We drive the brand new technology of the Grand Cherokee in Overland trim, which is considerably extra poised and splendid, however is all of it excellent news?
2 hours in the past
Once you consider Jeep, your thoughts will most likely bounce to vastly succesful off-roaders however with the fifth-generation Grand Cherokee, the automotive producer has got down to create an SUV that’s much more luxurious and considerably extra comfy on the street. Has it succeeded?
To seek out out, we not too long ago spent every week with the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. This mannequin sits above the Evening Eagle and Restricted variations in Australia however has been positioned beneath the Summit Reserve 4xe hybrid and the ICE-only Summit Reserve. It’s priced from an eye-popping AU$98,450 ($62,536) and whereas the Summit Reserve begins at AU$115,950 ($73,652), the Overland has to battle off rivals just like the Nissan Patrol, Toyota LandCruiser Prado, VW Touareg, and Land Rover Defender whether it is to show widespread. Powerful competitors, then.
What do you get to your cash?
Approaching the 2023 Grand Cherokee Overland for the primary time, it’s laborious to not be greatly surprised by its dimension. It measures 4,914 mm (193.4 inches) lengthy, 2,149 mm (86.3 inches) broad, and stands 1,801 mm (70.9 inches) tall whereas driving on a 2,964 mm (116.7-inch) wheelbase within the short-wheelbase, five-seat mannequin that we examined. Jeep’s designers have clearly labored tirelessly to make the outside really feel extra premium than its predecessor with out going overboard.
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Our check car was completed in Silver Zynith however buyers have seven different colours to select from, together with significantly placing shades of Velvet Pink and Hydro Blue. No matter which colour is chosen, all variations of the Grand Cherokee Overland offered in Australia have chrome surrounds on the entrance grille and below the headlights. Fitted as commonplace are 20-inch full polished silver and black wheels wrapped in 265/50 Continental Cross Contact tires, though smaller 18-inch rims are an choice.
The cabin
Whereas the outside of the new-age Grand Cherokee is a big improve over its predecessor, it’s within the cabin the place the extra obvious modifications have been made. It’s considerably extra luxurious than the outdated mannequin and trimmed in far nicer supplies. Actually, once I first jumped inside, I used to be shocked that I used to be sitting in one thing with a Jeep badge.
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The seats are the very first thing that catches the attention. Jeep has trimmed them in smooth and supple TechnoLeather and added ventilated features up entrance and heating each entrance and rear. Our tester additionally included the AU$4,500 ($2,858) Luxurious Expertise Group that provides therapeutic massage features to the entrance seats, air flow to the rear seats, second-row window shades, a digital rearview mirror, four-zone local weather management, 12-way changes to the driving force and passenger seat, and a wi-fi charging pad.
Of those additions, it’s the therapeutic massage features which might be most welcome. Each drivers and entrance passengers can select between ‘waterfall’, decrease again, prolong, low prolong, and ‘rock climb’ features, all of which give completely different therapeutic massage patterns.
The spectacular parts of the brand new Grand Cherokee Overland’s inside proceed. For instance, there may be wooden paneling stretching throughout the dashboard, metallic parts on the steering wheel, air vents and paddle shifters, soft-touch leather-based on the dashboard and door panels, a ten.1-inch infotainment show, and a digital instrument cluster. Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are each supported. Shifting is carried out by a rotary dial within the heart of the console, a pleasant luxurious contact however one that’s let down by all of the piano black plastic that surrounds it. A stable nine-speaker sound system from Alpine additionally comes commonplace.
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The infotainment display runs the newest Uconnect working system. Whereas we don’t suppose that is one of the best system available on the market, it is likely one of the most expansive, providing a seemingly endless array of menus, sub-menus, and sub-sub-menus and but, it stays simple and intuitive to make use of. Among the many key menus is one centered on the Jeep’s off-road settings that shows issues just like the steering angle, varied accent gauges like coolant and transmission temperatures, pitch and roll, and the Breadcrumbs operate that may make sure you by no means get misplaced whereas off-roading.
Consumers may even be happy to know that the Grand Cherokee can be utilized with Uconnect Providers which permits homeowners to lock and unlock the car with their paired smartphone. It’s also possible to ship navigation instructions and examine necessary features.
Passengers within the second row will likely be simply as comfy as these up entrance. Along with the heated and ventilated seats, there’s a 150-watt energy outlet, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports inside simple attain. House is great no matter the place you’re sitting and the trunk affords a beneficiant 1,067 liters (37.7 cubic toes) of house with the seats of their regular place and a couple of,005 liters (70.8 cubic toes) once they’re folded down.
Some areas of the cabin do really feel just a little low cost although. For instance, the laborious black plastic to the edges of the infotainment display had been rubbing on the sting of the show. The trim on the A-pillars was additionally just a little misaligned.
In comparison with the outdated mannequin, the cabin of this new mannequin is a seismic leap ahead. However, what about the remainder of the brand new Grand Cherokee?
Outdated however stable powertrain tech
Those that had been hopeful that the new-age Grand Cherokee would profit from an overhauled engine could also be upset to listen to that every one commonplace Australian fashions include the model’s acquainted 3.6-liter naturally-aspirated Pentastar V6. The one exception to that is the Summit Reserve 4xe which has a 2.0-liter plug-in hybrid.
Whereas the Pentastar V6 is outdated, it nonetheless affords respectable ranges of efficiency. It’s rated at 210 kW (282 hp) and 344 Nm (254 lb-ft) of torque and works alongside an eight-speed automated transmission driving all 4 wheels. The engine has a really satisfying thump if you hit the accelerator and sounds fairly good too. It’ll speed up the SUV to 100 km/h (62 mph) in round 9 seconds too, not dangerous contemplating it weighs 2,167 kg (4,777 lbs). The transmission is a pleasant match for this engine, remaining clean and constant when left in automated mode whereas additionally delivering snappy shifts if you use the paddles.
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All Grand Cherokee Overland fashions offered in Australia come commonplace with Jeep’s Quadra Trac II Lively 4×4 system in addition to Quadra-Raise air suspension with adaptive damping. The air suspension is operated through a swap on the middle console and affords 5 completely different modes; the bottom for simple entry and exit (Park Mode), the second setting for normal on-road use (Aero Mode), the traditional journey top mode, after which Off-Street 1 and Off-Street 2 settings. No matter which mode you’re in, the automotive will revert to Aero Mode if you happen to’re touring at freeway speeds of over 62 mph (100 km/h) and you can too select to have it decrease routinely as quickly as you shift into Park. In Off-Street 2, the Grand Cherokee affords as much as 276 mm (10.8 inches) of clearance, a 30.1-degree strategy angle, and a 28.4-degree departure angle.
These searching for to maximise the off-road credentials of the brand new Grand Cherokee Overland can choice the Off-Street Group for AU$2,750 ($1,746). This package deal provides a 230 mm (9-inch) rear axle, a rear digital limited-slip differential, 18-inch wheels and Goodyear all-terrain tires, and skid plates over the entrance suspension, gas tank, and skid plate.
The on-road polish and poise of the brand new Grand Cherokee may be very spectacular and an enormous enchancment over its predecessor. Its underpinnings are primarily based on these utilized by the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio and for a car of this dimension, it handles very nicely and as talked about, the V6 supplies greater than sufficient pull. It may be pushed in Sport, Auto, Snow, Sand/Mud, and Rock modes relying on the surroundings. We caught to Auto for many of our week with the Jeep and located it to be well-rounded for on a regular basis driving duties.
A disadvantage of the three.6-liter V6 is that it’s fairly thirsty. Jeep Australia claims it makes use of 10.6 l/100 km (22.1 U.S. mpg) over the mixed cycle however we averaged 13.0 l/100 km (18 U.S. mpg) and that was whereas driving very conservatively on a good mixture of highways and suburban streets. Gas consumption can simply exceed 17.0 l/100 km (13.8 U.S. mpg) if you happen to begin to hustle the Grand Cherokee. Towing can be a disadvantage.
With the V6, the SUV can tow 2,813 kg (6,201 lbs) braked or 750 kg (1,653 lbs) unbraked. These figures are respectable however the outdated Grand Cherokee with its obtainable diesel engine might tow as much as 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs) braked.
A compelling all-rounder
Our testing schedule didn’t present us with the time to check the Overland alongside any significantly demanding off-road trails. Nonetheless, we had been capable of check it alongside some reasonably troublesome terrain with water, gravel, and deep ruts. It breezed by means of all the things we might throw at it and even when one of many wheels was lifted off the bottom, it by no means confirmed any indicators of problem. Business colleagues inform us that when the going will get actually robust, the brand new mannequin isn’t fairly as much as the usual of its predecessor, nor rivals just like the Patrol and Land Cruiser Prado.
Is that this a deal-breaker? Completely not. Let’s be sincere, only a few Jeep Grand Cherokee homeowners will ever exploit even 10% of their car’s off-roading skills and the eager on-road focus of this mannequin, together with its greater sticker worth, possible means even fewer will even enterprise past pavement and maybe some flat gravel and dirt-covered roads.