Jeep Grand Cherokee

New 2,7-litre common-rail diesel and high-output 4,7-litre V8 petrol engines have been added to the Jeep Grand Cherokee range.The Jeep and Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler SA intends to sell around 7

000 units this year and the introduction of 2,7-litre common-rail diesel and high-output

4,7-litre V8 petrol engines to the Jeep Grand Cherokee range could play a big

role in its success.

Introduced to the media at the Londolozi Game Reserve in Mpumalanga recently,

the launch of the two new engine derivatives coincides with a change in positioning

for the Jeep brand within the DaimlerChrysler SA network.

“As far as DaimlerChrysler is concerned, Jeep is strong enough to be marketed

separately,” Trent Barcroft, Divisional Manager of Chrysler and Jeep South

Africa told CARtoday.com.

“The South African market is recognising that the brand offers value for

money compared to products offered by German and British competitors,”

The new powerplants, which will do duty in the Grand Cherokee Laredo CRD and Limited

and top-of-the-range Overland models, were introduced to better satisfy “the

requirement for leading diesel engine technology and sustained high speed performance”,

Jeep marketing manager Guy Franken said.

The 2,7-litre common rail turbodiesel engine, which is derived from Mercedes Benz’s

OM612 unit, is notably quieter and more powerful that the 2,7 Tdi it replaces.

The new engine is claimed to produce 120 kW and 400 N.m of torque, which is an

improvement of 17 kW and 16 N.m over its predecessor. Furthermore, the engine

is reportedly 16 per cent more fuel efficient that its predecessor and Jeep claims

a 9,7 litres per 100 km on the combined cycle.

Jeep quotes a top speed of 182 km/h for the CRD models and a zero to 100 km/h

time of 11,2 seconds – which is more that two seconds faster than the previous

diesel Grand Cherokee models. In addition, Jeep executives say that the improvements

in the quality of diesel (such as Sasol’s Turbodiesel) and the refinement

of modern “oil-burner” engines, have made models such as the CRD derivates

highly desirable.

The result is that the CRD models do not appeal only to motorists who are specifically

in the market for a diesel-engined vehicle in the first place. The diesel-engined

Grand Cherokees not only offer better fuel consumption than some V8-engined petrol

models on the market, but are also some of the more affordable options in the

luxury SUV bracket.

A high output version of the 4,7-litre V8 has been fitted to the range-topping

Overland. Producing 190 kW – 16 per cent more power than the standard unit – and

425 N.m of torque – an eight per cent increase, the engine propels the Overland

to a top speed of 200 km/h – and a zero to 100 km/h time of 8,45 seconds, which

compares well with the BMW 4,4-litre X5’s time of 8,49 seconds.

To produce the extra power and torque, Jeep engineers added symmetric pop-up-style

pistons to the standard powerplant, and raised the compression ratio. The cylinder

heads, connecting rods, crankshaft and intake manifold have also beenfine-tuned.

A full test of the Grand Cherokee Overland 4,7-litre HO appears in the March issue

of CAR magazine.