Jeep rolls out run-out Grand Cherokee

Jeep has left the best to last. With a new Benz-based Grand Cherokee less than a year away from its Aussie debut, the importer has introduced a limited edition model, the Grand Cherokee Overland.

Packing extra bells and whistles to the tune of $10,000, the new model also retains the current Grand Cherokee's serious off-road capabilities and its thumping, high-tech 5.7-litre petrol V8. Just 50 units will be offered for sale and, pegged at the same price as the turbodiesel CRD Limited model -- $68,990 -- the Overland occupies the middle ground of the current model range.

Standard gear in the Overland includes satellite navigation, leather seats (powered up front, heated front and rear) accented by real Walnut Burlwood trim, sunroof, dual-zone air-conditioning, reversing camera, Bluetooth connectivity, front and rear parking sensors, auto-levelling Xenon headlights with washers, 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails and a heavy-duty 276-Watt sound system with six Boston Acoustics speakers.

It remains a proper Jeep too, with the Quadra-Drive II system running electronic limited-slip differentials front and rear, as well as a transfer case incorporating a centre differential, plus a clutch pack that enables it to vary front-rear power shift over an infinite range of possibilities.

The net result is that the Jeep can operate anywhere between fully open differential mode and full-lock across all three differentials. It will take an awful lot to stop a Quadra-Drive II Grand Cherokee driven with intent.

And variable valve timing plays a part in the vehicle's near unstoppable performance, with the V8 achieving power and torque outputs of 259kW and 520Nm, while economy (and emissions) are helped along by the MDS Multi-displacement system that shifts between eight and four-cylinder operation, depending on requirements.

The Grand Cherokee Overland is the last hurrah for the current WK-platform model, ahead of an altogether new model due here early next year. Mercedes-Benz's M-Class will provide the platform for the next generation Grand Cherokee, which is due to be launched in the US in May this year.

Initially, the next-gen Grand Cherokee will enter the market with a thrifty new Chrysler-designed direct-injection V6 petrol engine supplementing the existing 5.7-litre V8. To be built at the company's engine plant in Trenton, Michigan, the 3.6-litre engine is claimed to produce 209kW/353Nm. A diesel powerplant for the new Grand Cherokee will follow later and a local launch for the new SUV is on the agenda for January 2011.

The company says the new engine is ready for new efficiency-enhancing technology too, including Fiat's MultiAir system and turbocharging, although no firm dates are available for those, as yet.

2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee manufacturer's list prices, not including delivery and government charges:

Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD Laredo $59,990
Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD Limited $68,990            
Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7L Hemi Overland $68,990
Jeep Grand Cherokee 6.1L Hemi SRT-8 $91,990

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