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Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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4.0 stars
"If you need to haul people or gear, check here!"
Pros: Comfy ride, lots of power and room.
Cons: Overkill too big and costly for one person.
Summary: My Jeep Cherokee is in the shop for some service, and they comped me an 07 Aspen rental. I'll only probably have it for a couple of days, but I wanted to toss a few lines of opinion up here. As my vehicle of choice at this time is the Cherokee 4x4, be advised my comments here about the Aspen are based on that reference.
This rental is the Limited 2WD with the 5.7 Hemi. It had about 14,000 miles on it at the time I drove it. It's my first time in one of these, and I was impressed.
The reason I asked for an SUV rental is I had some lawnmowers and yard care tools to haul, and the rear end of the Aspen carried these easily. Drop the seats down and the cargo area is cavernous. I would suggest the cargo mat to protect that nice carpeting if you plan carry dirty things like mowers or tools.
Steering is very responsive. Found myself twitching the front end around more than intended, because the Aspen's wheel takes less input to turn than the Jeep.
The 5.7 Hemi has gobs of power. Press that 3'rd pedal on the right, you can hear that big V8 growl, and you will move down the road qqqquuuuuickly. The speedometer spins up like a stopwatch needle. And the computer display on the overhead console tells me I just went from 215 miles to empty, down to 212 miles to empty... so you'll pay for this fun.
I never could tell when the MDS was engaging. I think that's a cool technology, for saving fuel when full engine power isn't need... IF it proves reliable. GM tried the 4-6-8 trick some years ago, and they had reliability problems. I'm curious, does the engine always switch down to the same 4 cylinders?
On the freeway, the ride is quiet and smooth. It feels like riding a big marshmallow -- you just float along, with very little road noise or feedback. My Jeep will tell you whether you ran over a quarter or a nickle, so I'm used to a bit more road feel in my steering and suspension.
My rental Aspen didn't have the power lift gate, the Navigation system, or the rear video, so I can't comment on those. Being that this SUV weighs 5000 pounds, I'd be curious how many other owners with the 4WD option have taken this vehicle off road, and how it handles in loose sand or mud. I know offroading is probably not what most folks would buy the Aspen for, but has anyone fitted All Terrain tires on this SUV? 8.5" of ground clearance isn't to shabby.
If you have a bunch of people to move in comfort, or some cargo to carry, this can be just the vehicle. But I found it to be overkill if it's just me alone. I'm 5'7" and the roofline towers over me at about 6'. I'm 200 pounds and don't consider myself to be puny, but those doors are huge and heavy. I found myself always having to muscle them around, much heavier than the doors on my Jeep. The Aspen floor and door sills are fairly high up, and climbing into and out of this vehicle could get to be a challenge for someone with knee problems.
A lot of reviewers knock the Aspen in comparison to the Lincoln Navigator / Caddy Escalade. Since I'm not coming from those vehicles, I can't comment there -- but the Aspen has been a pleasant change from my Jeep. I know some folks would drive a Navigator or Escalade just to make a statement, and I feel the Aspen makes a pretty good statement too. It's a big, solid, substantial vehicle, loaded with creature comforts and tech goodies. If I regularly had the need for something bigger than my Jeep, I'd be looking here.
JamesGarfield (kingleo1@aol.com)
