Jeep Grand Cherokee 2011 Review

Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited V6, V8 and Laredo V6

On top of that, there's an enormous range of product available  -- sometimes vehicles that are barely adequate for the urban jungle, sometimes vehicles that can lug passengers and goods across thousands of kilometres of gibber and sand in the blazing sun. Thus with more and more competitors entering the market each year it's a constant battle for car companies to hold their market share in the SUV segments -- although SUVs continue to enjoy growing popularity with families.

Jeep, one of the stalwarts of dedicated offroad driving, has changed its design direction in recent years. The Wrangler is still there for those who are serious about their bush-bashing, but the company has extended the breadth of its product range to appeal to buyers more likely to want some refinement to go with their lofty driving position and high-mu traction.

With the release of the latest generation Grand Cherokee, Jeep has cranked up the refinement considerably. Independent suspension for all four wheels, a new, high-efficiency V6 and modern styling inside and out have raised the bar -- not only by Jeep's own standards, but for the Grand Cherokee's competitors also.

A three-level range builds from the Grand Cherokee Laredo, priced at $45,000. For that price the Grand Cherokee is powered by the smaller of two engines available, the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, driving through a standard five-speed automatic transmission.

The entry-level Grand Cherokee Laredo comes as standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, auto-on/off bi-xenon headlights, electrically-heated/adjustable/folding mirrors, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and heated front seats that are also eight-way electrically adjustable and feature four-way lumbar adjustment.

Additionally, the Laredo trim level is specified with reach/rake adjustment for the steering column, leather-bound steering wheel, cloth seat trim, trip computer, voice recognition, Bluetooth connectivity, reversing camera, keyless start/entry, tyre pressure monitoring system and a 30-gig HDD/CD/DVD audio system with six speakers.

The next level up is the mid-range Grand Cherokee Limited, priced at $55,000 for the V6 variant or $60,000 powered by the 5.7-litre HEMI V8. As standard -- and beyond the Laredo spec -- this level of trim features: 20-inch alloy wheels, heavily tinted rear/quarter windows, two-position memory for seats/mirrors/steering wheel, Capri leather seat trim, heated second-row seats and nine-speakers for audio system.

Formerly a limited edition model, the Grand Cherokee Overland is the new flagship of the range priced at $69,500. The V8-only Grand Cherokee Overland adds Command View panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate, Nappa leather seat trim, ventilated front seats, wood/leather steering wheel and satellite navigation.

Not only does the new Grand Cherokee boast this new chassis, it also introduces a new petrol V6 that will eventually power most of the larger products in the broader Chrysler range. Named the Pentastar in homage to the Chrysler Group's famed logo (a five-pointed star in a pentagonal shape), the new engine displaces 3.6-litres and features high-tech systems such as double variable valve timing.

According to Chrysler, the V6 can produce 90 per cent of its maximum torque across a spread of engine speeds from 1600-6000rpm. Peak power is 210kW and torque reaches its zenith at 347Nm. In combined-cycle testing the engine uses 11.4L/100km.

Chrysler plans to launch a diesel version of the Grand Cherokee around the middle of this year, but until then the only other engine option is the 5.7-litre HEMI V8, which develops 259kW and 520Nm for a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 14.1L/100km.

The two petrol engines drive through a five-speed automatic, which relays the torque through a constant four-wheel drive system named Quadratrac II. A centre differential is key to this system and relies on an electronically controlled clutch pack to modulate slip and allow the selection of low-range transfer. Open diffs are fitted front and rear, with the high-spec Grand Cherokee Overland fitted with an electronically controlled limited slip differential at the rear. This system, named Quadra-Drive II, is also available as an option for the Grand Cherokee Limited when the buyer orders the 'Offroad Adventure Group' option pack also comprising 18-inch alloy wheels and underbody protection as well as the Quadra-Drive II system, for $1950 in total.

With its power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering the Grand Cherokee can turn through an 11.6m diameter. A combination of front ventilated discs and rear solid discs are matched to a host of electronic safety features and driving aids such as the Hill Descent Control and Trailer Sway Control.

In standard (steel spring) specification, the Grand Cherokee's ground clearance measures 218mm or, with the optional air suspension ('Quadra-Lift', fitted as standard on Grand Cherokee Overland),  it can elevate from 205 to 270mm.

According to Chrysler the full range of ride heights available with this system (Parked through to Offroad II) is over 100mm of travel, of which the last 33mm is for the Offroad II/'Rock' setting and the lower 33mm from standard height is for the Offroad I/'Mud and Snow' setting. These different heights and drive modes can be selected with either the push of a button or the twist of a knob in the 'Select-Terrain system'.

Using the Offroad II setting provides the driver with more ground clearance than is traditionally available with a conventional aftermarket lift kit.

In Sport mode the Grand Cherokee rides lower for improved aerodynamics and lower centre of gravity. When the vehicle rises on the air suspension, it does so like a camel, raising the hind quarters first, followed by the front of the vehicle. This ensures that the driver's vision is not unduly impaired.

Approach, departure and breakover angles are 26, 24 and 19 degrees respectively for the steel-sprung models. When equipped with the Quadra-Lift system, the Grand Cherokee's approach angles vary from 25 to 34 degrees. Departure angles are 23 to 37 degrees and the breakover angles are 18 to 23 degrees for air.

Seats are flatter and firmer in the cushion than we've come to expect in a Jeep. Not a lot of side bolstering to hold you in place during harder cornering or off the road either. The rear seating offers good headroom for adults and good kneeroom, but actual legroom is not that generous for the car's footprint, although the front seats provide enough toe room underneath to compensate.

If the Grand Cherokee is 'anti-Euro' in the ease with which the driver can configure seating, steering wheel, mirrors, face-level HVAC vents, etc, it's positively un-American for the commonsense design of its dash and centre fascia switchgear and displays. All were stylish, orderly and uncommonly intuitive to use.

Kudos too for the Grand Cherokee's apparanet build quality. If there's one issue to be raised in respect of the new Jeep's packaging, it's this: how will it compete against medium/luxury SUVs without a third-row seat option or capacity for seven?

What we can definitely vouch for is that the Grand Cherokee's active safety meets the same general level as many of its competitors in the luxury SUV segment, probably also bettering most of its competitors in the medium SUV segment. To put that in perspective, it's just not like the heavyweight, converted trucks of the past. This one is nimble and will get you out of a spot of bother.

The Grand Cherokee offers faster response, better feedback and enhanced body control that many of the more offroad-focused medium SUVs just can't. It effectively brings luxury SUV-style on-road dynamics (BMW X5 comes to mind) to the medium SUV segment -- and the one softroader in the budget segment that we wouldn't expect to be embarrassed by the Jeep would be Ford's Territory. Even in the Ford's case however, the Jeep raises the stakes with useful SUV-appropriate features like Electronic Roll Mitigation and Trailer Sway Control.

In addition to those items, safety equipment fitted as standard to all Grand Cherokee variants includes: rain-sensing wipers, front airbags, side-impact front airbags, side curtain airbags with integrated roll-detection, knee airbag for driver, electronic stability control, Brake Assist, traction control, Rain Brake Support, Ready Alert Braking, Electronic Brake Distribution and tyre pressure monitoring. A rear camera is standard on all models.

Front and rear ultrasonic parking sensors with acoustic guidance are fitted as standard to the Grand Cherokee Limited but not the Laredo, and the Grand Cherokee Overland adds other safety features, some of which are not available from launch. Buyers are advised to check when ordering a Grand Cherokee Overland that it comes with Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring/Rear Cross-Path Detection and Forward Collision Warning.
 

Chrysler claims that the Grand Cherokee, measured against a BMW X5 or M-Class Mercedes of equivalent specification, could be as much as $20,000 to $30,000 better value.

In the Laredo level of trim, it's only a matter of hundreds of dollars more expensive than AWD variants of the Ford Territory TX or the Toyota Kluger KX-R. That price premium buys an awful lot of offroad competence, it must be said -- as long as you only need to transport five people off the beaten track, not seven.

To get more offroad ability in this segment, you have to look at the Mitsubishi Pajero or the Toyota Prado -- and they'll add something like $15,000 to the price of the Laredo and $5000 to the price of the Grand Cherokee Limited for the petrol V6 variants. Other cars in this segment that might be under threat from the Grand Cherokee include the Nissan Murano and the Subaru Tribeca.

On the luxury side of the fence, the Grand Cherokee faces off against the BMW X5, the Land Rover Discovery 4, Mercedes M-Class and the Volkswagen Touareg.

On top of its combination of ride comfort, grip and agility it is far more capable off the road than either the Ford or the Toyota could ever be. For a start there's more ground clearance, with the additional ride height afforded by the Selec-Train system slightly better than the amenity of an aftermarket two-inch lift kit in any other offroader.

On faster dirt tracks the Grand Cherokee could be set up to oversteer with judicious use of the brake pedal, but the airbag-suspended IRS was very well tuned and the Grand Cherokee wouldn't step out on a trailing throttle, yet it felt nimble and responsive on bitumen.

At slower speeds over deep washaways and moguls, the Jeep rode very well and didn't scrape the undersides with the ride height set to 'Rock' -- the last 33mm of extension for the adjustable suspension.

The V6 (Pentastar) engine, with its double variable valve timing system, is peaky by comparison with the HEMI V8, but provides good mid-range performance. In contrast with the last Chrysler V6 sampled by this reviewer (in a Grand Voyager), the Pentastar engine feels considerably more muscular and it's more refined and pleasant to the ear.

If you could live without the HEMI's V8 torque, the Pentastar is the better alternative. It spins up rapidly and will rev easily to redline without feeling fussed. The V8 is slower to build its revs, but is undeniably stronger -- especially at lower revs.

If there's a weak link in the drivetrain it's the five-speed automatic transmission. While it was a smooth-shifting unit, it was also bereft of ratios -- something particularly noticeable when it was bolted up to the V6. Like Toyota's Kluger tested two months ago, the V6-engined Grand Cherokee would kick down when the engine ran out of 'low-hanging' torque. At other times the box and the engine would struggle slightly, holding a gear too high on a hill for reasons of fuel saving.

Resort to sequential shifting however, and the combination of V6 and auto tranny were finally singing from the same hymn sheet. Chrysler uses the Benz system of knocking the lever laterally for sequential shifts (left for downchanges and right for the upshifts).

Wind-generated noise was present in the cabin when the vehicle was at speed and the Kumho tyres could be heard on coarse-chip bitumen, but were well behaved on smoother surfaces. The drivetrain was inaudible until such time as the driver gave it some stick.

The sweeter engine in the Grand Cherokee seems to match the Kluger's for performance -- being slightly ahead for both power and torque -- but lacks the sensation of torque in the Territory. The Ford offers effortless performance from low revs and up through rev range, making it ideal for towing. That's not to say that the Grand Cherokee wouldn't make an excellent tow vehicle also, although any assessment of that will have to wait for the blokes at caravancampingsales.com.au to take the Jeep away for a week.

When they do, they may find that the Grand Cherokee doesn't offer up enough engine braking for towing caravans and boat trailers. The defeat of compression at the hands of mass is noticeable on long hills at touring speeds, but the Grand Cherokee is no worse in this regard than other SUVs with epicyclic autos -- like the Kluger for instance.

At least in offroad conditions the Grand Cherokee can fall back on its standard HDC (Hill Descent Control), which takes much of the stress out of negotiating grades. Using the sequential shift facility to hold it in first gear limits the vehicle's downhill speed to 4km/h, while second gear is limited to 6km/h and third 9km/h. We tested the system out at a sandy offroad course at Blue Lake in Tasmania and found it to be quite capable. The Grand Cherokee does seem to lift wheels more so than older vehicles fitted with at least one live axle, but there's an argument that hardcore offroaders would have something like a Wrangler for their mud-plugging fun in the bush, rather than a luxury SUV.

If that sounds like damnation with faint praise, the Jeep appears to be as competent offroad as the Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Prado, if not more so. Certainly the Grand Cherokee managed to negotiate ruts and washaways that would have exceeded the ground clearance and approach/departure/breakover angles of other SUVs, without so much as the merest hint of grinding from the underside of the Jeep. That makes it a better bet in the rough than most medium SUVs --and probably too all but the heaviest of luxury SUVs.

For the money -- and the qualification that the cars driven in Tasmania were all underpinned by the Quadra-Lift air suspension option -- it's hard to think of an SUV that is as competent all-round as the Grand Cherokee.

It's not just the vehicle's on-road manners and better than average offroad ability, it's the whole box and dice. The interior's so far ahead of the usual ergonomic jigsaw puzzles you get in some SUVs and the engines (particularly the Pentastar V6) bring the big Jeep up to the same general level of performance and efficiency as we've come to expect from luxury SUVs marketed by European prestige companies.

To think that you can buy all this for not much more than the cost of a Kluger certainly raises the eyebrows.

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