Grand Cherokee a bad boy among SUVs

Published Dec 26, 2011

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If today’s luxury SUVs are like a bunch of grey-suited businessmen, crowded around the water cooler with perfectly creased trousers, neat Windsor-knotted ties and shiny black shoes, then Jeep’s Grand Cherokee just doesn’t fit in.

He’s the guy that rocks up a little late to the office because he rode his mountain bike there. He’s dressed to code, but there’s some sweat under his collared shirt’s armpits, he’s got a 5 o’clock shadow because shaving more than once a week takes up precious early hours hiking time, and, instead of all the latest and freshest colognes, he smells like cedar bark and pine sap. They’re wearing designer underpants, he’s going commando.

Jeep’s most luxurious SUV has always been a little rougher around the edges than its German and English counterparts, but it’s cool because, just like that rugged office worker, it’s not afraid of stepping in a cowpat or walking through a thorn bush after hours. In top-spec Overland trim like the Grand Cherokee on test here, it’s got many of the same nifty features and cushy creature comforts as other luxury SUVs, but they’re packaged in a less uptight way. It’s also less expensive.

This is the all-new Grand Cherokee launched in South Africa earlier this year. You can see the American designers were briefed to make it look classier, and it does with those neat chrome trimmings, dark-tinted windows, and uncluttered body lines. The interior’s equally tidy with a very high-quality dashboard top that’s stitched like an expensive leather-topped desk and the steering wheel’s hand stitched too.But, if you take a look in places where your eyes don’t normally go, you’ll see some of Chrysler’s usual cost cutting.

There’s some crummy carpeting in the foot wells, the gearbox tunnel’s still made of the same hard plastic that adorned previous Jeep’s interiors and the switchgear still feels like it was sourced from a heap supplier.

This Grand Cherokee’s platform was developed in partnership with Mercedes-Benz, which uses a similar version in its ML and GL-Class SUVs. This equates to bigger dimensions and because the wheelbase is 135mm longer there’s 102mm more rear legroom than the previous model. I did notice the generous space for back-seat occupants, as well as a decent rear cargo area that I was able to stuff full of bicycles and gear on one occasion, without having to fold the seats.

The new underpinnings also means that Jeep was able to get much fancier with chassis components and for the first time the Grand Cherokee gets ride-height adjustable air suspension. It’s comfortable too in normal “auto” mode where it rocks and rolls like one of those playground kiddies horses mounted on a single coil spring, but with this top-spec R639 000 Overland model’s 20-inch wheels the air suspension struggled to keep the low-profile rubber planted at high speeds on bumpy roads.

This test unit’s powered by a 259kW/520Nm 5.7-litre Hemi (but Jeep’s opted not to fit Hemi badges anymore) that growls like an American V8 should, but for all its huffing and puffing it doesn’t feel as powerful as it should. We recorded a best 0-100km/h time of 10.2 seconds and the quarter mile took 17.2 – nothing special. It also averaged around 17l/100km in petrol. Not brilliant.

I partially blame the gearbox. It’s an old-school torque converter type that’s also used in big American Dodge Ram pickups, but Chrysler’s overcomplicated the internals and the result is sluggish up and down changes with a generally “dumb” feel. It’s a new five-ratio version of an old four-speed unit, but there are overdrive speeds for each gear instead of the usual kickdown system for those quick overtaking bursts. It feels as though the engine’s making plenty of power, but it seems the transmission eats most of it up and spits out half of what it got in the first place.

But as you’d expect from a Jeep, the new Grand Cherokee comes into its own offroad. There’s a terrain selector aptly named “Selec-Terrain” that lets you choose between Auto, Sport, Snow, Sand/Mud and Rock modes. Next to that is a pushbutton low-range selector and buttons for ride-height settings.

Our offroad test course was traversed without the big Jeep even breaking a sweat. I did, however, notice that when the suspension’s fully raised (104mm higher than normal) the shocks lose all damping properties and become very clunky. Use this only for extreme rock-crawling situations.

I also find it funny that the “Overland” version comes with more tarmac oriented 20-inch tyres, but an optional Offroad Adventure Pack changes them to more rugged 18 inchers, adds a higher diff ratio and includes undercarriage skid plates.

VERDICT:

Regardless of how it compares to its more expensive German and British luxury SUV rivals, this is a huge step up in terms of quality from the previous Grand Cherokee. That said, it’s nowhere near as refined as its competition. It is, however, a nice alternative for a lot less money, and there’s a new 3-litre turbodiesel on the way early next year that I suspect will rectify some of this underperforming and thirsty V8’s hindrances. -Star Motoring

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