1997 Jeep Cherokee TD review from Australia and New Zealand

Engine continually overheats in even cold weather on a gentle slope.

Electrical problems causing dashboard to short out.

Engine seized due to overheating and needed to be replaced.

Continued overheating problems after replacement engine and radiator.

This car is actually a very fine car to drive on and off the road. It accelerates well and smoothly and can keep up with traffic.

Off the road it handles very well, with positive drive at all times and very little slippage. I have driven this car in sand, snow, slush, mud, dirt, and rocky terrain. Its handling and power never let me down.

Very little room in the rear, and very small doors to access it. It is uncomfortable for rear seat passengers for any, but the shortest distances.

The rear seat is NOT split-fold which can be inconvenient in certain situations (IE: Camping with three people, and you need to store a single long item). Having said that, anything that doesn't fit in the rear fits quite well on the roof racks.

Small boot space is made even smaller by putting the spare wheel in there. My jeep had an after-market wheel carrier on the rear which made a great deal of difference. I would recommend one of these to any Jeep owner.

The engine continually overheated from the start when pulling up a hill, even during highway driving. Jeep Australia could find nothing wrong, and I was left with the assumption it was a recurring electrical fault in the dashboard (which also had problems). Ignoring this proved to be costly, as the diesel blew up about 200km out of town and required a tow.

$9000 and a replacement engine later, the vehicle seemed to be over its problems, although Jeep Australia neglected to re-connect 3 of the 4 glow plugs, leading to much foul language when attempting to start the car in cold weather.

As the Australian summer approaches (current temp approx 26C) the temperature needle started twitching over the 100 degree (c) mark again when climbing hills. A warning of overheating engine when on a 4wd camp made me even more concerned that I had to drive what otherwise is a wonderful car with one eye on the road, and another on the temperature gauge... and the air-conditioning firmly off. This is not all that good in a Queensland summer.

A trip to Jeep Australia indicated it was a clogged air filter to blame, however after replacement the jeep continued its borderline overheating performance.

So after much tears, swearing, and heartache, I have abandoned my expensive car, with its expensive (imported) parts and expensive service

to the trade-in, and I now own a smaller Mitsubishi.

In short: A fantastic, comfortable and wonderful car with terrific off-road performance let down by lousy quality and service, with parts that cost, in Australia at least, three times that of any local vehicle.