Jeep Grand Cherokee Review - Exploring The Legend

After a long wait, finally Jeep has set foot into India. Fiat Chrysler India had announced the entry of the Jeep brand in India at the Auto Expo 2016 and the official launch is just around the corner. We get our hands on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Summit variant and experience what this aspirational and legendary SUV is all about.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of those SUVs which still retains the brawny look. While a few in its segment have gone the suave way, the Grand Cherokee is the traditional SUV, however with contemporary and stylish touches. The front portion has the Jeep signature seven-slat grille. The sleek headlamps have bi-xenon lamps and also LED DRLs that surround the lamps, giving it a mean look. The Jeep Grand Cherokee looks gigantic from the side as well and has an aggressive stance. The wheel arches are square and the high set window line has a chrome surround. The rear is simplistic yet looks classy, with split taillamps and not too much drama. The 20-inch alloy wheels are impressive too. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is imposing. It stands out on the road due to its tall and muscular stance and the stylish LEDs grab attention instantly.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has contemporary interiors with all the gizmos one can ask for. The interior layout is pleasing and compliments its exterior. It is well finished and classy, however, falls a little short in premium appeal in comparison to some of its German competition. The chunky three spoke leather and wood steering wheel is good to hold and has a lots of controls on it. This can get confusing at first, but then one gets used to them quickly. The steering wheel has controls for the multi information display, bluetooth telephony, audio and cruise control. In a unique fashion, the controls for volume and mode are located behind the wheel, below the paddle shifters. The centre of the dashboard houses a 8.4-inch touchscreen system which has UConnect, comprising of voice recognition, navigation, climate control etc.

The front seats have an eight-way electric adjustment and the steering also has electric adjustments for rake and reach and these have two memory settings. There is a single stalk that has controls for headlights, turn indicators and wipers. One thing that we found quite a sore was the placement of the parking brake lever in the foot well. It interferes with your left foot and can be quite an irritant. Seems to be a result of lack of practical thinking.

There are only two rows of seating and it is a five seater. The boot though is humungous at 1544 litres, which can take most of your household items as well. The front seats have a LCD screen on the back for the rear passengers. These screens cn be connected with your own personal device, however it still offers input sources like AV and RGB, which hardly anyone uses these days.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine that makes 240bhp of massive power and a whopping 570Nm of torque. This engine is developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) and Fiat-owned company, VM Motori. It uses Fiats Multijet-2 technology that offers better performance, fuel efficiency and also improved NVH levels. This comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission by ZF. The engine fires up pretty smooth once you depress the push button start. The Grand Cherokee is quick and can reach triple digits in under 9 seconds, despite weighing 2.4 tonnes, which is commendable. The gearbox aides the power delivery, uninterrupted. Mid-range performance is the best and the engine feels punchy.

The ride on the Jeep Grand Cherokee is excellent and it handles bad roads in a way which very few vehicles do. Even large potholes are dealt with comfortable ease, without passing jerks inside. The cabin is very silent and the seats provide the desired comfort too. The handling of the vehicle is also quite good given the size and weight, keeping body roll to a minimum. Sharp bends are easily taken into its stride as well, without getting unsettled.

The Grand Cherokee is loaded with electronic assistance features like Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Trailer Sway Control (TSC) and Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM) which help maintain stability under various circumstances and load conditions. The 4X4 system of this SUV has Quadra-Trac II which offers grip control at all speeds. On slippery terrain, the two-speed low transfer case continuously searches the wheel with the maximum grip and provides power to it, to avoid skidding. The Grand Cherokee also has Trail ready capability with five selection modes for snow, sand, mud, rock and auto. The selector for this is a dial on the floor console. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was surprisingly quite easy to maneuver in the city. The turning radius is good and the steering remains pretty light at parking speeds.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee returned 6.5 km/l city driving conditions and around 11 km/l on the highway. Driving with a light foot can increase the economy to around 13 km/l. These figures are quite good considering the size and weight of this SUV. With the huge fuel tank, the Grand Cherokee has a fuel range of over 1000 kms.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is expected to be priced between INR 65 lakhs and INR 80 lakhs (on-road), with three variants.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is more about celebrating the legacy of the Jeep brand. It sets itself apart with its brawny and macho looks that will help make an individual style statement. It has an award-winning engine and also has great off-road capabilities, which only few SUVs can match. If these things are of importance to you, then there is no mistake in buying this SUV.

Source : MotorOctane