[66coronet]

Another month is a pipe dream for diesel availability, and that's my frustration. It's been pushed twice and Chrysler's determined to serve the overseas markets first because of the preference for diesels overseas. I want the Grand Cherokee, I really do. My wife has told me repeatedly that she'd prefer the Grand Cherokee even though it's smaller given the fuel economy and torque gains over the Acadia. However, even if they started production the end of June (huge if) they'll spend 2 weeks in QC before they ever get put on a truck to a dealer. Give it another week from there and you're looking at mid-July before the first one hits a dealer. Combine that with the fact that Indy gets all of the new models well after the coasts, Michigan, Chicago, and other major markets have been filled and we won't see one on the lot until October. It's frustrating as I originally wanted to get my wife one as a Mother's Day present. The May 14th delay date made that impossible, but it was reasonable to wait. Now it's pushed again and I hear every day that she wants her SUV back (she's currently driving our MINI). I can't keep putting her off because Chrysler can't get their act together. This launch has been a mess of delays and limited availability. The only thing keeping it from making bigger headlines is the absolute disaster Ford is suffering with the Lincoln MKZ launch.

Would it be possible to work it out with a dealership to Lease a used Jeep Grand Cherokee until the the diesel version is available?
Maybe even pre-order through that dealership so you get what you want at the end.
If you go GMC, I don't think that kind a deal would work.
Did she drive both? Is the GMC too big and uncomfortable to drive (do to size) compared to the GC to her?
It will be a big jump between the mini and the bigger vehicle.
I prefer driving my PT cruiser and switching to the long bed ram 1500 I find it feeling huge. But I know I can switch back after my task is done with the pickup.
Is the GMC a supplement vehicle or a replacement to the mini? I bet she will miss the mini when in parking lots. Unless you mean minivan/caravan. Then both are similar in size.
At the end, be happy with what ever vehicle you and her decide on.
You & your wife must decide how important is interior volume. Are you hauling lots of people or stuff? How important is a SUV vs minivan? Is off road capability necessary for winter or daily travel? Are you going to tow anything?
Would a Sprinter 2.1L diesel be a better choice if you need volume and fuel mileage?

 

[66coronet]

The MINI is a 2009 MINI Cooper S with the manual trans. Prior to that she drove GMC Acadias - we had a 2008 & a 2009. We got rid of our 2009 Acadia a year ago when I bought my 300S. We love the 300 but she misses her SUV and she love the GC. We saw the diesel at the Chicago Auto Show and the combination of the fuel economy and torque were hands down winners. We thought it would be available soon after launch based upon all of the information that Chrysler released. Now it's going to be 3rd quarter at the earliest. How long does Chrysler really expect buyers who can afford to drop $50k on a brand new SUV to wait on their issues? Buyers in that demographic have a LOT of choices, and the quality across the board is high. YAHOO should be a mantra within any automotive manufacturer, but especially one fighting to re-establish itself in the market after a lost decade.

I love my PT cruiser except wishing the MB2.2L crd would have made it to the USA. The Mini Cooper was on my mind, but I wasn't too sure about the odometer being in the center, if I'd get use to that. I love the way Mini has grown into multi models. I like the Clubman.
I still think it's a big jump from a small car to a big SUV.
I still think she should rent the vehicle Jeep &/or GM and drive it & park it (parallel park & grocery store & mall parking) and see what is preferred.
Like I said earlier, I'll drive my 1998 1500 pickup for tasks, but I hate it's parking lot hugeness. I would have loved a PT Pickup. Or a PT chassis cab with extended wheel base that I could turn into a pickup with a 8ft bed.

 

[66coronet]

Launch as of now... 6/26.

Is it still 6/26?

She's had 2 GMC Acadias. Before that was a Jeep Liberty. I think she understands the size difference just fine. The issue is that she likes the Jeep better, in part because of the diesel engine and the fuel economy. Without the diesel, I don't know that she would make the tradeoffs in space vs the GMC Acadia Denali.

So what did you do? It's 6/14 and are you waiting or did you buy the GMC?