2005 Jeep Cherokee Limited review from United Arab Emirates

Engine warning light came on - dealer could not give a reason.

Rear flipper glass began rattling during normal driving.

Serious brake judder that took several trips to the dealer to finally get fixed.

I love the exterior design - it's very modern and much better than the old-style boxy Cherokee.

However, the overall build quality is disappointing. I am used to German and Japanese cars, and even a cheap, low-end Nissan or Mazda feels much better built than this.

The cabin looks attractive at first glance, but on closer inspection the plastics and finishing are cheap, and the controls - especially the gear shift - feel tacky and lack positivity.

On-road performance is adequate, but I expect better from a 3.7-litre V6. Gas mileage is terrible, but fortunately gas is extremely cheap here in the UAE.

Off-road performance is where this car really shines, and it fully lives up to the Jeep reputation. However, since most owners will do most of their driving on-road, much more needs to be done to improve its on-road characteristics.

I bought this car primarily on the Jeep reputation. It's okay, but with the benefit of hindsight I would probably go for something like a Toyota Prado (aka Landcruiser) instead - the Toyotas are much better built, more comfortable, have more equipment, are more reliable, have better on-road and equally good offroad performance, and *much* better gas mileage. They're also more expensive, but you get what you pay for.