[LeeH]

Been looking for an off road capable vehicle in the mid teens. There's not really a lot that falls into that category. Lots of cute-utes with awd taped to the back, very high mileage 4Runners, but very little that will be good for around town driving AND be able to free itself from a hole in a rutted AZ back road.

I thought I'd found the answer... the 2014 and up Jeep Cherokee. The look has grown on me. I briefly checked one out at a dealer and was surprised how much I liked the interior. Infotainment system was a little busy, but reasonably intuitive. Had some nice touches... heated steering wheel, ventilated seats, pano sunroof. Hmm... I could drive this.

But, as I started reading, I found that the 9 speed transmission has a huge number of complaints. I took a Cherokee out for a test drive and sure enough, shifts were clunky at low speeds. On the highway, I put my foot on the floor and nothing. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi and finally! It downshifted and began to accelerate.

Curious, does anyone here have any experience with this vehicle? Sounds like the programming is just not right and they can't seem to get it right. They've been recalled and reflashed, but people still complain. I'm bummed. I thought this was going to be my next vehicle, but the reports have scared me off.

What used SUV would you buy for mostly around town, but reasonably capable off road when needed for $12-18K? The Jeep gets 28mpg highway on regular fuel. MPG on premium gas is one of my main issues with a Peppervagon.