this kinda pisses me off, some of the guys i graduated with we have jeeps most of them nothing special. 1 has a like 97 or so 5.2 grand cherokee. And he is like " I could beat you with 4 flat tires and while pullin my mustang!" i just hate ppl that are so full of them selfs. He wants to show me up so bad at wheelin but i have never really done hardcore wheelin in my explo.

 

Dunno???? When I was lookin a jeep could be had for a lot less than I paid for my EXP...........I guess whatever turn's ur screw's...........Im puzzeled as well! My uncle just retired from (Cry)sler and my aunt used to get a brand new Cherokee (Loaded)every 2 yr's (until they got tired of the numerous problems and recalls..............Now they have A Ram 2500 and a Lincoln.........

 

As they say...."It's a Jeep thing"

Might have something to do with small wheelbase-small brain ??!!

 

"Might have something to do with small wheelbase-small brain ??!!"
haha thats it , but well my friend has a jeep wrangler and did you know that everytime they pass another wrangler they wave at each other! ( like bus drivers)

 

I'm a Jeep Grand Cherokee owner and I agree that people shouldn't get too carried away with what vehicles are better, more capable, etc... I do prefer my Grand when the going gets tough over any other vehicle, SUV, pickup, etc... Mine has been very reliable as I am sure Explorer's are too. However, on a factual basis I believe that the Jeep is much more capable off-road without question. I have literally been everywhere with mine and it has never failed me. There is no substitute for solid live axles and a good transfer case with manual shifting. I don't like push-button as I don't want to rely on an electric motor to activate the low range when I'm in 30 inches of water, etc... and the Explorer's along with most other SUV's now have this. Jeep has maintained their identity with making truly off-road capable vehicles, no third row seats, push-button 4 wheel drives, etc... There's no doubt that an Explorer will maybe give me a more comfortable ride or be able to carry more people and luggage. There is also no doubt that a Jeep Grand Cherokee will outperform most, if not all, the competition in off-road driving. Jeep has deserved the reputation to put the slogan "Only in a Jeep" in their commercials. Again, I don't mean this as a hostile post or anything, just trying to defend my fellow Jeep owners a little bit. Thanks for listening as it is just my opinion.

 

I agree with you RYR88. Just look down under. The underside of a stock Explorer is not made for true off road. That said, I would never buy a Jeep. It just doesn't fit for me. I never go off road. I love the Explorer inside and out and love the ride. I'm sure my next ride will be another Explorer Limited or EB.

Before one of my own shoots me, I said stock. The Explorer is a very good starting point and can be turned into a great off road machine. Just check out some of the great pictures here and around the internet.

 

I would have to say, as well as with most anything, good off~roading has got alot to do with the driver and not the vehicle. Sure, a purpose built 4X4 will out perform a stock one, but if ya put some numnutz behind the wheel of the best ever 4X4, and a somewhat knowledgable driver in a stock 4X4, I'll bet the stock one will out do the other.

Just my .02 ¢

 

We are not talking about drivers. I would NEVER take my Explorer through 30 inches of water. I love the Explorer too, but take the time to get down and look at the underside of a jeep. It is made for crossing streams, driving across small trees and bushes, and having large rocks hit the underside. Better yet, put an Explorer and Jeep side-by-side on lifts and compare the under side of each.

I love the Explorer's just like they are. They give a great ride, have plenty of room in the back seat, and will carry more. I looked at other SUV's before buying my first Explorer. I drove a 2003 Durango rental for 2 months this summer and hated it. I made a 200 mile trip in a Jeep three years ago and didn't care for ride or room. The Explorer is just the right fit for me.

 

I really love my Explorers, they are very comfy to drive and the AWD is great for most of the offroading I would do. Having said that, the only other vehicle I would say I really miss is the Wrangler I owned. When it comes to real off roading, it's hard to beat such a short wheelbase and that low gear transfer case, skid plates and large tires. It would leak every fluid it held from every place it could and it rode like a buckboard wagon, and yes, every other jeep owner would wave when you went by, but you never had to worry about a parking place, you had such a short turning radius, and needed only a small area to put it in, that it was never any problem. Now a Cherrokee le grande' , you couldn't give me one of those!

 

Thanks for the support 95limited, I agree with you. My Jeep does not give the most comfortable ride, etc... However, it is a purpose-built off-roader. Just a recommendation, it would not be wise for someone with any vehicle to go off-roading without proper experience and assistance. However, the Jeep definately does make it easier and gives you more confidence when 4 wheeling, you don't have to worry about anything breaking structurally or mechanically unless you go really hard-core rock climbing, etc. Just my $0.02.

 

Now with all this said, I love my explorer. And it rides great, i tried a lil urban 4wheelin last night and i was kinda upset. There is this "Crub" near me that my friend in his lil 4 banger wrangler got over so i said i want to try. Well when he did it he just went right put to it and drove strait over got hung up a lil on the rear suspension but got over on his own. Then i tried it did the same thing and i got hung up in the same place he did on the rear suspension. So he had to back his jeep in to mine for me to get my rear tires in contact with the crub to get over it. Now this isnt just any crub its in a parking lot then it goes into a grass ditch which is like 8 feet down lower than the parking lot then goes up kinda steep 16 feet or so and levels out. If i had like 1 or 2 inch taller tires i would have gone over no problem.

 

i dont wana offend noboddy buy jeep are a crap cars and many others they flip fasther then a explorer guaranteed.......i prefer the GMC trucks and Ford explorers only expeditions will flip easy too are so badly made

 

I don't know where you get the idea that Jeeps aren't built well or will flip over easily. First off, both Grand Cherokee engines of the 90's were the 318 and 4.0, both which will last well over 200,000 miles when well taken care of. They are very durable and have proven themselves for over thirty years. The 545RFE Grand Cherokee transmissions are fairly durable compared to many of the Explorer transmissions. Jeep 4 wheel drive systems and differentials (Dana 44's) are also legendary and won't burn out because of having an electric motor. Also, Jeeps weren't the ones rolling over because of under-inflated tires or tread separation, etc... It is a shame that Ford never admitted that the Explorer's had a faulty design, because it injured countless people. Anyway, both have their problems, but it is definately unfair to just label a vehicle or particular brand as "crap", etc... I don't want to cause any problems by getting into a discussion of Ford vs. The Competion, I'm just saying that both sides of the argument (Ford and Jeep) have their strenghts and weaknesses. Thanks for listening.

 

Hey, RYR88, I agree with most of what you said. As I said before, I really do miss my Jeep and I thought it was a real hoot to drive. I don't think, however, that the Explorer design is flawed, any more than any other narrow wheelbase, high cg vehicle is.

 

As to the original question, I think it comes from Jeep owners buying into the "original 4WD" thing. For years we've been told that Jeep invented the military CJ, which of course isn't true. The original military vehicle was conceived and designed by American Bantam Co. of Butler, PA. ******-Overland was merely awarded the original CONTRACT to build the thing when it became obvious that American Bantam simply didn't have the capacity to build enough of them. But, the myth has persisted, and it makes some Jeep owners think they've got something nobody else has. Go figure.