- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.0DT, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
184kW, 570Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 7.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
American beauty
Pigeonhole: The 4WD equivalent of the sports car.
Philosophy: As American as the Oscars, Levi's and Coke.
Who's buying it: Well-heeled urbanites. Interest rose after recent 4WD of the Year award from an off-road magazine.
Why you'd buy it: Stonking performance, more agile than big Japanese off-roaders, well-equipped, better built than any previous Jeep and well suited to city use. Very capable off-road.
Why you wouldn't: It's a gas guzzler, has no third row seating option and a stiff, jiggly ride that's tiresome on our indifferent road surfaces.
Standard equipment: Climate control air conditioning for both driver and passenger, power windows and mirrors, leather seat facings, power steering, CD stacker, five alloy wheels, fog lights, cargo cover, cruise control.
Safety: Dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, but no pre-tensioners on the seat belts and no centre rear lap/sash for toting children's car seats. Independent US crash tests give the Grand Cherokee only a marginal rating.
Cabin: Narrower than XXL Toyotas and Nissans, but by no means skimpy. Contemporary design, reasonable storage with door pockets, glove box and centre console plus inevitable twin cup holders. Map pockets for rear passengers. Cargo area is medium/large with standard roller blind. Rear quarter windows are fixed.
Seating: Electric seats in the front whirr into place, can be programmed to your favourite position and gently toast with embedded heating. Middle-of-the-road comfort, but good adjustment. Steering wheel tilts, but does not telescope. Rear pew is designed for two with occasional third body use.
Engine: What America does best. This smooth, slingshot 4.7 litre V8 is very nippy in traffic and happily spins at higher revs than most Detroit engines. Power is 162kW at 4,700 revs with maximum pulling force of 390Nm at 3,200 revs. Begs to be driven, but drinks tankerloads of fuel.
Transmission: Four-speed automatic with full time four-wheel-drive. High and low range with variable torque split to front and rear wheels. Optional Quadra-drive ($1,100) is marketing speak for locking differentials.
Steering: Test car developed a slightly binding column. Otherwise the power-boosted recirculating ball system was adequate on road and off. Modest 11.1m turning circle is welcome. Relatively fast steering ratio means it's a relatively easy parker.
Ride: Busy. As too much lateral load reaches the cockpit, the cabin never stops moving. Occupants shimmy from side to side. This is the trade-off for flat handling, but it's not relaxing.
Handling: See above. There's none of the roly-poly habits of most off-roaders. The Grand Cherokee is an agile, predictable handler. Very capable off the road, too.
Fuel: Better hope OPEC continues to relent. In the city a tankful lasts little more than 300km. That's more than 20 litres/100km.
Brakes: Anti-lock equipped four wheel discs.
Build: Things have improved with this model, but Jeep was working from a low base. Not yet to Japanese standards, but pretty good.
Warranty: Three years/60,000km is 40,000km short of industry standard.
Anti-theft: Remote central locking (but the activation range is frustratingly short) plus an engine immobiliser.
Audio system: Hidden finger switches on the reverse side of the steering wheel are nifty. Sound quality is OK, but AM reception is not robust enough for city canyons.
Cost: The retail price is $66,800. Quadra-drive ($1,100) is fitted to nearly all V8s which may be a negotiating point with dealers. Award win will add some lustre to the badge so dealers will be playing hard ball.
Verdict: An American beauty with a dark side at the petrol pump, the Grand Cherokee offers blazing performance, passenger car levels of noise suppression, running smoothness and refinement. Light and easy to drive, it is capable in rough terrain but the ride is too lively on our pitted urban road system. Value for money is solid, but safety levels are no better than marginal, according to US NCAP tests. Best used as a four-seater.