I'm a big fan of the new design and think they did a great job. Look forward to some long term updates. But a Jeep..ooof. At least you know it can't be any worse than the Defender

 

Jeep. Yawn. Boring.🥱

 

Yes, the go to SUV for suburban moms everywhere.

 

The only Cherokee that I like is the 2 door Cherokee sport from the 80's

 

Excellent choice OP!!!! My son sold his 110 Base Model, back in early December and I sold my Base 90 in late December. Couldn't pass up the crazy prices being paid for these vehicles and decided to go another route........Ram TRX for my son, Cadillac CT$-V Blackwing for the Old Man!!!!

 

I've got this if I need to go to the mall:
#MallCrawler

 

Air ride is great. Very comfortable on road. Haven't yet been off road, but when I do, it will be light trails, I've got the JKU for rock crawling, so I'm not concerned about lifting any more than the system provides. Is air-ride a "risk"? Yes, more than traditional spring suspension, but like a computer has a greater risk of failure than an abacus, but I'm not giving up the computer.
The V8 is very nice, smooth power delivery, good torque and plenty of passing power. Now as expected the fuel mileage isn't so great, but I'm ok with that.
Just sharing my POV, and everyone is entitled to their own, so what ever works best for you.

 

Have to say I'm also considering the same. Currently have a Gen 3 Raptor and have decided that I really don't use like a pickup anymore and it's HUGE! The Defender has caught my eye and I'm renting one for 3 days to drive around the Grand Canyon week after next - really looking forward to my first drive in one. However... to now equip with electronics I want pushes me into an X at $90K+ and I no longer can get in white which I think is a great color on the Defender. Pretty fully equipped Jeep GC will end up $30K less (I would go with a fully optioned Overland (don't like the quilted seats of the Summit) and likely the hemi). Have had (4) GC's in my past ('93, '97, '11, and '19). The 2011 Overland was great, had the hemi. The 2019 sucked, it was the High Altitude edition. The air suspension was slow and worked very strangely and don't even get my started on the electronics. Got rid of it quick for an Explorer ST. I have had one LR - a 2003 Freelander which ran great until I ran into a deer and there was a two month wait for parts - quickly got out of it for an Acura MDX.

Questions for you - Hemi vs. Pentastar - I've had both, not sure the bump to a Hemi is worth it to me as I no longer tow a boat either. Electronics better? e.g. - any issues? Night vision for me would be great given all the deer in our area.

Pretty sure I'm going to love the Defender from our rental - but not sure it's going to be worth +$30K and the higher ongoing maintenance. Seems like for reliability - jump ball. LR past reputation and some of the experiences I have read on this forum, especially with electronics. 1st year Jeep though... yikes.

Not really in a hurry and later this year or early next works for me. The Gen 3 Raptor is great truck and I'll likely lose very little value in the next year or two with it.

 

You know your stuff well and any choice there are trade offs, so it obviously comes down to what is highest on the priority list. Regarding the choice between the Pentastar V6 and the Hemi V8 in the GC - I've got the 3.6 Pentastar in the 2021 Wrangler JKU and on the trails it is fine, but it felt a bit weak and strained when I was running 35" tires on the highway (before I went with 1 ton axles and 40" tires) It is a perfectly fine and proven engine, but for me, since I do tow and wanted a smoother, more powerful engine it was an easy decision to go with the Hemi. Now the mileage suffers and now that we are seeing gas prices escalate, it is a consideration as I have yet to break 20mpg, but hopefully later this year I'll have a Lucid Air so as not to feel to bad about killing the planet with my Hemi. Regarding the electronics - I can't speak to long-term, but so far, no issues with anything. As you know from your experience with past GC's - there's a risk of having issues, no different than my experience with the Defender - little gremlins that made me frustrated with day-to-day driving, and I did wonder how it will be long-term. Until you make a decision, have fun with your sweet Raptor and the Defender rental!

 

Exactly what we had, black over the light tan interior with dark piping on the leather. Served as our family hauler as well as my wife's car so it had plenty of use over the 6 years we had it. There wasn't anything to keep me from recommending that car, other than (as I said earlier) the horrifically bad dealer experience at the three dealers in my area (tried them all). Fortunately it rarely had to go back. My JK Wrangler, on the other hand...

We had the Hemi, but once got a 3.6 loaner when ours was having something done under warranty. I thought that if the exact same GC had been on the lot with the Pentastar I could have pawned that off on my wife and she'd have been great with it. But for me, it needed the V8. The 3.6 seemed fine at low speed and start-up. But punching it on the interstate at 70 didn't do nearly as much as the V8 did.