Anybody tow with a Jeep Grand Cherokee?

Looking to see if anybody tows with a early or mid 2000s Jeep Grand Cherokee? I have about a 2000 pound rig that I usually tow with my girlfriends Tacoma (go ahead, laugh) as I drive a coupe. No trailer brakes, just a single axle trailer. Looking at getting rid of the coupe so I can be a man and finally tow my own boat. Have been looking at trucks but I'm really interested in the mid 2000s or so Grand Cherokees. Anybody have experience with one? If so, good vehicle? Reliable? Thought about the regular Cherokee but don't know how that would tow my boat. Thanks!

Specifically wondering about the 4.0L Inline 6 in the Cherokee XJ and/or Grand Cherokees.

sold one of my bullets to a guy in Georgia a few years ago.. picked it up with a fairly new gran c... dual axle trailer with surge brakes, whole rig probably 2500/2800lbs give or take.. talked to 'em later on and he told me he traded tha jeep off first thing when he got back ta georgia... no problem with tha pullin' part!..because of handling and stoppin' issues.. had some "weather" on his way back... he wasn't what you'd call a young'en either.. only example i can give..

Are you a hardcore off roader? If your not there is no reason to ever buy a jeep. They are overpriced for what you get, get poor fuel economy, don't tow or haul much well, don't have a lot of people room, and I and many others find them to be somewhat unreliable. And the ride sucks.

It is safe to say I would NEVER buy a jeep especially with towing in mind.

I have towed several 18-19 foot single-axle boats with my 2006 4Runner and it does a fine job. I have the old V8 version with 4WD. I have no plans to replace it. You may find one of these in from the years you stated. They have a frame vs. unibody, which makes them much more suited for towing. A good one, however, will not be inexpensive to buy.

Thanks for the input guys. Yeah, I was trying to avoid getting quite as bad gas consumption as a big truck, but it is looking like the Jeep XJ isn't gonna be enough. TLW, that's what I heard, that the engine pulls strong, but that stopping your rig is another story. redchevy, I do some offroading, mainly when hog hunting, but I wouldn't consider myself a pro or a regular by any means. I would want 4x4 on my truck, how bout that. I actually am selling my single axle 17 foot boat this sunday morning and will (hopefully) be picking up my new 19 foot rig on a double axle trailer on sunday evening. Looks like a truck is in my future! Capt Jerry, I will check out those 4runners though. Thank y'all.

I owned the most powerful (factory) jeep made(SRT8), I've owned a 2012 Sahara 4dr, and I still own a 2002 Rubicon. ....all sucked pulling a boat. I bought a 5.7 Tundra 4x4 to pull my boats.

Buy a truck. It's safer for you....and everyone else driving near you.

Towed my 18 foot Ranger with a 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Had the high output V8 so going wasn't a problem. But handling was sketchy. Too light and too short a wheel base. Got me a tundra for towing now and the difference is nothing short of amazing.

Wheel base, I think, creates the pucker factor for me when towing with the 1992 Cherokee. The 4.0 inline 6 has plenty of torque to pull my 18' aluminum rig, stopping really isn't much worse than just about anything I've towed with. But the short wheel base just doesn't allow me to kick back and get comfy riding down the hwy. Just seems like I have to stay on top of it more-so than my burb or pickup. My wife's Xterra is the same way as the jeep, another short wheelbase vehicle too.

I used to pull a 14x36 jonboat with a Cherokee. Plenty of power, but a 101" wheelbase was kind of short on any country road, slick roads or emergency manouver.

I currently pull a 17' center console with an Xterra. Loads of power, but not so much fun in a cross wind. A couple of hours towing on a windy day can start to wear on you.

I've used both of these tow rigs on my duck lease so there is a decent bias to off-road performance in my choice of vehicles. Both have lockers for mud and 4wd. In both cases, I would be hard pressed to willingly pull anything much bigger/longer.

I'm probably going back to a midsize truck or the 4 door wrangler next time. The longer wheelbase would add some towing stability. I'm starting to spend more time towing boats than off-roading.

Personal experience towing several thousand miles with short wheelbase vehicles you may want to consider.

Yeah, thanks everybody. Appreciate all the input, and as such I'm currently looking at just getting a truck. I think I've officially scrapped the XJ idea. My new (to me) boat is just too big for it. 19 feet, double axle, and all the stories you guys just told... You'll see me in a truck in a couple weeks. Hoping I can find a good price on an early 2000s model.