i have a quick qestion,i have a 9 cherokee and i tow my 17.5 ft bay boat with it and it does ok but knows its back there for sure!! would a grand cherokee pull it any better with the same 4.0 motor? thanks

 

In my opinion either one is a good choice and wont have any issues but
grand cherokees are notorious for having electrical issues so if you want the lights on the trailer to work go with a cherokee

 

how much weight are u towing there?

 

I've towed boats with both (two Grand Cherokees one with a 5.2 and one with the 4.0) and I can tell you that if you want a GC with a 4.0 you're better off towing with the XJ as it's lighter and pulls better than a 4.0 equipped GC. With that said, if you have a GC with the 5.2 or 4.7 you'll never want to tow with your XJ again.

 

you def want a gc 4.7. you will forget there is a trailer on the back

 

ok thanks guys i dont want the v8 gc so i will maybe put a tranny cooler and different gears in the cherokee!!!

 

Tranny cooler and gauge are a good idea, but your gearing will be fine for that boat. I wouldn't go that far unless you want to do it for other reasons.

 

i have towed with both gc and reg cherokee with 4.0, auto tranny, and 3.73 diffs. the gc, being a bit heavier and longer wheel base, pulled smoother on the highway but as far as pulling power and that, they were identical.

 

Base curb weight of the 2000 Cherokee is ~3050 pounds versus the 2000 Grand Cherokee at ~3670 pounds. I would not call their ability to start from stop with the same trailer and same motor as anything resembling "identical". Sure, once you get them going, it'd be hard to tell the difference, but line them up at a stop light and see who gets to 60 faster. I felt the difference with our then brand new 2000 Grand Cherokee versus my current XJ for sure. The wheel base on the XJ is sufficiant for a boat trailer such as the OP asked about. We're not talking about a 24' travel trailer and WB doesn't really come into play with a 17 1/2' boat unless you're comparing something like a Wrangler versus an XJ.