2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee goes on show
April 10, 2009 by David Twomey
There was an unscheduled sneak preview of the all-new, range-topping, Jeep Grand Cherokee in documents presented by Chrysler LLC to the US Congress earlier this year, but now the vehicle has been revealed at the New York Motor Show.
Built on a brand-new Mercedes-Benz ML-based monococque chassis and developed before the split between Chrysler and Daimler-Benz 19 months ago the Grand Cherokee promises some class leading innovations.
Chrysler says the Grand Cherokee brings greater design, quality and refinement over the current Grand Cherokee, released in Australia four years ago in 2005, and delivers premium on-road performance while maintaining the brand legendary off-road skills.
Chrysler says the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee delivers premium on-road performance while maintaining the Jeep brand’s legendary four-wheel-drive, torque-on-demand two-speed transfer case and towing capability. It also offers improved fuel economy (up to 11 percent) and a world-class interior cabin.
“We listened carefully to our customers and the market,” said Scott Kunselman, Vice President – Jeep/Truck Product Team, Chrysler LLC. “Our all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee hits the sweet spot of premium on-road performance and legendary class-leading Jeep capability.”
The all-new Quadra-Lift air suspension system delivers legendary Jeep off-road capability along with the new Selec-Terrain system that allows the driver to choose the drive system that best matches on- or off-road driving conditions. New front and rear independent suspension systems deliver premium on-road handling and comfort.
The all-new 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee is built on a proven rear-wheel-drive unibody platform sharing the same underpinnings as the Mercedes-Benz ML.
“Jeep invented the SUV segment and our all-new Grand Cherokee is the next step in the evolution of the SUV,” said Mike Accavitti, Director – Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge Brands.
“Jeep innovations including Quadra-Lift air suspension and Selec-Terrain traction control separate us from the crowd.”
Chrysler says the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee offers the new Quadra-Lift air suspension system. The Quadra-Lift system features five height settings for optimum ride performance, changing the ride height from 205.7mm to a maximum of 281.9mm.
In addition the all-new Selec-Terrain™ traction control system lets customers choose the off-road setting for the optimum experience on all terrains.
This feature electronically coordinates up to 12 different powertrain, braking and suspension systems, including throttle control, transmission shift, transfer case, Traction Control and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
In North America the new Grand Cherokee will be available with a 3.6-litre V6 or the legendary 5.7-;litre Hemi V8 petrol engines.
However Chrysler says that for international markets, and we assume that includes Australia, the Jeep Grand Cherokee will be available in left- or right-hand drive with either diesel or petrol powertrains.
Chrysler seems especially proud of the redesign work on the interior, which from the photographs looks an marked improvement and says; “the all-new interior is elevated to that of its European competition and features rich materials and elegant appointments, as well as more room for both passengers and cargo.”
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Whoo hoo- way to bring the Jeep back into the spotlight!
Looks good & sounds like it has some interesting off-road tech. I hope someone buys Jeep and keeps it going if Chrysler goes to the wall.
Looks nice :)always liked Cherokee’s for some reason, I hope they get to make it.
Looks clean and very nice.
Actually better than ML….
Looks like an X5 mostly from the back and part ofhte side profile
“Class leading innovations”, does this mean air suspension and “Selec-Terrain”? These are features the D3 has had since 2005.
Looks pretty good I think, a nice alternative to the Landcruiser 200 and Discovery 3.
Yeah, looks good. The only thing I’m not sure about is the wheel arches. They seem slightly too squared off for the rest of the car.
The interior looks much better, like it wouldn’t put you off buying the car anymore but it still leaves something to be desired. It doesn’t look nearly as good as the X5’s or Q7’s and despite it being much cheaper, those are the cars that it’s going after.
The one thing that would stop me from buying one is the Discovery 4. It looks better inside and out, has better engines, is better quality (you can tell from the pictures) and will make you look a bit better. American is not a good look.
What an improvement, someone told them they could put a few curves on the design. The interior of the current version was pretty awfull, this is a great improvement which will sell much better in Euroland.
Mmmm – the Touareg has had air suspension and a Euro interior for years, V10, V8, V6, I5 engines both petrol and diesel, and dual range transfer case for years….as have others like LR, RR, etc. Isuzu used TOD transfer cases 11 years ago…..
Jeep catches up after many years and claims to be class leading- duh.
Well, it looks like a great improvement, but what diesel are they going to put in it for AU – can they still use the magic Merc V6 diesel of the previous models?
looks good, didn’t bother reading it though.
Not bad at all i think. Sure, there are other brands that have had some of this technology for some time, but Jeep has been so capable offroad, there simply hasnt been a need to adopt it until the market demanded it. 5 years of the old GC design was maybe 1 year to much, but this new update to the brand is welcome, and on the money, especially with the interior. Hopefully we get the diesel in Australia, the petrol Hemi is awesome, but not the most versatile. Diesel torque and economy is needed for towing a boat or trailer for long haul trips, and Australia has plenty of those.
Muppets (Andrew & Reckless1), the Jeep Grand cherokee had superior (to D3 and LC200) drive/axle system with 3 e-diffs in the previous version, who knows what this version will have!!
Not so long ago I used to work for a Jeep dealer. Every Monday the bets would be on as to how many of these things and Wranglers would turn up on the back of tilt trays. It was always the source of much amusement for us – but sadly not for the owners.
Give me a Grand Wagoneer anyday.
Chrysler Jeep will go bankrupt in the US before these things get built!
It looks lovely! It is beautifully comteporary, and its sleek while still looking rugged. I think this will sell very well. And look at that interior! Wow! Nice one Jeep.
Yuck!
The inside looks awfull.
At least it looks more “elegant” or “classy” not dead pig-ugly like the new Commander,Patriots etc. In that way American is definitely not a good look. But will it be capable over anything other than gravel tracks ? It does actually look like its half BMW …..