Date Published: 8th July 2011
The 4x4 market is constantly welcoming new soft roaders and crossovers to its ranks, and a lot of them are very good. Some can even impress you off-road. But the Jeep Grand Cherokee is more than that. It’s an A-lister of the highest order. Delayed by the change in Jeep’s ownership that now sees it in the hands of Fiat, the new model was a long time coming. But it’s here at last.
As Jeep fights its way back into the market, the Grand is crucial to the brand in reasserting the credibility it once had. Even by the time the recession hit and both demand and supply dried up, a succession of sub-standard soft-roaders not fit to wear the Jeep badge had taken their toll on the company’s image in the UK. The Grand has work to do if it’s to put that right, not just for its own sake but for that of all the models that bask in its reflected glory.
From what we’ve seen so far of the revised Compass, Jeep’s doing a good job of sorting out the dodgy old third-raters in its line up. The Grand was never third-rate, though, and to compete with the likes of the Discovery this new one has to be first-rate.
From the outside, its tighter styling makes it look smaller than it really is, which can’t be bad. From the back in particular, it looks much more modern and stylish than the old Grand. There are two models, Limited and Overland; the latter has bigger alloys and a large sunroof, but aside from that you’d do well to tell them apart.
Next - Inside Jump: 1. General 2. Inside 3. To Drive 4. In Conclusion
