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First Drive: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Consider the pressure. Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne calls the... 2011 Jeep
Grand Cherokee, Chrysler's first all-new model since Daimler ownership,
its most important launch this year. More important than the Fiat 500
-- which goes on sale in North America this fall -- displayed alongside
it at the April 2009 New York Auto Show.
The
hard-core Jeepinisti who consider upside-down "If you can read this,
turn me over" window decals basic equipment haven't forgiven Daimler for
the Jeep Compass and Patriot, and they're bound to be apprehensive of a
new Grand Cherokee built on Mercedes' M-Class platform. Grand Cherokee
remains a two-row, five-passenger SUV, while the '12 Dodge Durango on
the same platform takes the Commander's place in Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram
dealerships as a three-row unibody SUV.
Grand
Cherokee gives up its live rear axle for four-wheel independent air
suspension. It gains 2.6 inches in width, raising the question of
whether it can still handle the narrowest paths of the Rubicon Trail.
While
we can't vouch for the Rubicon, Chrysler took us to Moab, Utah, where
"sport" in this sport/utility is the way it traverses thin paths of
slippery rock and deep sand at speeds perhaps as high as 12 mph. Our
Hemi-powered Overland with Uconnect Internet access and panoramic
sunroof did everything doorless Wranglers could do, and most everything
Gary Fishers could do on this offroad paradise. With the air suspension
raised 2.6 inches, the Grand Cherokee's moderately high and wide stance
and precise steering makes rock crawling at Moab easy for a sub-expert
off-road driver. Jeep faithful can breath a sigh of relief.
Carryover
four-wheel-drive systems include the automatic Quadra-Trac I,
Quadra-Trac II with a two-speed transfer case, and Quadra-Drive II with
rear Electronic Limited-Slip Differential. The Quadra-Lift air
suspension can be lowered up to 1.5 inches and raised up to 4.1 inches,
via the new Select-Terrain system (see sidebar), included with both IIs.
The wider stance provides better roll control Jeep says, minimizing
head toss on- and off-road. Neither of two pre-production models
suffered any body creak on even the steepest, bumpiest climbs and
descents.
For '11, designers pulled off a combination
of improved aerodynamics and familiar sheetmetal, muscular and upright
with short overhangs on a 5.3-inch longer wheelbase. Jeep
enlarged dimensions without compromising the Grand Cherokee's car-like
37.1-foot turning radius, which came in handy when making quick u-turns
for the motortrend.com camera, on Greater Moab's narrow two-lanes. Back
it out of your suburban garage and onto a twisty, reasonably smooth road
and the Jeep Grand Cherokee transforms from a "sport" to a "utility"
vehicle. It's not fun or particularly engaging - the fun comes from
hanging as many mountain bikes or kayaks you can get on a Thule or
Yakima roof rack, then driving right up to the mountain trail or river.
Rear
seat passengers get four inches more kneeroom and can tilt the seat
back or forward through 12 degrees. Our cameraman grew up with Grand
Cherokees and reports much better comfort
in the back seat. The top-level Overland comes standard with a handsome,
cut-and-sew leather dash, heated/cooled front and rear seats and a
heated steering wheel. All three trim levels, including Limited and base
Laredo, have a much-improved interior with plastics and fit-and-finish
that are up to, but no better than the level we expect from mainstream
manufacturers today.
As a
suburban commuter, Grand Cherokee always had been unremarkable; smooth
and comfortable as a tall, live-axle wagon with luxury pretentions
mitigated by cost-effective interior plastics could be. With the air
suspension and longer wheelbase, it's a more refined ride, without the
"bucking" that afflicts many SUVs. That the
tires and the SUV-size sideview mirrors don't make much road and wind
noise is a tribute to the Jeep's tight body and excellent insulation.
The suspension is supple, with consistent, moderately heavy understeer.
It wallows in the corners if you push it to the limit. Ride and handling
is exactly as you'd expect of any comfortable, modern highway cruiser.
Hold on to your dental fillings, though. Jeep
isn't working on one yet, but it's likely to do a second-generation
SRT-8, with the requisite go-kart ride, 6.4-liter Hemi and low-profile
tires not fit for 12-mph rock climbing. While SRT might seem a setup
more appropriate for the Chrysler 300C, Dodge Charger and
Challenger, Jeep says the incremental sales to buyers who otherwise
wouldn't consider a Grand Cherokee make it worthwhile business. And
export markets only, for now, may choose the Mercedes 3.0-liter
turbodiesel. If U.S. fuel prices warrant certifying a diesel Grand
Cherokee for our market, we're likely to see its return as well. For
now, the high cost of clean diesel technology makes it a hard sell when
unleaded regular hovers below $3 per gallon.
Meanwhile,
the new 3.6-liter, aluminum block Pentastar V-6 is the way to go,
unless you tow 5,001 to 7,400 pounds. Despite 53-percent high-strength
steel throughout the new model, weight is up about 200 pounds, and
neither the V-6 nor the V-8 launch very
quickly. The Hemi builds steam more convincingly in the mid- and
upper-ranges, though the V-6, which makes 60 horses more than the '93
Grand Cherokee's V-8, is very smooth, and its lower weight and better
balance somewhat mitigates its 80-horse deficit. Both engines mate to a
five-speed automatic, which is at least a gear short of the modern
standard.
On-road,
the '11 Jeep Grand Cherokee is more refined and more efficient, and
doesn't give up anything for its slightly larger size. Off-road at Moab,
it hard to imagine how it could get any better. The Grand Cherokee
still can go wherever the Wrangler lightly treads, and its slick new Terrain-Select gives the Jeep faithful a useful new gadget. Pressure relieved.
Chrysler
finally enters the 21st Century with its Pentastar V-6, which makes its
debut on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Originally developed with former
owner Daimler's Mercedes-Benz unit and South Korea's Hyundai, the three
manufacturers have gone off in their own directions.
The
60-degree Pentastar replaces the 90-degree 3.7-liter V-6 in the '10
Grand Cherokee. With its iron block and alloy heads, single overhead cam
and two valves per cylinder, the 3.7 is long-outdated tech. It's rated
210 horsepower, barely topping today's best
four-bangers, and makes 235 pound-feet of torque. The '10 Grand
Cherokee is rated 16 mpg city, 21 mpg highway in rear-wheel-drive form,
compared with 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway for the RWD '11 Grand
Cherokee with the 3.6-liter Pentastar. The 4WD Grand Cherokee is much
more popular, however, scoring an 80-percent take rate nationwide, and
here, the new engine improves highway fuel mileage by about 10 percent.
The
'10 Jeep with the 3.7-liter engine and 4WD is rated 15 mpg city, 20 mpg
highway, while the '11 model with the 3.6-liter engine and RWD is 16
mpg city, 22 mpg highway.
More
importantly, the new Pentastar makes a healthy 290 horsepower and 260
pound-feet, making it easier for power-conscious Jeep buyers to avoid
the thirstier Hemi V-8. The Grand
Cherokee's three trim levels don't betray the engine under the hood: a
"base" Laredo looks the same with either powerplant. Same with the
mid-level Limited and the luxo-trim Overland.
And
thanks largely to the high-pressure die-cast aluminum block, the new
DOHC Pentastar V-6 is about 70 pounds lighter than the 3.7. The
Pentastar also features variable-valve timing. Jeep has increased the
Grand Cherokee's fuel tank capacity to 24.6 gallons, for a 500-mile
range.
Next,
the 3.6-liter Pentastar rolls out into the '11 Chrysler 300, then the
Dodge Charger and Challenger. It will be the base engine in the 2012
Dodge Durango, which moves to the Grand Cherokee's Mercedes-based
platform. Installation into the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger and Jeep Liberty probably will coincide with moderate or major facelifts within the next couple of years.
Ten-thousand-dollars separates the base Jeep
Grand Cherokee Laredo ($30,995 for RWD, $32,995 for 4WD) from the
boardroom-like Overland, which returns for 2011 after a single
model-year hiatus. Here's a look at some of the equipment and trim that
separates the Laredo/Laredo X, the Limited and the Overland:
Limited and Overland have body-color fascias
with chrome inserts, chrome door handles and exhaust tips and chrome
Jeep logo inserts in the door sill scuff padsPower liftgate is standard on the Overland, optional on the Limited and not available on the Laredos.A single, power front sunroof with rear-seat
DVD in place of the panoramic sunroof is available via a package in the
Limited and Overland.The dual-pane panoramic sunroof is standard on Limited and Overland, optional on Laredo X.The Overland has a black-mesh insert seven-slot grille; all others have a black-slot insert grille design.
Limited and Overland only, have an auto headlamp leveling system, bi-xenon headlamps, daytime running lamps and smartbeam headlamps, and rain-sensing windshield, standard.Sideview mirrors are chrome on Limited and Overland, body colored on the Laredos."Premium" silver strakes are standard on the Limited and Overland cargo floors.Real wood interior trim on the Overland, only.Heated front seats are standard on Laredo X,
Limited and Overland, heated rear on Limited and Overland; power
eight-way driver seat with four-way power lumbar on all models. Laredo
X, Limited and Overland come with power eight-way passenger seats with
four-way power lumbar support.
Laredo X and Limited come with leather-trimmed bucket seats; Overland gets premium leather with piping.Sirius satellite radio is standard across the
board. Laredo comes with a six-speaker stereo; all others with nine
amplified speakers, subwoofer and 506-watt amp.Sirius Travel Link is standard on Limited and Overland, available in a package on the Laredo X.CD/DVD/HDD radio with premium navigation,
voice recognition, dead reckoning and Sirius Real Time Traffic is
standard on Overland, optional on Limited. Garmin navigation is standard
on Limited, optional on Laredo X.Leather-wrapped heated steering wheel is
standard on Limited; wood/leather wrapped heated steering wheel with
power memory and audio controls is standard on Overland.
Similar to Land Rover's Terrain
Response system, Selec-Terrain's five settings adjust throttle control,
braking and suspension settings, transmission shift points and the
transfer case to make best use of Quadra-Trac II or Quadra-Drive II. The
system includes Hill-start Assist, Hill-descent Control and a separate
"park" button to lower the Quadra-Lift air suspension.
Auto: Adjusts automatically to on-road and off-road conditions.Sport: Pavement only, and lowers the suspension 0.6 inches for better aerodynamics. Snow: Adjusts traction for bad weather.Sand/Mud: Traction control and Quadra-Lift
operate with sensitive response to wheelspin. Optimized torque for
off-road performance. Ride height raises 1.3 inches. Handles most off-road tasks at Moab.Rock: Quadra-Lift raises the suspension 4.1
inches from park mode, and the transfer case, differentials and throttle
conspire to provide low-speed control. Needed briefly only three times
for Moab's most treacherous ascents.Park: a separate button lowers the Jeep 1.5 inches for easier ingress/egress.
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| (888) 865-5490 | (952) 224-9475 | (952) 890-5337 |
News and Events
- First Drive: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Consider the pressure. Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne calls the... 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler's ...
- Wrangler keeps status
- The Wrangler, anchor of Chrysler's Jeep brand, will get two major modifications within two years, and ...
- Dodge Charger challenges Ford for Police fleet market
- Chrysler Group LLC will make a bigger play for the police fleet market with the all-new Dodge Charger ...
- Chrysler: We'll beat year's forcast
- Chrysler affirmed its goals to post a modest operating profit in 2010 today, but noted that based on ...
- 2011 Grand Cherokee is eagerly anticipated
- Chrysler's first all-new post-bankruptcy vehicle - the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee - is expected to roll ...
- New Chrysler jobs to build Cherokee could signal turnaround
- Detroit -- The addition of a second shift and almost 1,100 new workers at Chrysler Group LLC's Jefferson ...
- CEO: Chrysler should surpass target for the year
- Chrysler?CEO Sergio Marchionne said Monday that the automaker should beat its expectations for the year ...
- Chrysler step up 2011 launches
- Chrysler Group LLC is on pace to accelerate key product launches in 2011, including its family of compact ...
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Park Chrysler Jeep
1408 Highway 13
Burnsville,
MN
55337