Jeep has been a fully-fledged presence in the UK for some time. Its years-old reputation as the rugged, rough-and-ready American answer to Land Rover, combined with appealing entries into emerging small-car segments have made it a burgeoning Fiat Group favourite.
Yet it still seems to occupy a niche: never the choice buy, but the quirky alternative. Why is this? Questions of quality do still hang – a rap of your knuckles on a Cherokee’s dash won’t quite yield the quality ‘thump’ you’d get in a Volkswagen Tiguan, for example.
The new 5-3-5 scheme is designed to close that confidence deficit by putting Jeep’s money where its mouth is and “underlining the Jeep brand’s confidence in the quality of its vehicle line-up”.
What is it?
Translated, 5-3-5 is a five-year warranty, three years of servicing and five years of roadside assistance on all Wrangler, Renegade, Compass, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models. It’s all as per the old three-year package, but for five years or up to 75,000 miles.
Free servicing is just that, too, with no labour charge for fitment and application of your free parts and lubricants over the course of the first three scheduled services.
Point to note: that’s not necessarily three years. Years or mileage, whichever comes first. Second, this deal doesn’t apply to the MY19 Renegade and Wrangler… yet. Still, as small print goes they’re not deal-breakers.
Does it make a Jeep a good buy?
It’s a bold and impressive move from an appealing marque with a point to prove – both to critics and consumers. Regardless of quality, a product with a guarantee this substantial gains major forecourt appeal.
A tug at the heart strings alone isn’t enough to sell cars anymore but a package like this – Jeep hopes – will make its cars appeal to the head as well as the heart.
Andrew Tracey, Country Manager, Jeep UK reckons “there has never been a better time to buy a new Jeep vehicle… this attractive 5-3-5 programme makes an already very good Jeep range even more appealing. The offer of a five-year manufacturer’s warranty especially gives customers real peace of mind.”
Will it get customers through doors buying more Jeeps? Time will tell.