Jeep Cherokee 2008 Review

What we liked
>> More space, but not too big
>> Improved equipment levels
>> Turbodiesel/auto match

Not so much
>> No steering reach adjustment
>> CRD model shed underbody parts on test
>> Sand driving only -- need more miles to pass judgement

Overall rating: 2.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 2.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

About our ratings

Over 30,000 Cherokees have been sold in Australia since 1994 when the brand returned to the marketplace in its own right. In 2006 Australians bought almost 2000 Cherokees; last year the total was down to 1500.

With only limited stocks of the outgoing KJ model Cherokee in dealers (Jeep says it wholesaled its last KJ before the end of 2007), the US offroad brand is looking to the all-new model to hit the ground running and match or better the volumes generated by its predecessors.

To do so it must face off a much wider (and growing) range of competitors. Jeep says it's confident the bigger and substantially better equipped KK Cherokee will have the wherewithal to do so.

Priced from $39,990 for the petrol V6 version, the Cherokee Sport now features body-coloured wheel arch flares and bumpers for a cleaner look and gets 16-inch 'Keystone' alloys standard. It no longer looks like an entry-level model.

Inside the Sport gets Jeep's YesEssentials stain, odour, mildew and essentially kid-proof fabric seating and surfaces. The standard equipment list includes: climate control air, power windows and mirrors, cruise control and the full complement of safety equipment (see SAFETY below).

The Cherokee Limited petrol is priced from $45,990 and adds equipment such as a leather interior pack, powered and heated front seats, 18-inch 'Echelon' multi-spoke alloys, a 368W Infinity premium audio system with UConnect Bluetooth connectivity, Electronic Vehicle Information Centre (EVIC), steering wheel audio controls and more.

The turbodiesel engine upgrade will set you back a further $4000 on both variants.

Options are restricted to premium paint ($300 -- available on both Sport and Limited) and, on the Limited model only, sunroof ($2000), Sky Slider roof ($3000) and MyGig DVD compatible hard disk-based entertainment and satnav system ($3000).

The MyGig system should be familiar to most Chrysler-Jeep watchers. KK is the first generation of Cherokee that has offered the hard-disk based navigation and entertainment system.

The SkySlider roof is new, however -- the Cherokee is the first vehicle to offer the two-way electric folding canvas roof. Able to be opened from front or rear, Sky Slider covers (or uncovers) a large section of the Cherokee's roof. Structural integrity is retained via a targa-style loop across the B-pillars.

Just one test car was fitted with the roof, which while pleasant at low speeds generated high levels of wind noise open or closed at speed. If you want an open-top Jeep, our advice is to stick with the real thing -- Wrangler.

Cherokee shares its base structure, suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and rack and pinion steering, etc, with Dodge Nitro (more here). Suspension is via independent double-wishbone coil-sprung front suspension and somewhat less cutting-edge five-link live rear axle.

Petrol and turbodiesel powertrains are offered in the new generation Cherokee, both featuring automatic transmissions. They are the same powerplants used in the Nitro and Wrangler offroader, with some minor tweaks.

The petrol engine is Jeep's well-known 3.7-litre petrol V6 -- which also powered the outgoing KJ model Cherokee. Reworked for this generation of Jeeps at 151kW at 5200rpm and 314Nm at 4000rpm it boasts 1kW and 7Nm extra than the KJ model's equivalent.

The petrol engine is matched to a four-speed automatic box that has also been upgraded in the model evolution.

Economy has improved 0.5L/100km, Jeep says. The vehicle's official combined economy is 11.7L/100km.

The Cherokee's VM Motori-sourced turbodiesel is a 2.8-litre common rail direct-injection four-cylinder that is rated at 130kW at 3800rpm and a rousing 460Nm at 2100. It features electronically-controlled variable geometry turbocharger to combat lag and thus deliver quicker respone and better power and torque across the rev range.

Teamed with a Mercedes-Benz sourced five-speed autobox (that's also used across a number of Jeep's larger offroaders), the turbodiesel out torques the previous generation Cherokee's oiler option by 60Nm!

It's the pick of the Cherokee's powertrains and the strong real world performance doesn't come at the expense of fuel economy. The new 2.8 CRD Cherokee is rated at 9.4L/100km in official testing -- something we easily matched on our (albeit short) road loop drive.

The Cherokee's all-wheel-drive system is also new. Dubbed SelecTrac II, the system features normal 2WD (rear), electronic shift-on-the-fly 4WD Auto (high) and a fair dinkum 4WD Lock (low range).

In auto mode drive is apportioned 42:58 with a rearward bias via an electronically-controlled wet multiplate centre coupling. As the term suggests, in low or Lock mode drive is locked 50:50 and the fancy coupling taken out of play. The transfer case features a useful 2.72:1 reduction.

You must be stopped and have the main transmission in neutral before low/Lock can be engaged.

Brake lock differentials are used at both ends of the car. These use traction control infrastructure (sensors, actuators and the like) to almost instantaneously apportion drive to the wheels with most traction. The previous generation KJ had a conventional rear limited slip differential.

Both the Cherokee's four-wheel-drive system and switchable multi-mode stability control system are different from the Dodge it shares part with.

The vehicles match in terms of their braked towing capacity: 2270kg with a weight distributing hitch. Maximum tongue weights are listed at 160/227kg depending on hitch type

PACKAGING
The new Cherokee is an altogether bigger vehicle. It gains 45mm in the wheelbase and around 250mm in extra usable interior space.

The five-door wagon's rear doors are longer for better (but still not perfect) access and there has been a substantial boost in the length of the luggage space (over 80mm). Due to the relocation of the spare from the tailgate to a cradle under the rear load area, however, the car is effectively 3mm shorter than the model it replaces.

Wider and taller, the new KK model Cherokee also rides on a substantially increased track (by 25mm) for better on and offroad handling. But despite all of the dimensional growth, the turning circle and turns lock-to-lock have both been reduced -- from 10.8 to 10.4m and 3.8 to 3.4 turns.

Weight has increased between 32 and 106kg depending on the model.

Jeep says critical offroad dimensions have been matched or improved. The approach angle is 28.2 degrees, but this can be increased to 38.2 degrees with the removal of the Cherokee's under bumper airdam. The breakover angle is now 21.7 degrees and the departure angle 30.3. These compare to 36.2 (approach), 21.3 (breakover) and 31.1 (departure) for the outgoing KJ model.

Wading depth is quoted at 51cm with Jeep commenting on the fact special attention has been paid to air inlet location and alternator and fuel vapour emissions canister placement.

KK benefits from Chrysler Corporation's stated aim to improved cabin quality. To this end, the offroader's high, wide and handsome external features enclose a cabin with softer touch points and improved plastics, fabrics and finishes.

Says Jeep Australia, this is particularly the case in the Limited version, which will get a special level of finish for our market. Alas the early-build Cherokees at the launch did not feature the full-spec interiors, so we'll have to wait and see.

The conventional five-door wagon gets a 60:40 split flat-folding rear seat and Chrysler Group's signature fold-flat, first-row passenger seat to allow extra long loads to be carried. Jeep says the new seating features a higher grade of "memory foam" for better comfort -- especially in the rear. The rear seats also incorporate a 12-degree recline feature for more adjustment for passengers.

The two-piece tailgate features a separate window sash and is now a lift, rather than swing, gate. Luggage capacity is listed as a useful 419 litres with two rows in place -- 1404 when the rear seats are folded. Cherokee features Jeep's gimmicky two-way waterproof cargo tray.

There is no seven-seat version of the Cherokee offered.

The Cherokee shares its basic dash and IP layout with the Nitro, but the execution was markedly better in the offroader. It's still no Volkswagen or Audi, but there's some evidence that things are on the improve.

Antilock brakes with offroad calibration kick things off and traction control, multi-mode stability control and electronic roll mitigation and tyre pressure monitoring (with individual pressure readouts in the Limited model) are all standard. Rear park sensors are fitted to all Cherokees but no reversing camera is offered.

Offroad specific driver aids include hill descent control and hill start assist.

The former interfaces with the engine management and gearbox electronics to offer a choice of decent speeds dependent on gear selection. By choosing first gear through to Drive when in low range (and the HDC activated), the driver can choose a descent speed of between 1.5-12km/h. Both reverse and neutral also offer set descent speeds -- 1.5 and 4.5km/h respectively.

Hill Start Assist delivers around 2sec of brake pressure to allow the driver to transition to powered motion without heart-in-the-mouth moments. As noted above the Cherokee ABS system is calibrated for, and features special modes for, offroad use.

The base structure of the Cherokee features modern high and ultra-high strength alloys and along with the above features yields the vehicle a five-star rating in the US's NHTSA testing.

A full-size alloy spare is fitted to all models.

COMPETITORS
The compact and medium SUV segments are ultra competitive today with most makers interested in carving off their piece of the pie.

It wasn't that long ago that Cherokee had the offroad end of the market, well, not to itself, but not far from it -- much of the product was, and remains, biased to onroad expertise. Jeep believes that the new midsizer will still face the likes of Holden's Captiva, Toyota Kluger and the Mazda CX-7 in some buyers' decision making process but says that the true offroad ability of the Cherokee will give it an edge.

Nissan's Pathfinder is arguably one of the vehicles most likely to be shopped against the Cherokee, but as the American car is well over $50K in top turbodiesel spec, the field opens up even wider. Land Rover's Freelander II could be a thorn in the Jeep's side as could larger (but lower spec) variants of Toyota's Prado.

Ironically, if offroading's part of your lifestyle, perhaps one of the biggest challenges the Cherokee might face is from its own stable -- the much improved Wrangler, in its four-door Unlimited variant.

ON (AND OFF) THE ROAD
We approached the Cherokee with some trepidation. Its under-the-skin twin, the Dodge Nitro was possibly the worst new car this writer drove in 2007. Given much of the componentry used is shared with the Cherokee, the prospects weren't all that good.

The launch of the Cherokee took place on Queensland's World Heritage listed Fraser Island -- a good test of the sand driving abilities of any all-wheel drive, but hardly an arduous trial for a serious offroader. There's no big hills to test the ability of the car to make a controlled descent (with our without HDC) and ne'er a test of wheel articulation or the like -- the Rubicon Trail it ain't.

The main requirement for successfully conquering Fraser is reasonable engine power, wide tyres and some ground clearance. The Cherokees -- both petrol and diesel -- passed the first two 'tests' and were very capable even without dropping tyre pressures. However, at least three of the diesels failed the latter part of the 'test' -- losing undercar sound-deadening panels to sand build-up along the relatively easy test loop. Jeep has asked head office for a please explain. More news when we get it.

The choice of launch location, coupled with the short on-road section we completed on the mainland, means we can only give you brief first impressions of the Cherokee. Fortunately there's more to like than the Nitro.

The KK's suspension settings and overall demeanour is more resolved than the Dodge --mid-corner bumps don't have the chassis and stability control system jointly staging a hissy fit. It's still not as good on or offroad as, say, a Freelander II, but save for multiple big bumps (that seem to get the whole car bouncing in resonance) the Cherokee fares quite well.

The Cherokee's driving position seemed better than Nitro's (which seemed to have pedal placement issues) and while its steering is still too light, there's a touch more feel. Noise levels (SkySlider rood aside), even on coarse chip roads, are class competitive.

A quick stint in the back seat showed legroom is substantially improved. It'd still be squeezy for three, but there's been a meaningful increase in shoulder room thanks to the new car's 'square-rigged' proportions. Alas our time wasn't enough to give a clear indication of Jeep's claims of improved long-term seat comfort.

The four-wheel-drive system is easy to use, though we did find one car a little reluctant to shed the low/Lock setting. It took a couple of attempts and a shift in and out of two-wheel drive to coax it back into 4WD Auto.

As noted above in PACKAGING, there's been a worthwhile step forward in the interior quality in the new generation Jeeps. There are still some basic flaws -- like no reach adjustment for the steering wheel -- but overall the standard is getting there. We'll be interested in seeing the full Aussie-spec Limited's dark slate grey leather interior when full production versons arrive.

Ultimately, however, our drive in the Cherokee was too short and too one-dimensional to comment on all aspects of the mid-sizer's performance. We'll look forward to driving it on some more challenging tracks and roads closer to home in due course, but for the time being it gets a cautious thumbs up.

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