results to those from, say, an XTerra, or some other off-road ready SUV.