Not strictly offroad - Grand Cherokee 4.7 vs ML430
Discussion
I quite fancy the idea of a big V8 4x4, and have a budget of about £2.5-3k. These two options have popped up on various Autotrader/EBay searches, but I concede to knowing almost nothing about them.
The "not strictly" caveat is in place because I live in London, and the closest that either will get to "off road" will be the occasional muddy lane. However, I hate potholes and speedbumps, and this seemed to be the right place to ask the question.
Conventional wisdom would suggest that the Mercedes would be the most car-like to drive, although contemporary road-tests don't rate the difference as huge. However, Mercedes of this era (I know, I own one) aren't brilliantly built, and wanting the V8 would place me slap bang in the middle of this period (it was discontinued in 2002). Is the Jeep significantly better-built and/or reliable?
Performance figures (the few I can find) seem to suggest that the Jeep is quicker (a second over a 1/4 mile), in spite of having a similar power/weight ratio (but a little more torque). The tiptronic box in the Mercedes (as I currently have) does have a good degree of appeal, but not something I would choose ahead of a quicker car.
Having seen the troubles that a friend dealt with on a 4.0 RR at similar budget, I feel like I should give them a wide berth. Is there anything else I've missed or should consider? I don't think the budget will stretch to a decent X5 4.4, so I've discounted them.
The "not strictly" caveat is in place because I live in London, and the closest that either will get to "off road" will be the occasional muddy lane. However, I hate potholes and speedbumps, and this seemed to be the right place to ask the question.
Conventional wisdom would suggest that the Mercedes would be the most car-like to drive, although contemporary road-tests don't rate the difference as huge. However, Mercedes of this era (I know, I own one) aren't brilliantly built, and wanting the V8 would place me slap bang in the middle of this period (it was discontinued in 2002). Is the Jeep significantly better-built and/or reliable?
Performance figures (the few I can find) seem to suggest that the Jeep is quicker (a second over a 1/4 mile), in spite of having a similar power/weight ratio (but a little more torque). The tiptronic box in the Mercedes (as I currently have) does have a good degree of appeal, but not something I would choose ahead of a quicker car.
Having seen the troubles that a friend dealt with on a 4.0 RR at similar budget, I feel like I should give them a wide berth. Is there anything else I've missed or should consider? I don't think the budget will stretch to a decent X5 4.4, so I've discounted them.
Thanks all - hugely helpful stuff, and swaying me a little further in the direction of the WJ Jeep. The HO engine did appeal, but I'm not sure I know how/where to spot it?
To clarify, this will be a 99.9% road car, so it will be wearing road tyres and its offroad ability will have little bearing on my decision.
There doesn't seem to be much positive about the ML, which is a bit of a shame, but something that I had feared.
Do you have a link to the Jeep page? I'm not bothered about fuel economy in the slightest (I average about 5kpa), so a non-LPG car might appeal.
To clarify, this will be a 99.9% road car, so it will be wearing road tyres and its offroad ability will have little bearing on my decision.
There doesn't seem to be much positive about the ML, which is a bit of a shame, but something that I had feared.
Do you have a link to the Jeep page? I'm not bothered about fuel economy in the slightest (I average about 5kpa), so a non-LPG car might appeal.
TurboHatchback said:
I assume I'm stating the obvious but are you aware of the likely running costs of such a vehicle in London traffic if your budget is only £3k? I have a CLK 430 with the same engine as the ML but in a much lighter 2wd car and it does mid to high 20s mpg on a decent run but terrible mpg (<20) on short urban runs. Having also had a 2007 Jeep Commander 5.7 Hemi which never topped 18mpg even on long motorway trips I would be surprised if either of your choices even got close to 20mpg in London, if you do any miles at all they'll use well over their own value in fuel every year.
Personally I prefer the Jeep of the two. It's certainly the better off-roader (not that this matters to you) and it just subjectively appeals more. With your criteria I would stretch the budget a bit more and get a Landcruiser Amazon 4.7 V8 or 80 series 4.5 I6 myself.
I think you should probably check my profile/garage...Personally I prefer the Jeep of the two. It's certainly the better off-roader (not that this matters to you) and it just subjectively appeals more. With your criteria I would stretch the budget a bit more and get a Landcruiser Amazon 4.7 V8 or 80 series 4.5 I6 myself.
I don't do many miles a year (mainly weekends), so I'm not bothered about fuel cost. The budget isn't moving (it's a small pot of cash I put aside to play with cars), so it's probably down to these two if I want any kind of decent performance from a 4x4.
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