Those who went from KJ to KK..

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Those who went from KJ to KK, are you glad that you did it, are you neutral (meaning you could have lived with KJ and KK is just as good/ as bad, etc..) or do you have any regrets/remorse..?

I love the way my KJ rides, and was wondering if people who went from KJ to KK still feel the same sturdy, strong, and in-control with the new jeep?

jdk47 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:08 am

This my not be the answer your looking for since my Wife and I both are Liberty owners and we still have our KJ.
Well, my Wife bought her 2003 KJ Limited brand new and I usually drive it when we go on family trips since I had a regular cab 2WD F150 until Februay 2009 when I got my slightly used 2008 KK Sport 4x4. I am 6' tall and I always felt that my head was close to the roof in the 2003. I do not have the same feeling in my KK. I feel more comfortable in my KK vs the wife's KJ. The interior of the KK is slightly larger compared to the KJ.
IMO the KK has a slighty smoother ride on Highway since the wheelbase is a little longer. I know that for 2009 there was mention of suspension/handling changes so they may have had complaints from owners. I think the on-road handling feels secure in my KK. The KK seems to have about the same acceleration characteristics that our KJ has with the usual feeling of slugish downshifts out of overdrive during highway passing. So far I have been getting about 16.5 MPG in the KK and the last time I checked the trip computer in the KJ it was getting about 16.7 MPG. The KK and KJ both do a mix of highway and city driving. Also, both Libertys are 4x4's and I expected the milage numbers we have been getting. They are Jeeps, not Cute utes(CRV, RAV4).

Other than my head clearence issue in the KJ I really can't complain about either Liberty.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

thanks JDK, you mentioned that acceleration characteristics are similar, I thought the gas pedal on KK was computer driven while KJ had mechanical. When I rented Nitro last year, I felt that gas pedal was like a button, with a tiny bit delay, whereas KJ always jumped forward with a slightest touch.

stratamet · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:41 am

I had an 2003 Renegade and an 2007 limited, and I have to say, I do not have any regrets, though I do miss the Rene.

jdk47 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:56 am

I should have said that the KK and KJ both have the same underpowered feeling on the highway from the 3.7L V6 and 4 spd auto. I also agree about the KJ have a quicker pedal response than the KK.

rickm · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 4:35 am

I went from an 04 Liberty Sport to an 08 Liberty Sport. No regrets here. The 08 has a lot more room inside, especially the cargo area in the back. I don't think either of them felt under powered. The 04 did shift to OD quite a bit sooner than the 08. The 04 seemed to hesitate when I'd try to accelerate at highways speeds. I don't notice that as much with the 08. The 08 seems to have a more positive feel to the shift points also.

Overall I'm very happy with the 08.

nightdrv · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:55 am

I haven't owned both, but I did drive the heck out of 3 KJ's before I got the KK. Went to CarMax looking for a wrangler, but none that I liked were there. So, went trying KJ's. Found one limited, and two sports. (No Rennys

). I kinda liked the small feeling of the KJ, as it reminded me of a Suzuki Samurai. Yes I know they are tiny, but that's just what I was thinking of at the time. Honestly, the one good one (of course it had to be black) was pretty nice. Boring interior, but the engine sounded great. I agree it had much better throttle response. I liked that for the on-road, but don't know how much I would like that for mud/snow.

The insides of the KJ felt tiny compared to the KK. Especially after I've gotten used to the KK. The only thing I reeeeeally like better about the KJ, (of course having all those aftermarket parts available is nice) is the weight. At least it weighs less than the KK. This would be fine, if the power were up a good 30hp.

Final Thoughts: KK is a wonderful mid-size SUV. Jeep, actually. It's just underpowered for it's weight. And the suspension is TOO soft.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

nightdrv, that's a nice looking black KK, is it base sport or did you do some tweaking?

I agree about underpowered/heaviness statements, I was really surprised to see that posted mpg to be 2mpg less than KJ.. You would think that newer models should use newer technology on fuel consumption. I guess weight has a lot more to do with mpg.. It is heavier with exact same engine, at least they could have made it 4.0, well should've would've.. Since it is the weight that holds KK back, there isn't much that can be done to improve it.

With upcoming expenses over $1000, I was seriously thinking about a KK, especially at $250/month after trade in, on the other hand, I would also like to see what 2010 Grand Cherokee will look like...

ups4 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:16 am

I've owned 2 KJ's....03 Sport, and 06 Special Edition. I loved both of them and had very little complaints about either. They both stayed stock as I don't do any offroading as of yet.

Bought the KK about a year ago and haven't regretted it one bit. The KK does seem to feel and drive like a bigger Jeep. It's smoother riding...more car-like to me. Even though some Jeep enthusiasts call it boxy, I like the new body style. Reminds me of the old Cherokees. To me it's "beefier" looking than the KJ and not as "cute".

My only complaint with the KK would be the cheesy plastic interior. I know it's a Jeep, but even the Limiteds are very cheap looking inside. The seats are comfortable and the cabin is roomy enough for me....even at 6'4" 210 lbs, I have no issues with the fit. I didn't get the sky slider roof for the very reason of all the complaints I hear now. Wind noise and leaks. Not sure I would ever opt for that feature.

As for mpg, I average about 17, mostly highway miles and pedal to the metal speeds...75-80 mph. That is with the A/C going, as it is 90% of the time down here in South Florida.

All in all, I love my KK, but I kinda miss the KJ's too :wink:

.

Paul

SilverKK09 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:12 pm

Im also 6´4 tall and the kk has good head clearance...
having said that:
the kk is VERY underpowered....... ITS LAME...... compared to my last ride... this thing eats the dust!
(just FyI I had a charger Rt) hahahaha so its a joke...
having said that:
Can you believe I actually got better mpgs on the charger than on the kk?

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

SilverKK09 wrote:

having said that:
Can you believe I actually got better mpgs on the charger than on the kk?

Yes, since it's engine does not struggle to keep the vehicle moving, or spend all that effort to start moving.

nightdrv · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:56 pm

To a reasonable extent, more power DOES equal more mpg. Now, please go back and read "ree-son-a-bull". Ok?

My other car, with it's low weight, high power, tall gears....... but 93 gas, stage 2 ecu tune, and 8 cylinders.... does 33mpg all day. This KK, with a little dinky 6 cyl, does maybe 14-15 city, 18 highway. Cruise control doesn't even help, as the engine is always pushing the big black brick against the air.

So, what I want to know, is how come our KK's get worse mileage than a similarly shaped and weighted Land Rover Disco?

I'm thinking power has alot to do with it. My father has always been a believer that "The more power you have (within reason), the less you have to push the pedal.... therefore better mileage."

Guest · **Posted:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:35 pm

nightdrv wrote:

So, what I want to know, is how come our KK's get worse mileage than a similarly shaped and weighted Land Rover Disco?

Because it's better!

nightdrv · **Posted:** Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:02 pm

The Discovery? If yes, then Yes I Agree. But, I don't have the funding to support a Land Rover right now. So, the KK will do. I just think it's BS that Jeep can't even get close to Land Rover's efficiency, not that it's even that great!

Those who went from KJ to KK..

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