The redesigned Grand Cherokee is a bona-fide off-road SUV with an interior that rivals a German car -- a rare combination. CNET concludes that the Grand Cherokee “has few equals in the luxury SUV segment for off-road prowess. The Grand Cherokee’s fuel economy continues to disappoint. Jeep estimates that base two-wheel-drive models will net 16/23 mpg city/highway, while 4WD models will net 16/22.
Other Off-Road SUVs to Consider
No vehicle on the market can really match the off-road prowess of a trail-rated Jeep. If you want an off-road vehicle with better fuel economy, consider the Jeep Patriot.
Details: Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee comes in four trims -- the base Laredo E, Laredo X, Limited and top-of-the-line Overland.
It's clearly a Grand Cherokee, but it has a sleekness that its predecessor lacked. The old Grand Cherokee's design was blocky, but the new model looks like it was shaped by a wind tunnel. The SUV is about 2 inches longer, 3 inches wider and one-half inch taller than the 2010 model, but its wheelbase has grown by 5.3 inches to 114.8 inches overall, resulting in more backseat legroom. Mark Allen, Jeep's head of design, said current Grand Cherokee owners made it clear they didn't want the SUV to get too big with its redesign, and it's evident that Jeep listened. (To see a side-by-side comparison of the 2010 and 2011 Grand Cherokee, click here.)
Ride Comfort
The Grand Cherokee's ride comfort is its most impressive quality. Grand Cherokees with the air suspension do a better job of masking pavement imperfections, and the SUV floats a little more over bigger bumps.
Jeep found the desired middle ground with the Grand Cherokee's steering tuning. Going & Stopping
Driving the V-6 Grand Cherokee reminded me that the laws of physics can't be changed. Off-Road Capability
Jeep is one of a few car brands with an identity strongly associated with off-road capability, and even though the new Grand Cherokee significantly improves the SUV's on-road refinement, it doesn't come at the expense of its off-road chops, which are impressive. My time with the Grand Cherokee included off-road driving at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area in Northern California, where I had an opportunity to test the Grand Cherokee's off-road hardware.
A Grand Cherokee with Quadra-Lift and Jeep's new Selec-Terrain traction system (explained in more detail later in this review) made easy work of the rocky paths and steep grades at Hollister Hills. With hill descent control, the Grand Cherokee crept slowly down steep grades without drama. Most competing hill descent systems restrict you to a single speed.
The Grand Cherokee is available with a choice of three four-wheel-drive systems: Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II or Quadra-Drive II. Quadra-Drive II also adds a rear electronically controlled limited-slip differential that can apportion power between the left and right rear wheels, even on dry roads.
Choosing Quadra-Trac II or Quadra-Drive II also adds Jeep's Selec-Terrain system, which is similar to Land Rover's Terrain Response technology and a dial-operated system in the upcoming 2011 Ford Explorer. Selec-Terrain also coordinates the Quadra-Lift air suspension on models that have it. The air suspension has five height settings: Normal (8.1 inches of clearance), Off-Road 1 (9.4 inches), Off-Road 2 (10.7 inches), Park (6.6 inches) and Aero (7.5 inches).
Upscale materials include a stitched leather dashboard and real wood trim on Overland models, and interior panel fit seemed much better compared with the old Grand Cherokee.
All of the Grand Cherokees I drove had leather seats, but base Laredo versions come standard with cloth upholstery. Front-seat cushioning is firm, but the seats were comfortable for a day of driving. I'm 6-foot-1 and often find that I could do with longer seat cushions in many of the cars I test, but the Grand Cherokee's cushions were just right.
Cargo & Towing
The Grand Cherokee's cargo area measures 35.1 cubic feet, which is 5.6 cubic feet larger than the prior model's cargo area but less than what the Toyota 4Runner (47.2 cubic feet) and Nissan Pathfinder (49.2 cubic feet) provide behind their second rows. With the Grand Cherokee's backseat folded, cargo room increases to 68.7 cubic feet.
All Grand Cherokees are rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds by adding an appropriate trailer hitch. Safety
The 2011 Grand Cherokee is a 2010 Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The final requirement for the award is the availability of an electronic stability system, which is standard in the Grand Cherokee.
Additional standard safety features include antilock brakes, side-impact airbags for the front seats, side curtain airbags for both rows and active front head restraints. Grand Cherokee in the Market
In the '90s, the Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer and other SUVs fueled a boom that changed the landscape of American roads. We hope reliability improves with this generation, but impressive on-road manners and stylish looks inside and out make the Grand Cherokee a model that must be on your test-drive list if you're shopping for a new SUV — even if you don't plan on taking it off-road.
The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee comes standard with four-wheel antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front side airbags, side curtain airbags and active front head restraints.
In the government's new, more strenuous crash testing for 2011, the Grand Cherokee earned an overall rating of four stars out of a possible five, with four stars for overall frontal crash protection and five stars for overall side crash protection. Instead of last year's heavy use of gray, hard plastic, the new Grand Cherokee features a cleaner-looking dashboard design.
Driving Impressions
Get behind the wheel and you'll immediately notice that the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee drives considerably better than before. Off-road, the JGC maintains its reputation as a capable performer thanks to good ground clearance and an advanced four-wheel-drive system.