My mom has one, and it's got a stupid amount of miles for something so young (~50K). I don't want to discount whatever these nightmares are, but I want to point out that our experience has been flawless and wonderful.

It's got air suspension, which is kind of a cheat code for an effortlessly smooth ride, but it does significantly better than the competing Escalade. The other awesome thing it only has 7.3 inches of ground clearance by default; for such a big tank, it inspires a surprising amount of confidence in the twisties. And when you need it to do serious work, it'll raise up to 11ish inches of clearance and engage proper locking differentials.

The interior is phenomenal. The massaging seats don't feel like air bladders - they feel like balls kneading you, like a proper non-automotive massage chair. Materials in the 2nd and 3rd row don't match my dad's X7, but they put an Escalade to shame. There is no bigger third row in today's SUV market. Everything is excessive, from enormous, thick seats to the giant slabs of open-pore wood on the dash. The tech is even intuitive.

We intentionally bought the first model year with the V8 because it's (reasonably) well-proven in the RAM 2500 - which, in my opinion, is a significant stand-out compared to the severe powertrain issues in the Escalade and Navigator. The power is so laughably excessive that my mom passes people without digging deep into the throttle - and to her, that's luxury.

There's no way to elaborate on a clean reliability record. Working great at 50K is only rendered interesting by the volume of people who insist that these cars are already shitpiles.

I really want to hear what these issues are on other Grand Wagoneers. I'd like to make sure my mom doesn't deal with them, or even better to understand where the discrepancy comes from. The sense I'm starting to get is that FCA-developed electrical systems are very sensitive to discrepancies in battery voltage... Or maybe they're problems with the Hurricane motor. I don't know; I haven't heard the details of someone's nightmare experience yet.

In my mind, this tank is the American Range Rover. It really doesn't have to be reliable to earn that title, but it does have to be loaded with off-road hardware and feel exceptionally luxurious inside. It does both of those things better than anyone else in this country, and once you factor in interior volume there is zero competition. My dad's loaded X7 obviously has strengths, but it doesn't feel anywhere near as luxurious.

Notice I've very carefully ignored any discussion of fuel economy...