With a year-end tally of near a thousand units, one of the sales heroes of 2011 was undoubtedly Jeep’s all-new Grand Cherokee. But 2012 promises to be even better. You see, without a turbodiesel model to offer Jeep has essentially been competing with one hand tied behind its back – according to Jeep, turbodiesels account for more than 60 per cent of sales in this segment! The new 3,0 CRD model, therefore, is a crucial local offering.
The newcomer is powered by a 3,0-litre, direct-injection V6 turbodiesel engine that is built by VM Motori and was co-developed with Fiat – now Chrysler’s parent company. It delivers impressive figures – 177 kW at 4 000 r/min and a whopping 550 N.m of torque from 1 800 to 2 800 r/min. Importantly for the local market, it can run on our 500 ppm diesel. Jeep claims a combined cycle fuel economy figure of 8,3 litres/100 km. Seeing as the fuel tank is massive (93,12 litres), you should be able to do over 1 100 km between fill-ups.
As you may have read in my driving impression of the new Wrangler 3,6 V6, Jeep took us to the Kruger National Park to sample the newcomers. The conditions in the park and the surrounding roads in Mpumalanga were atrocious, with lots of standing water, frequent potholes and mud… just the type of conditions that most SUVs are built to lap up. And this the Grand Cherokee did impressively. Compared with the previous-generation model, the new Grand Cherokee is a massive improvement in all areas. There’s a far more solid, coherent feel to the vehicle – Jeep says it has torsional rigidity that has been improved by 146 per cent, for example. Big strides have been made in terms of interior quality and design, too. Plus, it has a huge cabin with what I suspect is class-leading rear legroom.
In terms of standard specification you’ll struggle to find anything to match this model at the price (R649 990). Stand-out luxury features include a leather-wrapped facia, heated and ventilated front seats (rear heated), heated steering wheel, keyless go, active cruise control, a powered tailgate, dual-pane panoramic sunroof, rear-view park assist and navigation, amongst many others. You also get bi-xenon headlamps with Smartbeam technology (active high-beam) and 20-inch wheels as standard. Should you be a regular bundu-basher, Jeep offers more off-road oriented 18-inch wheels as an option.
The Grand Cherokee is undoubtedly one of the most serious off-roaders in its segment. It comes standard with the Selec-Terrain traction control system that coordinates twelve different powertrain, braking and suspension systems to maximise grip, whatever the surface. Drivers can choose from sand/mud, sport, auto, snow and rock settings. Also part of the package are Quadra-Trac II with a 2-speed transfer case that can send 100 per cent of torque to the axle with the most traction, and Quadra-Drive II with a rear electronic limited slip differential. Quadra-Lift air-suspension is also part of the standard package, allowing the Grand Cherokee’s ground clearance to be raised to 270 mm for extreme off-road conditions. So yes, the Grand Cherokee can go places where most luxury and more road-biased large SUVs would fear to tread.
On-road, however, there is still a small penalty to pay for this off-road prowess, though the balance is now more than acceptable. The ride is fairly stiff, so on poor road surfaces, and especially at lower speeds, it can be a bit bumpy – I think the 20-inch wheels and air-suspension are the culprits. And the steering remains somewhat vague compared with rivals. That said, most owners wouldn’t care seeing as the Grand Cherokee is so much better off-road than its competitors.
The new engine certainly has impressive grunt and is refined, too. There’s a bit of lag, however, but it’s not the engine that’s to blame, rather the somewhat slow-to-react five-speed automatic transmission. However, there is a manual shift option by tapping the lever sideways, so if you’re really in a hurry, it is possible to access the necessary overtaking power quickly.
At the price you will struggle to match the value on offer here. There are a few prestigious brands within the price range, but they’re neither as well-specified as the Jeep, nor as good off-road. I think Chrysler has every reason to look forward to a massive sales jump this year.
Specifications
Model: Jeep Grand Cherokee 3,0 CRD Overland
Engine: 3,0-litre V6, turbodiesel
Power: 177 kW at 4 000 r/min
Torque: 550 N.m at 1 800-2 800 r/min
0-100 km/h: 8,2 seconds
Fuel consumption: 8,3 L/100 km
CO2: 218 g/km
Top speed: 202 km/h
Price: R649 990
Maintenance plan: 3 year/100 000 km
Service intervals: n/a
