After spending 5,500 miles behind the wheel of our long-term Jeep this month, editor-in-chief Christian Wardlaw praised the Grand Cherokee with newfound enthusiasm, despite an aching back and neck strain from pathetic long-distance driver's seat comfort levels. He took an indirect route from Los Angeles to Detroit to swap the JGC with our long-term Honda Odyssey, packing in a three-week vacation with stops in Santa Fe; Denver; Chicago; Detroit; Hershey, Pa.; and Cape Cod. Driving solo for the majority of the journey, Wardlaw did pick up passengers and cargo at O'Hare Airport in the form of his wife Christy, his two daughters Sarah and Claire, and a healthy chunk of their belongings for the ride to the Atlantic coast.

Driving alone or with a full load of passengers, the Jeep handled every task the Wardlaws tossed its way, from swallowing gear to schlepping the family. However, though final impressions after the trip were positive, not all is perfect with DaimlerChrysler's luxury-laden trailrunner.

The Jeep's A/C ducting began leaking into the passenger's footwell, getting occupants' feet wet, shortly after leaving Chi-town. Also, Wardlaw noted that it seemed to leak quite a bit on the outside of the vehicle as well, creating a large puddle when the Grand Cherokee was parked.

A hard-start problem began shortly after entering the more humid climates of the USA. It persisted until the truck was turned over to Detroit editor John Clor, and changing the octane rating of the fuel did not solve the problem. It could take as long as three seconds of cranking to get the Jeep's cold engine running. Once the engine was warmed up, it started easier.

In full-lock parking maneuvers, the Jeep's axles were binding and grinding as the Quadra-Drive all-wheel-drive system struggled to manage engine torque. Noise levels above 60 mph from the thrashing of the drivetrain were deemed unacceptable, and we aren't the first Jeep owners to complain about this aural annoyance. DC needs to reevaluate the Quadra-Drive system in terms of refinement.

According to Wardlaw, the front chairs, and presumably the rears, lack firm enough padding for superior long-distance comfort. During 12-hour stints behind the wheel, Wardlaw developed a sore upper back and neck strain. Furthermore, the rear headrest releases a.) don't work intuitively and b.) are quite flimsy. The result is that those in our test Jeep are close to being useless thanks to the force and pressure they have been subjected to in an effort to operate the headrests.

Beyond that, the sunroof fails to offer one-touch close operation and the door panel controls are awkward to use because they are too close to the driver. Wardlaw opined that shorter drivers, who have the seat positioned further forward, must have a heck of a time using them.

Interior materials, particularly the low-grade leather and the cheap coverings for the shift knob and parking brake, could be richer for the money spent on them. Wardlaw doesn't mind the overtly fake wood, but exposed screw heads in the door panels dramatically cheapen the interior. And, Wardlaw wonders, does the ashtray really need to be labeled PUSH in big, white letters? This is jarring to the eye, and any nimrod will understand how to operate the door after a try or two.

Those were Wardlaw's primary complaints about the Jeep after 5,500 miles behind the wheel. Overall, he found the Grand Cherokee to be an immensely enjoyable and capable family road trip companion. How so, if there was so much to complain about?

Fuel economy with the 4.7-liter V8 coupled to Quadra-Drive is acceptable on the highway when traveling close to the posted speed limit (which is how Wardlaw managed to extract 21.4 mpg on one tank while driving through a construction-littered, 55-mph zone in lower New York State), but tromp the pedal around town or blaze along at 80 mph and gas mileage will suffer. Wardlaw averaged about 17.5 mpg during his road trip, thanks to plenty of highway driving, and was thrilled with the acceleration the V8 offered, not to mention its melodic exhaust note.

Thanks to the stout motor and AWD system, he found it easy to battle heavy vacation traffic on Cape Cod, where a left turn can take weaker vehicles several minutes to make while they wait for a large enough hole in traffic. As an added bonus, the Grand Cherokee's tidy exterior dimensions made parking in space-starved Provincetown a snap. With patience, he always managed to find street parking that could accommodate the Jeep, saving a bundle on daily parking fees.

Deceptively accommodating inside, the Jeep swallows more cargo than you'd expect. Passenger space for five is realistic, though three adults in the backseat won't be too happy for very long. But for Wardlaw's family of four, the Jeep managed nicely despite toting enough gear for a three-week vacation.

Wardlaw called the trip computer a real joy. "Not only does it provide accurate compass and exterior temperature readings," he noted, "but also you get instant and average mpg data, the distance until the fuel tank is empty, and a trip odometer and elapsed time counter. Furthermore, you can program certain features, such as the doors locking when the Jeep is placed in gear, the headlights illuminating when the wipers are activated, or the horn chirping when the truck is locked with the remote." Simple to use and program, he found the system quite helpful.

Though somewhat uninspired, in Wardlaw's opinion, the dash design (obviously styled to easily accommodate both left- and right-hand drive, he says) is useful and straightforward. He particularly appreciated the dual power points (one for his cell phone and one for his radar detector), and the numerous storage cubbies. The dash trays were also useful, particularly the center bin, which worked extremely well for a hardcover edition of Sick Puppy. Storage was not a problem in the Jeep.

The Infinity Gold sound system is wonderful, though Wardlaw wished for an in-dash CD slot. "But with a 10-disc changer located in the right rear storage panel, where it is easy to access even with a loaded cargo bay, this is really a moot point," he conceded. "You can load it and manage to keep from getting bored with the music for an all-day, 1,000-mile haul, or for a week of short hops. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some JGC owners load it with 10 favorite discs and go months between changes." We've often griped about the Chrysler stereo faceplate, but after a few thousand miles, Wardlaw found that operating it is not a problem. And with the Jeep's trick, multi-function stereo controls on the back of the steering wheel spokes (which ought to serve as a model for the industry), you rarely have to fiddle with the dash-mounted buttons and knobs anyway.

The automatic dual-zone A/C is extremely effective, thanks in part to the infrared temperature-sensor system our Jeep has. The Wardlaws kept it running on full auto mode the entire time they were on vacation, changing only the temperature settings, and rarely was the Jeep's cabin uncomfortable.

Those with kids will appreciate this notation. Know how in some vehicles, because of the seatbelt anchoring points, it can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to cinch child safety seats down tight so that they don't budge an inch if tugged upon? Often, it seems like there's always a little slack in the belt, which lets the seat slide around a bit. Not in this Jeep, fellow moms and dads. You can snug the kids down as though a torque wrench was used to secure the seats. In fact, Wardlaw thinks he may have left permanent indentations in the Jeep's leather.

Upon relinquishing the keys, Wardlaw made these parting comments in the logbook: "Though the Jeep Grand Cherokee finished mid-pack in a recent comparison test (no doubt due, in part, to its status as a stripped-down Laredo model), it's one of my favorites in the class, and this trip confirmed it. It's an immensely useful family tool with excellent on and off-road performance that doesn't sacrifice 'image' for 'utility.'

"My primary reservation about recommending the JGC to a friend or family member is with regard to reliability. Our Jeep has seemingly been recalled every other month for one problem or another, our Quadra-Drive all-wheel-drive system has been troublesome, and now the engine is hard to start. This does not bode well for long-term hassle-free ownership, which other standards in the class, such as the Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota 4Runner, have proven with few exceptions that they can provide."

Current Odometer: 35,854
Best Fuel Economy: 21.4 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.4 mpg
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $21.18 (for two wiper blades)
Problems: Hard to start when the engine is cold; leaky A/C system.