Model Update

What’s the flagship for Jeep? It would definitely have to be the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Packed to the hilt with luxury features, power and advanced technology, the latest Grand Cherokee is big, bold and beautiful.

If style is your thing, then the Grand Cherokee lets you express yourself. Sly twin headlamps, the big seven slot chrome grille, massive alloys, very powerful engines, leather or cloth seats, copious interior room, Alpine acoustics, glamorous interior accents and a media centre gets the ball rolling. Jeep Grand Cherokee boasts seats that are unquestionably comfortable. Each seat is beautifully crafted with precise, firm and ergonomic contours. Total comfort is assured for long-distance travel.

Practicality comes with the Grand Cherokee territory. Clever storage compartments are situated about the cabin. Dual-zone climate control keeps the temperature onboard the big 4×4 nicely in balance. Uconnect multimedia and communication technology is easy and fun to use, while the safety items are premium – just as you would expect. Late iPod connectivity, an MP3 auxiliary jack, park assistance and an accident avoidance system creates quite a modern and state-of-the-art statement. The Laredo and Limited versions offer impressive performance.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee: arguably one of the nicest and seriously capable off-roaders around.

Let’s face it: it might seem like a bit of a tough ask. You want a car that’s tough, goes anywhere, fits everyone in the family and still looks pretty good parked on your driveway. You’ve considered several options. Now it’s time to consider the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

This year sees the brand new introduction of the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee model, and it gets a big tick for having the right looks. You wouldn’t be at all ashamed to park this one in your driveway. While it still shows some traces of its military past such as the squared-off back end and the high stance, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has very modern touches like trapezoidal wheel arches, an aerodynamic slant of the windscreen and sleek headlight detailing. And, of course, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has the signature seven-slot grille that’s always eye catching.

But looks aren’t everything – you know that. What you want is a chance to do something adventurous with the kids and give them a love for exploring and the outdoors. So you need a 4×4 that can do more than just cruise up to a skifield. Once again, it’s thumbs-up for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The generous ground clearance enables the Jeep Grand Cherokee to tackle rugged terrain with ease, and this capacity is enhanced by the Quadra-Trac active four-wheel drive system. Equipped with a Quadra-lift air suspension, one can have right up to 271 mm ground clearance to tackle the harshest off-road environments.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has a low ratio setting to boost the torque when you need it, and the superb Electronic Limited Slip Differential system front and rear. The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s ESP system and traction control give grip and stability when you need it, and can make it up or down a slope with steep entry and exit angles. But while you’re doing all this, you won’t get bounced around too much – only enough to make the trip thrilling – thanks to the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s SLA front suspension and the five-link suspension in the rear.

But you don’t go off-road everyday unless you’re lucky. Even going on holiday means you’re going to spend a fair bit of time on the open road. And you’re going to need to tow things from time to time. Once again, a tick for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Hemi V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee model can tow up to 3500 kg with ease – more than enough for the boat, horse trailer or caravan. With 3.6 litres of Pentaster V6 power, the smaller petrol power plant can easily tow loads of up to 2268 kg.

The exact amount of torque and power in your Jeep Grand Cherokee will depend on the engine option you select. Currently you’ll see some new energy and design behind the powerful units used for Jeep’s flagship model. Let’s start with the all new 3.6 litre Pentaster V6. Smooth power delivery is what you can expect from an engine which holds ninety percent of its power between 1600 rpm and 6400 rpm. The engine packs a punch of 210 kW at 6350 rpm, and has a top torque of 347 Nm at 4300 revs. The Jeep Grand Cherokee also has another engine option: the 5.7 litre Hemi V8, petrol (259 kW at 5200 rpm; 520 Nm at 4200 rpm). Truly a massive and mighty V8, it features Jeep’s clever MDS (which turns off four cylinders if you don’t need all eight). Time will tell before we know whether Jeep will offer a revamped SRT8. Certainly, the outgoing version of the SRT8 was one hot 4×4 – running the big 6.1 litre V8 petrol motor under the hood which gave out 313 kW and a massive 569 Nm. This sort of power is at the ready to rip the tarmac to pieces if so desired.

Diesel power sees a 177 kW CRD Turbo-Diesel engine fitted inside the Grand Cherokee engine bay. Incredible strength comes from the 550 Nm of torque available way down low in the engine revs. This is the sort of grunt that tows horse floats and caravans with ease.

Most of us will have had a ghastly family holiday experience involving long trips, bored kids and uncomfortable seats. You won’t get one of these in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. There’s tons of room in backs seats as well as in the front, and the cargo area is colossal – enough for the dog, the beach bags, spare clothes, fishing gear? And you’ll find utility hooks and tie-down loops there, too.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo has a multimedia centre with CD, DVD and MP3 compatibility. A touch screen, voce command, Uconnect phone, hands free calling and Bluetooth compatibility completes the briefing in what is really the base model. A nice multi-speaker radio/CD sound system will keep everyone entertained. And the comfy cloth-trimmed seats with 4-way power adjustment for the front passenger and 8-way power adjustment for the driver are part of the big 4×4 wagon’s luxury – along with manual air conditioning and a tyre pressure monitoring lamp.

The luxurious Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited also features leather trim, heated front seats, a crystal-clear nine-speaker Alpine audio system, dual-zone climate control and a memory function for the driver’s seat, mirrors and the radio station. Both the Laredo and Limited models of Jeep Grand Cherokee have super-comfortable lumbar support, retractable cupholders in the rear, two power outlets and tinted glass. And safety’s all catered for with multistage driver and front passenger airbags, and curtain airbags.

Similarly, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland boasts all the luxury items that the Limited version has. The difference is under the bonnet. It is the Overlander that boasts the Hemi V8.

So if you’re looking for something that will rough it outside while you aren’t roughing it inside, it’s hard to go past the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’ll go anywhere and do anything, and with plenty of style while it does it.

Current model series include:

• Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (V6 petrol)
• Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (V6 petrol)
• Jeep Grand Cherokee Overlander (Hemi V8)
• Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD Turbo

For any more information on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Jeep dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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