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Where are the Liberty vs. Cherokee reviews?

8675 Views 21 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  12Bravo
Hello there, just registered on this forum. I've driven a Liberty (first a 2008 Limited and then a 2011 Limited, both purchased brand new) for literally the past decade, and am now trading up to a 2019 Cherokee Overland, which should arrive from the factory hopefully in a couple weeks. I went with the V6, because I don't like the sound of 4-cyl engines, and I'm not convinced that the turbo is the better choice in the long run. Obviously since it's already being built, I've already made my decision to make the switch, but I've been scouring the internet for info on the Cherokees while I've been waiting, and I've noticed a distinct lack of any real comparisons between the outgoing KK Liberty and the new KL Cherokee. I know the KL is a completely different vehicle than the KK, but it still served as a direct replacement, so you'd think SOMEBODY would think it was a good idea to directly compare the two.

I've been pretty happy overall with my KK, and was planning on driving it a few more years, but am trading up now because it's threatening to cost me potentially thousands in repairs (transmission is making me very nervous, among other things), and I'd rather put the money into something new with better ride, better mileage, and a long warranty safety net. I did test drive a 2019 KL Overland before custom ordering one spec'd to my liking, and it seemed to be quite an upgrade over my KK, but it was a fairly short test drive. I wish I had been more thorough, but I was in a hurry for various reasons, so now I've just been spending my days dreaming about it, and stressing about it, hoping I made the right choice, especially given all the issues with the 9-speed that I wasn't fully aware of before I placed my order. My parents have a 2014 Grand Cherokee, which I've enjoyed driving from time to time, but it's a bit on the big side for me, so I'm really hoping this new Cherokee offers a similar experience in a smaller package.

Anyway, due to the lack of official comparison reviews, I'd like to hear if there are any owner reviews to be had. I'm curious to know if anyone else here has upgraded to a KL from a KK, or even a KJ, and what your thoughts are on how they compare. I'm tired of reading about how the Cherokee compares with other ugly crossovers that I couldn't care less about. I want to hear how it compares to older Jeeps!
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I have a 2004 Jeep Liberty Sport 2wd (Converted to 4x4). I got it for free at around 130k miles after it had sat for several years. The front end was shot (As it is in most) and took it to fix up and turn into a daily driver. I rebuilt the front end, converted it with parts to 4x4, added an old man Emu lift, replaced all the fluid, and added a set of Cooper AT3's then proceeded to put another 180,000 miles on it. In that time, I've also replaced the Alt, Radiator, hoses, drivers seat, and a few lights. I finally decided it was time to stop depending on it, when I went to change the oil and nothing came out (After the radiator problems).

I love my KL, rides soo much better, and the OME lift was far better than stock. The little Liberty wouldn't die, I'm hoping I can get something similar out of this Jeep. My back is so much happier with the new seats and sitting position, I'm also really enjoying the adaptive cruse. The Cherokee also doesn't get blown around at all, my KJ was all over the road.

I'm tempted to attempt a solid axle swap on the KJ, just the ammount of lift required would be off putting on such a small platform.

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