The iconic American heavyweight in its new form is in so much demand in its home market that right hand drive models for the UK are very limited.
Nothing says more about the heritage of the Jeep brand than the latest Grand Cherokee models are still built in motor city Detroit, albeit a significantly updated production line with retrained quality conscious motown line workers.
After the initial rush-to-buy in the USA is over, next year’s UK sales should be around 2,500 units.
At its core the new Grand Cherokee remains a genuine heavyweight off road 4×4 with its body on a ladder chassis design, huge suspension travel, high ground clearance, the clever all terrain system and a 3.0-litre, V6 turbodiesel engine with a new eight-speed automatic transmission at its heart.
I should mention at this stage that there is also available a 6.4-litre V8, 461bhp HEMI SRT petrol model which at £59,995 is a huge £10,500 more expensive than the top 3.0-litre CRD V6 Summit diesel model. Why? Jeep must see a demand and of course Range Rover models, the leaders of the heavyweight 4×4 pack and BMW also offer petrol engines but sales are very small.
Apart from the SRT V8 variant, all other new Grand Cherokees are powered by the latest versions of their 3.0-litre, V6 turbodiesel engine but now with Fiat’s MultiJet 2 diesel engine direct injection, turbocharging and electronic mapping systems. Fuel economy is better, and CO2 emissions are lower due to the Fiat technology input.
The Laredo starter model in the range, priced at £36,995, gets an 188bhp version of the CRD unit. The Limited version costing £38,995, the best selling Limited Plus priced at £41,995, the Overland at £45,695 and the Summit at £49,495, all use the 247bhp version of this engine. Torque from this unit is a hefty 570Nm (420lb ft) from 2,000rpm.
Standard right across the range is a new ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. This is slick unit offering seamless gearchanges with top gear really coming into play during high speed cruising so improving fuel economy; around 38mpg is the official figure. My recent very short test drive returned 29.6mpg but 34mpg should be achievable in real life.
All versions have five seats, but it is likely that Jeep, for Europe at least, will have to offer a seven seat option as that seems to be common in the large SUV market these days. Of course air conditioning, electric front seats, windows and door mirrors are more or less standard right through the range and only the base model doesn’t have a reversing camera and front and rear park assist function.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The hand of Jeep’s new owner Fiat can be seen and felt in the new Grand Cherokee.
The quality and design of the facia is improved as is the overall look and feel of the interior but there is still some way to go before it reaches BMW/Audi/Range Rover levels. There are still lots of controls and switches which need reducing in number and their ergonomic layout improving. The new central controller allows various permanent 4WD modes to be selected easily, snow/sand/auto/mud/rock, plus a push-button to engage 4WD Low mode.
Unfortunately the foot operated parking brake is retained and harks back to a bygone age, although Mercedes still use them. Descent control, hill start assist and cruise control are all standard right through the range.
The Summit test model had Quadra-Lift air suspension so it was difficult to get a feel as to whether Jeep has been able to refine the on-road handling of latest Grand Cherokee to European standards. That’s not an easy task when it comes to using a body-on-chassis design rather than the new, lightweight, aluminium monocoque construction techniques that most SUVs/4x4s adopt today.
Certainly the air suspension gave a relatively controlled and comfortable ride limiting body-roll during cornering but the vehicle did tend to float through corners rather than feel planted. I also suspect the standard shock absorber and coil spring system will be less capable of coping with our worsening road surfaces.
The steering response has been improved but it felt slow and vague on winding country roads. On the straight it was fine, a legacy of the American core design.
So Fiat still has more to do to encourage Chrysler/Jeep that in order to compete against today’s new generation European products, the iconic history, undoubted off road capabilities, bling trim and plentiful gadgets, do not guarantee sales success in more sophisticated markets.
MILESTONES
Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD V6 Summit £49,495. (Best selling model will be the Limited Plus at £41,995). Engine/transmission: 3.0-litre, V6, direct injection, common-rail turbodiesel, 247bhp, 570Nm (420lb ft) from 2,000rpm, 8-speed auto as standard on all models, permanent 4WD, high/low ratio, multi all terrain mode selector.
Performance: 126mph, 0-62mph 8.2 seconds, 37.7mpg Combined Cycle
CO2 198g/km, VED road tax £475 First Year rate then £260 per annum second year onwards, BIK company car tax 34%. Insurance group: 43.
Dimensions/capacities, 5-door, 5-seater L 4,846mm, W 1,943mm, H 1,792mm, boot/load area capacity 782 to 1,554-litres
Max braked towing capacity 2,949kg (Summit version but 3,500 for all other diesel models).
Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles.
For: For some buyers its larger than life styling, lots of equipment and specification, improved interior in parts, 8-speed automatic, improved fuel economy and lower emissions.
Against: A heavyweight 4×4 that’s too heavy for today’s requirements, good off-road, less capable on-road against the BMW X5 or Range Rover/Sport, top models are expensive, no 7-seater versions – yet!
