dcwebman

I am getting rid of my 2013 Ford Escape Titanium and have the decision down to these two SUVs. I love gadgets and was thinking I really like the RDX with the Tech. However after reading a LOT of posts in here where people say the Nav doesn't work well, the HDD is a pain, etc., I'm starting to have second thoughts. I never cared for the Ford Sync system especially when trying to make it work with my iPhone.

I think both the Jeep & RDX drove fine, and the features are a little bit more on the Jeep but it's a Chrysler. The Acura name means luxury and loaners for service. With both fully loaded, it's only a few thousand dollar difference. I haven't seen that many people complaining about the Uconnect on the Jeep as they have been here with the RDX's system.

Please try to convince me the RDX is the way to go.

wildeklave

The UConnect has received some really good reviews.

mindanalyzer

If I lived in a rural or mountainous area, having to go off-road every now and then, I would go with the Jeep 4x4 no questions asked (I like the Grand Cherokee Overland a lot although it costs a lot ). In an urban area the RDX is more agile and smooth, and for me more suitable in this environment.

If long term ownership is in your mind, then Acura is a brand famous for good reliability. Jeep? Not so much from what i have read, although they are making very nice vehicles nowadays so who knows in 7/8 years

rosen39

The interior of the Jeep Limited and Overland are very nice. The 6 cylinder is a little sluggish, and the V8 is fast, but the mileage is awful. My mother had U-connect in her Chrysler 200. Worked fine for us. I think the resale value will be the tipping point in favor of the Acura. The Jeep rode nice and will have a higher towing capacity. You can get the Jeep with a panoramic sunroof. The power passenger seat on the Jeep can go up and down, unlike the Acura. I bought an RDX, but there are times I am at a stoplight looking at a Jeep and wondering if I made the right choice.

dcwebman

Thanks for the replies so far! I should have mentioned I will be leasing, probably for 3 years, so longevity doesn't concern me. And it is mostly city/highway driving with no planned at least off-road driving.

mindanalyzer

It happens to me a lot every time I see an Overland diesel with panoramic and all the goodies. They are a beauty but then I think that they cost a lot of dough with these options (North of 50K) ...

Murrow

Are we talking about the Cherokee or the GRAND Cherokee? The Cherokee is much more of a direct RDX competitor. A friend of mine just ordered a Cherokee Limited. It's going to have a lot of luxury-type features that the RDX doesn't have. That said, Chrysler quality makes me nervous, and reliability was a very big reason we went with the RDX.

rosen39

mindanalyzer, you are right. I don't get the diesel option. It is a $4,500 add on (Grand Cherokee). You have to travel quite a bit to break even. Around here, diesel is more expensive than premium unleaded.

BLACK RAVEN

I wouldn't buy a jeep Cherokee simply based on the outrageous curb weight. That added weight kills accelerations, braking and mpg's.

wildeklave

if a 3 year lease then either is fine. Acura does not have the bells and whistles of the new safety features but in 3 years pretty much any vehicle you get will have them so if you can live with it for 3 years then go for it. For the Jeep you can get all the latest and greatest. Since it is a lease you don't need to worry about resale value or reliability since many new vehicles should have few issues the 1st 3 years while under warranty. See who offers the better deal with free oil changes and other stuff.

See which gives you the best deal. If you can find a 2014 RDX you may get a great lease deal.

meh99

I have a 2011 RDX and one of the things I like the most about it is the NAV system. I do a ton of highway driving all over SoCal. The 'real-time traffic' feature is a life saver.

HotRodW

I had the Cherokee on my list. Had being the operative word. I spent quite a bit of time on the Cherokee forums, and in just a couple months read enough horror stories to cross it off my list. There are a variety of issues, but most of them are transmission-related. I believe there are two separate TSB's for it, and they don't seem to be solving all the problems. The Cherokee is a unique product, particularly the TrailHawk, but they have a lot of things that need to be sorted out. Given that the ZF designed 9-speed is slated for several Acura products, I hope the majority of the issues are software-related and specific to Chrysler's version of the transmission.

Check out some of the thread topics in the Engine and Technical Discussion forum. In fairness, many of the Cherokee owners continue to praise the vehicle. My advice: if you decide to give the Cherokee a try, get the latest build date you can find, and make sure you purchase from a dealer that provides loaners. As a rule I never endorse extended warranties, but I'm thinking it might be worthwhile for the Cherokee if you tend to keep vehicles beyond the warranty period. Good luck!

Scheffy

Even if you're leasing and it will be mostly under warranty during that time, constant trips to the dealer for even free work will get old very quickly.
While I'll admit my RDX isn't perfect, it's only been to the dealer a few times and they've only been for minor things, and generally the dealership has been pretty good.
On the flip side, I had a Grand Cherokee a few years back and it made me swear off Chryslers for good. Had it less than a year and it was in the shop about once a month, never leaving without costing less than $400, sometimes closer to $1000, though mine wasn't under warranty. I just couldn't afford to keep it any more even if I wanted to. Brakes would warp every 3000 miles, various sensors stopped working, plastic door panel mounts broke leaving the interior driver door panel flopping around, random speakers stopped working, and the last straw was the climate control dying. This meant no A/C in 105 degree south TX heat, coupled with a window that already wouldn't roll down because I didn't have enough money left from the last dealer trip to buy a new window regulator. I ditched it the next day with a big loss on my loan for a new Honda. My only regret was not doing it sooner.
The only thing I ended up missing was the V8, but doubling my gas mileage made up for it. If it could have stayed out of the shop I would have loved it, but it could never live up to what it should have been because of the constant issues.

wildeklave

What year was your Jeep? I think Jeep has improved a lot in the past few years since Fiat bought into the company.

dcwebman

Thanks for all the comments. Since I really despised the Ford Sync system, I just couldn't go through more years with another bad Nav/Entertainment system which the RDX apparently has. Test drove the V6 Tech Cherokee (not Grand) last night and signed a 3 year lease. If there's problems, they should be covered under warranty. Hopefully in 3 years, the RDX will get its Nav/Ent working fine and I'll be looking at it. Thanks again!

Scheffy

It was a 2001 I think. I still see a lot of them on the road so apparently they made some good ones, and in all honesty I never had many issues with the engine or tranny. It was all the electronics, auxiliaries, and brakes that were falling apart.

My own personal experience aside, congrats on the new ride, dcwebman. Regardless of being an RDX forum, check in every once in a while and let us know how everything works. I think we're all interested in as much unbiased competitor information as we can get, good or bad.

YeuEmMaiMai

what he said,

The V6 is underpowered for the weight of the vehicle. My cousin has one and it is S L O W but very nice on the inside. The RDX will run circles around it in that regard. Long term I think the Acura will hold up better

banana13

Acura is the 2nd most reliable brand , with Lexus being in 1st place. Jeep is good for off-roading , but if you want affordable luxury then go with the rdx.
Have a look at this http://autos.jdpower.com/ratings/201...ss-Release.htmhttp://autos.jdpower.com/ratings/201...ss-Release.htm okay Mabey not 2nd but you know what I mean lol

KeithL

All you need to do is ask yourself do you: "Do you plan on keeping the car a long time and want as little hassles as possible?" If you answer that Yes the the Acura is the answer. Chrysler/Jeep have never made very reliable cars, nice styling, but never very reliable. My buddy works for a company where they get company SUVs. They were using Explorers for years and he had few problem,s they switched to Jeep a few years back and he said his team has more problems with the Jeeps than they did with the Explorer. Granted they out 30-40K on them each year, but that is mostly highway driving. I had a Chrysler in 1998 (yes long time ago) but in 18 months it was in the shop 5 or 6 times, tranny sensor issue, 4 power window motors and so on. I would never do another Chrysler product. They style a nice vehicle, but that's about it.

wildeklave

2 Chrysler vehicles amongst the nicest interiors (incl Jeep):
http://autospies.com/news/Wards-Choo...Choices-80934/

tsxinva

Any details on the specifics of your lease deal?

GoesByFish

Generalizing here, but this is what it comes down to IMO:

Jeep advantages: Towing, interior features (tech, panoramic roof etc)

RDX advantages: Fuel economy, mechanicals (no tranny issues, smoother power delivery, better reliability), interior space

Its a shame because the Cherokee towing capacity and interior inside the RDX is about my perfect vehicle but currently that vehicle does not exist

wildeklave

I wonder if they will make any fixes for the 2015 version. My understanding is they will offer a similar transmission in the new Chrysler 200.

According to FuelEconomy.gov the awd Cherokee and Awd RDX has the same numbers of 19 / 27 with a combined number of 22. There were not enough real world records for a true comparison on that. We know from this board that some have gotten up to 30 mpg in Acuras on the highway but have also been below 19 in city traffic. Since the Jeep uses regular fuel and not premium it may be a wash if it gets 1-2 mpg less than the Acura.

HotRodW

The TrailHawk is rated lower than other models. I believe it's only 18/25 with the V6. Some owners were complaining they aren't getting that.

KeithL

Missed a Jeep advantage : Will likely get to know most of the service department people very well and become one of the family.

wildeklave

for me the Trailhawk is not a consideration. That is an off road version and won't compete against the RDX.

I think the Limited vs the RDX is a fair comparison. Since it is a new vehicle it may take a few more months until we get some real user information on MPG.


I know some mentioned they had issues with Jeep's before the Fiat purchase. I think Chrysler products are much improved now.

Seeing your last 2 vehicles are an Audi and an Infiniti how do you compare their reliability vs. your prior Acuras? It looks like you had bad experiences with Chrysler products over 10 years ago.

KeithL

I had the Infiniti for a 39 month lease and had about 44K miles on it. Consumer reports shows it as average reliability, I would say better than that. Some squeaks and buzzy panels when I got it and the trunk lid rubbed, but those are cosmetic. Had a fault indicator come on one time that they replaced some sensor, but the car never had any issue that left me stranded. I enjoyed the car it was a great highway car and handled decent around town. I would have gotten another one, but nothing had really changed sine I got mine and I wanted newer head unit. I do think Infiniti electronics are behind their competitors and the bluetooth sucked. I used the car twice to go on 900 mile trip to visit family and it was a joy to drive it.

The Audi is only 8 months old and has 6400 miles on it and has been very solid. Very tightly built (unlike the Infiniti) so far no issues, I did have a blind spot fault indicator twice early on, but it never happened again. Also the cup holder door did not open smoothly, which they fixed. I was nervous about reliability of German cars, but seems Audi A6 is an exception and tends to be more reliable than average (unlike the A4 and other models). Their head unit (MMI) blows away anything Infiniti or Acura have done. I do not plan on keeping the car outside of warranty (unfortunately only 4/50), but as of today would consider another one, although if Acura would get its act together I would prefer t come back as I just find I have a better piece of mind with Acura. Also routine maintenance on Audi is higher than Acura or Infinit.

As for drive trains the Audi is by far the smoothest and slickest (3.0 super charged 8AT Quattro), My SH-AWD TL would be next and Infinit is date, their 3.7 is showing it design age, very raspy and not as smooth especially under acceleration. Also the Infiniti 7AT tended to get confused on occasion. The Audi 8AT is amazing, people crave the 7DCT, but honeslt the Audi 8AT is quck and silky smooth.

HotRodW

Although the TrailHawk is "trail rated" and more capable off-road, the vast majority of them will never see more than an occasional dirt road. They're selling because of the image. In the words of my 50+ yo neighbor lady, "they're badass!" That's why she traded her Compass in on one.

The Limited has the right equipment - more features than the TrailHawk and far more than the RDX - but I can't stand the polished wheels and excessive chrome. Bling is not my thing.

MEGAREP

I leased my wife a Cherokee 4 months ago, she does very low mileage, the Cherokee with tech pkg is very slick, blind spot monitor, lane assist, really impressive. Mileage so far pretty bad. Very nice interior, U Connect is excellent, love the heated steering wheel.
My RDX ( 14 months 37K miles base FWD) rides a bit better, more interior space, maybe a bit noisier than the Cherokee.
It is nice to have a Four Wheel Drive available, wish the Acura had the tech features available, by the way the suspension on the Jeep is really quiet!!

danmangto

Since i own both. The honda/acura 3.5 sounds more refined but Part of the raspy sound of the 3.7L infinity is the exhaust note. Which I like. Esp on the G37 coupe. Better perf exhaust sound than any acura or audi 6 imho.
The 3.7 has a real timing chain vs Acuras timing belt which matters if you will keep the car a long time or put qlot of miles on it. You avoid $700 to $1000 timing belt replacement of acuras engine. No annoying rumbling vibrating VCM on the infiniti V6 esp noticeable at highway cruising speeds. The infiniti drivetrain is better for performance esp coupled with its rear drive based platform. The VCM takes away some of the hondas low and mid range performance. Electronics? I dont care much for any built in gps. But Infinitis gps is better than acuras. Touchscreen and 3d view. Not acuras ancient map lookimg 1D no touch.

johnrh

Rented a Jeep Cherokee Limited V6 while in Banff Alberta for 6 days last week.
Vehicle was basically new with only 14kms on the odometer. Ended up driving around 800 kms, to and from Calgary airport and around the Banff area.

I have never been a Jeep or Chrysler fan, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the Cherokee.

Likes:
- good power from the V6 (I am currently driving a 2009 TSX)
- did not notice any smoothness issues for the 9 speed automatic transmission relative to the 5 speed auto on my TSX
- leather seats were very comfortable
- styling has grown on me (I know this is a personal thing)
- uconnect entertainment system was awesome
- came with a heated steering wheel (there was still snow on the ground in the Lake Louise area!)
- there are 3 AWD systems you can choose from (2 on the Limited)
- panoramic sunroof was nice
- had rear seat vents if I recall correctly
- came with roof racks (a nice-to-have IMO)
- on checking the jeep website, I found out you can get it with ventilated seats and advanced tech features not available on the RDX (e.g. blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning, parking assist, etc etc)
- average mileage (at least according to the on-board display) for the entire trip was 8.0l per 100km or approx. 28 mpg US (note: most of this was on the highway, at the speed limit) on regular gas
- overall interior quality (fit and materials) was quite good
- comes with 12 months free satellite radio
- pricing is decent -- on an MSRP basis, could get the exact model I want for thousands less than the RDX and with more advanced options
- second row bench seat slides back and forth for cargo flexibility and also tilts for comfort

Dislikes:
- No power seat for front passenger
- passenger side outside mirror did not tilt down when in reverse (I find this really helps when parallel parking)
- Jeep Cherokee long term reliability is still a big question mark and is a deal killer for me at the present time
- l don't know if I could trust the local Chrysler dealers in my area (I really like my local Acura dealer!)

wildeklave

Thanks for the review. I think it will be interesting at this time next year after the RDX gets its MMC. If the extra tech features are in an advanced trim then the price difference for equivalent models may be in the 5-6k difference.

Now that Chrysler is owned by Fiat I think Jeep reliability will be improved.

Comfy

We cross shopped the Jeep Cherokee limited before buying the RDX. We liked the exterior styling of Cherokee, that's why we looked into it. Interior looked a bit tacky, lot of plastic panels were poor quality and looked too flimsy to be durable. Even the touch screen would bend when pressed. Tech wise I was impressed with the adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, self parking etc, but the 4 banger engine was woefully crying out loud just to keep up ( didn't have the limited with V6 available at that dealer). Compare that with the RDX, it gave a nice , luxurious and airy feel, interior materials are top notch and provided a genuine quality feel. The ELS audio was the best I've ever experienced in a car. Yes I still don't like the navigation. But RDX vs Cherokee was a slam dunk in my case in favor of RDX. My opinion may be biased as I tend to give more points for build quality rather than too much electronic gizmos ( though I don't mind having them). The interior of Cherokee simply didn't live up to our expectations this time. Anyway you enjoy your new car and give us your first hand review when possible. Thanks.

AXMACD

No offence but those Cherokee's are UGLY, it would be fine with a decent front on it but those headlights make me cry for the person driving it every time I see one! I just bought an RDX and I love it, it's a tad smaller than what I'm used to but, it should be comparable to an Escape. In terms of residual value, definitely Acura if you want to purchase, lease either one if you plan to lease.

tacrum43

I agree. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee looks like something Voldemort would drive; snake eyes. I actually liked the interior layout and the available tech features, but I just couldn't hand over money to Jeep and support that design. Woof.

On the other hand, the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee with overland package my mother drives is a beautiful car.