Jeep Grand Cherokee

Summary

Jeep is an iconic brand in most places around the world, including in India, and not just because Mahindra used to assemble WW2 Jeeps. The go-anywhere ability of the Jeep brand has been retained over the decades, and an element of luxury has been added especially to their big models like the Grand Cherokee.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee competes with the Land Cruiser Prado and the Mercedes GLE Coupe at the entry level and the SRT competes with Porsche Cayenne and the Range Rover Sport.

Further to this, read Jeep Grand Cherokee Road Test details by our expert.

Exterior

The Grand Cherokee that has come to India is the 2016 MY vehicle. This means the new face multi-slat grille with the thin LED headlights and indicators. There are conventional fog lamps and a bash plate assembly garnished in chrome. The butch looks of the previous Cherokee have been retained. This is enhanced by the square wheel arches, roof rails and big wheels. Moving to the rear, we can see wrap around LED tail lamps, chrome garnish and a roof mounted spoiler. There is also an SRT model which gets a sporty body kit, different headlamps and obviously the legendary SRT badging.

Interior
 

The 'Grand' in the name offers a hint of luxury all on its own, but it also denotes the fact that this Cherokee is the larger of two siblings, but there still is no capacity for three rows of seating. However, in markets around the world, it goes toe to toe with two-row SUVs like the BMW X3 and the Audi Q5, with a notable three-row mention being the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Standard features are expected to include climate control, touchscreen infotainment system, electric seat adjustment for front seats, leather seats, auto dimming mirrors, AC for the second row. It is expected to also be the vehicle that will debut the automaker’s latest infotainment system as well as connectivity technology. The SRT model gets brown leather seats with SRT stitching and badging, black and grey dashboard.

The safety is taken care off by the rugged build, a cocoon of airbags and a comprehensive electronic stability program.

Engine & Performance

The Grand Cherokee seems to be a good fit for the Indian market: the current generation boasts a 3.0-litre V6 diesel that generates 237bhp and 549Nm and feeds power to all four wheels. The only other engine option is a 470bhp, 6.4-litre petrol V8; it is extremely unlikely that anyone in India will want one of those. The suspension is tuned for comfort rather than handling, just like the steering - and that will be perfect for Indian roads. It helps that it has electronic control over the suspension, differentials and stability control that is programmed for a one-touch suitability to different surfaces like Land Rover's Terrain Response System.