2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee set for US production, Australian launch in January

By Tim Beissmann | May 20th, 2010

The Chrysler Group has teased us with the last pictures of the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee ahead of its official production launch in Detroit on Friday.

Initially unveiled at the 2009 New York Auto Show in April, the first Grand Cherokees will roll out of the Jefferson North Assembly Plant before hitting US showrooms in June.

The new full-size SUV promises to be a more refined, premium product yet still highly capable off-road.

With the option of the new 209kW/353Nm 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine, Jeep claims fuel economy of the 2011 model has improved 11 percent, delivering 10.2 litres/100km and a range of more than 800km on a tank.

Other highlights include a choice of three four-wheel drive systems, new air suspension that can elevate the car more than 28cm and the Selec-Terrain system with five settings for adventure enthusiasts: Auto, Rock, Sand/Mud, Snow and Sport.

Pricing in the US is down over the outgoing model, with the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4×2 starting at $US30,995 (down $US495).

Chrysler Group Australia’s Jerry Stamoulis told CarAdvice the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee is on track for a local launch in January 2011 and confirmed the Pentastar V6 will be a part of the initial line-up.

He said he expected the Grand Cherokee range to remain similar to brand’s current offering, which includes the diesel Laredo, diesel Limited, 5.7 Overland and the SRT8, and pricing to be competitive.

“We will definitely keep it competitive and once we’ve finalised specifications and pricing we’ll have a better idea. But at this stage we’re confident it will be competitive,” Mr Stamoulis said.

Jeep sold 102 Grand Cherokees in the first four months of 2010 across Australia, down around 24 percent year-to-date, giving it a 1.4 percent share of the Luxury SUV segment which is dominated by the BMW X5, Audi Q5 and Lexus RX.

ABMPSV

I do not like 4wd but this looks much better than previous Jeeps. Back reminds me a little bit of BMW X5. Engine not bad fuel economy is nearly the same as Ford Territory.

Aleks

Same a territory, I don’t think so. They can say what they want about it, but good luck averaging better then 12L in a territory.

ben

haha true our Territory does 15.3L/100!!! its crazy

Jeremy

Live axles or independant suspension?
Real 4wd or wannabe poseur-mobile?

http://www.caradvice.com Macs for me

I have a WG Grand Cherokee which has live front axles, however I believe this new model has independent front suspension, just like the current Prado, Landcruiser 200 & the yet to be released Nissan Patrol.

You can still raise an independent front by 2″, even more if you’re prepared to spend the $’s to do it. However, if you’re after serious lift & flex, you dont pick any of the above.

Jeep are chasing a market which doesnt include really serious lift kits & is aimed at the Prado’s Pathfinders & cruiser of the world. It is a good looking vehicle, regardless however Jeeps have always had one of the best 4wd systems available & I doubt that will change with this new one.

Fenno

Looks like a squeared off Touareg mated with a Honda MDX
Economy sounds okay for the size of the car.
Handsome_Al

They should fix the problem with reliability and logistic issues first before anyone could trust Chrysler again..

Hung Lower

The former European built models did not have the same issues with reliability or build quality.
I reckon this looks the goods and if priced under the competition it should sell well.

Valet Dabess

that looks niiiiice
sammo

Dare I say it, but this is one classy looking Jeep!

Mind you, let’s wait and see what it looks and feels like in the flesh before we draw any conclusions – because cars ALWAYS look better in official photos than they do in real life.

Baddass

I’ve got a feeling this ruggedly-handsome Jeep will look mighty fine in the flesh. IMO it’s the best looking Jeep yet.

Able

This is the first Jeep ever where I fully agree with the design, it looks fantastic! The interior wood is abit yucky however…

nick

No worse than any Toyota or Mitsubishi. But yes I do wonder why they bother with wood in cars if they’re going to make it look that bad.

Shak

Jeep have cleaned up their act. Nice car and the economy isnt half bad.
Reckless1

This thing will compete against the likes of Prado and Pajero – ie, proper 4WD with low range.

As such, it will blow away those other two ugly creations. The Jeep looks bloody good both externally and internally (save for the poxy steering wheel), and with the air suspension option provides an excellent lift option for rock crawling.

The biggest hurdle to overcome is it’s tendency to be a maintenance nightmare.
Baji

I agree with all the previous comments – this is a great looking Jeep. Much better design than any of the Japanese 4wd’s.
Dan

Price is going to be the main issue for me. If Jeep Australia can’t sell a US$35k car at a competitive price, then Jeep will never gain a significant foothold here. With the Aussie dollar around 85 cents US, it should not be hard to keep the car in the low-mid $50k range.
http://www.iandmindustries.com.au/ Ductmate

Hi all, I am still curious about the product launch in Australia. To me its a really good SUV with much more improved features. Waiting for Australian launch.
Steve

With the AUS$ now reaching parity with the US$ it will be interesting to see if dealers here try to squeeze us for the max profit. It seems although our dollar is very strong, everything we buy that is imported remains at similar prices regardless. Ipod is a good example.