Sheri'SRT8
01-07-2007, 11:53 PM
Our winter vacation was in Mammoth Lakes, CA, which is about 330 miles door-to-door. I have been skiing there since I was 10, and get a great deal of satisfaction of watching my now similar-aged kids doing the same. I have driven this route (SR 14 and US 395) up the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada's numerous times, using this route to learn high speed driving.
Two adults and two kids, and all of their stuff definitely fill up this vehicle. There was not another inch of room for anything. Between this and having the kids use the rear DVD entertainment system get you used to using the side view mirrors for all of your review of the territory behind you.
Our GC is very tight, with no rattles. I believe the 06's (with no production starts and stops, like the 07's) have a better build quality.
It cruises effortlessly at 75 with no problem. Much of the route has two lanes in either direction, but not all of it. Most of the time, there is not even the need to downshift when passing (with my family in the car, there was no need to take chances) However, the times I did, it gets up to 100-110 in the blink of an eye.
The seats were very comfortable, with plenty of adjustment to keep me fatigue free. Combining that with having the kids fully entertained plus limitless Sirius radio made for a fast trip up.
There was snowfall while we were there of about 10 inches. The town is plowed quickly, but there was still plenty of ice and snow on the ground. We had no issues with traction getting around town. I'm not super enthused about how the AWD works (vs other Jeep systems), as there has to be pronounced slippage in the rear before the front takes up. Once you know this, everything is very predictable. For purposes of needing snow traction on a limited basis, the SRT8 works just fine.
There were no issues with the cold weather. The morning we left it was about 10 degrees. We loaded the car, lit it off, and went. No issues. The heated seats were perfect.
The ride back was the fastest I have ever done, at about 5 hours door to door. May not seem fast, but there are towns and construction detours to slow down for. It's great fun to pass others on the road and have their jaws drop when blasting by them.
We got 15.0 MPG on the way up (two major grades to ascend) and 16.8 MPG on the way back (both based on the on-board computer). Cruise control was used at every possible moment. I am totally satsified with these numbers, in light of the fact that the vehicle was totally loaded and driven pretty aggressively. With only 4000 miles on the clock, perhaps it will get better with time.
We are impressed with this vehicle. For the price, there is no doubt that there is value, based on the utility received and the smiles generated. There are other relatively quick SUV's out there, but for the price, the GC SRT8 is a real winner.
If you have specific questions, please let me know. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Two adults and two kids, and all of their stuff definitely fill up this vehicle. There was not another inch of room for anything. Between this and having the kids use the rear DVD entertainment system get you used to using the side view mirrors for all of your review of the territory behind you.
Our GC is very tight, with no rattles. I believe the 06's (with no production starts and stops, like the 07's) have a better build quality.
It cruises effortlessly at 75 with no problem. Much of the route has two lanes in either direction, but not all of it. Most of the time, there is not even the need to downshift when passing (with my family in the car, there was no need to take chances) However, the times I did, it gets up to 100-110 in the blink of an eye.
The seats were very comfortable, with plenty of adjustment to keep me fatigue free. Combining that with having the kids fully entertained plus limitless Sirius radio made for a fast trip up.
There was snowfall while we were there of about 10 inches. The town is plowed quickly, but there was still plenty of ice and snow on the ground. We had no issues with traction getting around town. I'm not super enthused about how the AWD works (vs other Jeep systems), as there has to be pronounced slippage in the rear before the front takes up. Once you know this, everything is very predictable. For purposes of needing snow traction on a limited basis, the SRT8 works just fine.
There were no issues with the cold weather. The morning we left it was about 10 degrees. We loaded the car, lit it off, and went. No issues. The heated seats were perfect.
The ride back was the fastest I have ever done, at about 5 hours door to door. May not seem fast, but there are towns and construction detours to slow down for. It's great fun to pass others on the road and have their jaws drop when blasting by them.
We got 15.0 MPG on the way up (two major grades to ascend) and 16.8 MPG on the way back (both based on the on-board computer). Cruise control was used at every possible moment. I am totally satsified with these numbers, in light of the fact that the vehicle was totally loaded and driven pretty aggressively. With only 4000 miles on the clock, perhaps it will get better with time.
We are impressed with this vehicle. For the price, there is no doubt that there is value, based on the utility received and the smiles generated. There are other relatively quick SUV's out there, but for the price, the GC SRT8 is a real winner.
If you have specific questions, please let me know. Thanks for taking the time to read this.