You are correct. I've had both G1 and 2 now. G1 just seem more rugged then this new one. The only thing I like more is the quiteness and of coarse gas mileage.
Hit 1,000 Miles on my RTL
Just hit a 1,000 miles on my RTL and thought it was a good time to post how I felt about my GEN2 compared to the GEN1 I drove for 6 years.
There is no denying the ride quality, cabin quietness, interior creature comforts, and engine+transmission are a very nice upgrade from the GEN1. I'm also very happy with the gas mileage --- I've averaged 23.5 in mixed driving. However, I still wish I had my GEN1 (I totaled it in a bad accident) and kind of wish I waited and found a 2014 SE with low miles instead.
Here's why:
Ride height / front clearance -- I know the difference isn't that drastic, but after driving a GEN1 for a long time, and then a Grand Cherokee for a month as a rental, this truck just feels low to me. I have to actually worry about hitting curbs if I pull up too far when parking and that bugs me. I'm curious how this will be in the snow, especially when I don't have time to shovel out the driveway before work and just want drive over where I got plowed in.
Back doors -- It feels like they only open 3/4ths of the way. I almost always have the rear seats up and use the backseat for hauling things -- would be great if they opened a little more.
Tires -- I'll admit, I'm very picky about tires so this probably doesn't apply to 99% of the people that will buy this truck, but I'd give the Firestones a "C+" compared the the Michelins "A" that came on the GEN1. Easily fixable, but not ideal obviously.
RTL feels cheapened -- rearview mirror is not what you'd expect in a $35k+ vehicle. No dynamic lines on the backup camera? No compass? No lights on the vanity mirrors? No sliding rear window? Leather seats feel cheaper than in the GEN1. Even the plastic on the wheel wells just feels very cheap to me.
Armrests -- I can live with these on short rides, but if I'm driving over 20 miles they start to drive my crazy. I recently drove 250 miles and was constantly trying to get comfortable wishing there was a big center console.
Bed Depth -- I didn't realize just how shallow the bed was until I really had to squeeze/squish my hockey bag into the bed to get it fit under the OEM Tonneau cover. Ugh.
Windshield glare -- this could just be my issue, and I'm trying to make sure my windshield is as clean as possible, but oncoming headlights cause a ton of glare and essentially blind me when I drive at night. This was not an issue with my GEN1. I'm hoping there isn't something about the acoustic windshield that causes more glare.
Brake & Shake -- I've been able to modify my driving to make braking a non-issue, but when there is lots of wind or I have people moving around in the cabin when I'm stopped, the truck still gets the wobbles.
---------------
I think if I hadn't had a GEN1 for so long, I would have liked the new GEN2 a lot more. It's a great truck, and a lot of my complaints above might be considered nit-picking (no vehicle is perfect)... but the GEN1 felt like it was built better.
What will I do? Well, I'll probably continue to drive my GEN2 for a few thousand miles more and see if my opinion changes... but in the meantime I'll be on the lookout for a 2014 SE with low miles.
There is no denying the ride quality, cabin quietness, interior creature comforts, and engine+transmission are a very nice upgrade from the GEN1. I'm also very happy with the gas mileage --- I've averaged 23.5 in mixed driving. However, I still wish I had my GEN1 (I totaled it in a bad accident) and kind of wish I waited and found a 2014 SE with low miles instead.
Here's why:
Ride height / front clearance -- I know the difference isn't that drastic, but after driving a GEN1 for a long time, and then a Grand Cherokee for a month as a rental, this truck just feels low to me. I have to actually worry about hitting curbs if I pull up too far when parking and that bugs me. I'm curious how this will be in the snow, especially when I don't have time to shovel out the driveway before work and just want drive over where I got plowed in.
Back doors -- It feels like they only open 3/4ths of the way. I almost always have the rear seats up and use the backseat for hauling things -- would be great if they opened a little more.
Tires -- I'll admit, I'm very picky about tires so this probably doesn't apply to 99% of the people that will buy this truck, but I'd give the Firestones a "C+" compared the the Michelins "A" that came on the GEN1. Easily fixable, but not ideal obviously.
RTL feels cheapened -- rearview mirror is not what you'd expect in a $35k+ vehicle. No dynamic lines on the backup camera? No compass? No lights on the vanity mirrors? No sliding rear window? Leather seats feel cheaper than in the GEN1. Even the plastic on the wheel wells just feels very cheap to me.
Armrests -- I can live with these on short rides, but if I'm driving over 20 miles they start to drive my crazy. I recently drove 250 miles and was constantly trying to get comfortable wishing there was a big center console.
Bed Depth -- I didn't realize just how shallow the bed was until I really had to squeeze/squish my hockey bag into the bed to get it fit under the OEM Tonneau cover. Ugh.
Windshield glare -- this could just be my issue, and I'm trying to make sure my windshield is as clean as possible, but oncoming headlights cause a ton of glare and essentially blind me when I drive at night. This was not an issue with my GEN1. I'm hoping there isn't something about the acoustic windshield that causes more glare.
Brake & Shake -- I've been able to modify my driving to make braking a non-issue, but when there is lots of wind or I have people moving around in the cabin when I'm stopped, the truck still gets the wobbles.
---------------
I think if I hadn't had a GEN1 for so long, I would have liked the new GEN2 a lot more. It's a great truck, and a lot of my complaints above might be considered nit-picking (no vehicle is perfect)... but the GEN1 felt like it was built better.
What will I do? Well, I'll probably continue to drive my GEN2 for a few thousand miles more and see if my opinion changes... but in the meantime I'll be on the lookout for a 2014 SE with low miles.
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
Back doors - Amen. I didn't think this would be an issue at first, but as I begin to put things and people into my G2, I'm discovering this to be an annoying shortcoming.Back doors -- It feels like they only open 3/4ths of the way.
Tires -- I'll admit, I'm very picky about tires so this probably doesn't apply to 99% of the people that will buy this truck, but I'd give the Firestones a "C+" compared the the Michelins "A" that came on the GEN1. Easily fixable, but not ideal obviously.
RTL feels cheapened -- rearview mirror is not what you'd expect in a $35k+ vehicle. No dynamic lines on the backup camera? No compass? No lights on the vanity mirrors? No sliding rear window? Leather seats feel cheaper than in the GEN1. Even the plastic on the wheel wells just feels very cheap to me.
Armrests -- I can live with these on short rides, but if I'm driving over 20 miles they start to drive my crazy. I recently drove 250 miles and was constantly trying to get comfortable wishing there was a big center console.
Windshield glare -- this could just be my issue, and I'm trying to make sure my windshield is as clean as possible, but oncoming headlights cause a ton of glare and essentially blind me when I drive at night. This was not an issue with my GEN1. I'm hoping there isn't something about the acoustic windshield that causes more glare.
Brake & Shake -- I've been able to modify my driving to make braking a non-issue, but when there is lots of wind or I have people moving around in the cabin when I'm stopped, the truck still gets the wobbles.
Tires - Amen. While smooth and comfortable, I find them noisy (tire noise, not road noise). They've got some tough shoes to fill compared to the G1's Michelins.
RTL feels cheapened - That opinion may be related to trim level. My RTL-E has all those features and feels better built and more expensive than the G1 to me.
Armrests - Amen. Never liked them and still don't. I almost didn't buy a G2 because of the armrests alone. I miss the larger armrest in the G1.
Windshield glare - A few others have complained about this, but I haven't observed it in my G2 - even after intentionally looking for it after reading about some others complaining.
Brake & shake - Amen. I've gotten used to it and adapted to it, even though I still notice it at times.
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
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