Used Jeep Cherokee review: 2008-2009

Paul Noone wants to buy an SUV for about $20,000. He is tossing up between a 2008 Toyota Kluger and a Ford Territory, but he's wondering whether it's also worth looking at the 2008-09 Jeep Cherokee.

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Jeep is the most famous name in off-road vehicles. Jeeps won a reputation for toughness and their ability to go anywhere in WWII and that reputation underpins the brand today.

With the market becoming so crowded with SUVs it's much harder for Jeep to distinguish its products from the pretenders. It's even harder when some of those pretenders carry the Jeep badge and iconic barred grille.

Jeep has delved into the SUV scene and served up vehicles that look like the real thing. But it also has stuck true to its tough-guy image with the likes of the Wrangler and Cherokee. When Jeep returned to the Australian market in the 1990s, the first model it unleashed was the Cherokee. It was a cramped, rough-and-tough wagon lacking in refinement and with pretty poor build quality.

Later models, such as the KK released in 2008, lifted the game. For starters the cabin was roomier and a much more comfortable place to be. The rear seat could be cranked back to give passengers enough room to be comfortable. It could also be folded flat to carry camping gear or kids' sports clobber.

Unfortunately the fit and finish of the cabin left plenty to be desired - cheap-as-chips plastics had a habit of coming loose or falling away.

Mechanically there was plenty to like with a choice of 3.7-litre V6 or 2.8-litre turbo diesel four. The latter was the better choice with plenty of torque for the hard going or towing and decent fuel economy. If you ticked the diesel box you got a five-speed auto, which was a much better deal than the old four-speed you were stuck with if you went the petrol route.

Beyond that it had real four-wheel drive with low-range that suited the bush if you liked to go beyond the blacktop. Electronics provided the safety of anti-lock braking, traction control, hill descent and stability control, to help get the Cherokee through pretty tough stuff with relative ease. With front and front side airbags, you had quite a comprehensive safety package.

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It's advisable to approach the Cherokee with a degree of caution, first because it is a capable off-roader and may well have been bush-bashing, and second because of the variable build quality.

In terms of the latter, test everything in the car to make sure it all works. The trim and plastics were of ordinary quality to begin with and won't be looking any better now than they were in 2008.

Despite the off-road capability, most Cherokees won't have seen anything other than sealed bitumen, and they're the ones to go for. To make sure yours is one of those pampered city dwellers get it up on ramps or a hoist and go underneath for a close-up inspection.

The limitation with KK Cherokees is ground clearance. They need to be raised to make them really competent off-road. So, look for a sandblasted or battered underbody, bashed brackets and fittings, flattened exhausts, leaking engines, transmissions or suspension components ... and walk away if you suspect that a car has had a hard time.

Check for a service record. Regular oil changes are crucial to keeping an engine running well; oil, air and fuel filters are also important to a long life.

There was a recall in 2010 to check for a brake fluid leak caused by a flare that wasn't formed correctly. Make sure your car has been through the checking process, as a leak could result in a crash.