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The first generation Grand Cherokee was launched in an age of soaring
SUV sales. Its only real competition at the time was the 4-door Ford
Explorer and the 4-door Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy. There were, of
course, several Japanese entries to compete with as well, but the Grand
Cherokee was perceived to be atop the category. In one focus group
AutoPacific held during that time, a participant described the Grand
Cherokee as “the chairman’s Jeep. It’s the one parked outside the
corner office.”

In subsequent years the Grand Cherokee faced more and more good
competition. Its share of segment deteriorated. Its image
deteriorated. Chrysler cost reduced the vehicle and its presence
suffered. Then came Daimler and the merger of equals creating
DaimlerChrysler. Then came Cerberus buying Chrysler from Daimler for a
song, trying to turn it around and failing. Bankruptcy and now Chrysler
is managed by Fiat SpA.

While all this was happening, products kept getting developed. Some were delayed. But the fourth generation Jeep Grand Cherokee development continued. In fact the Jeep development team was also tasked with developing the next generation Mercedes ML 5-passenger SUV. The result is the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. A loose platform companion with the next generation ML and the best Grand Cherokee ever.

Totally New Grand Cherokee – Evolutionary Style  The Grand Cherokee is totally new.  New platform.  New independent front and rear suspensions.  New interior.  Wide array of available technology features.  What isn’t particularly new is the styling.  At-a-glance, the new vehicle is clearly a Grand Cherokee.  It shares the seven slot grille with all Jeeps.  It has trapezoidal wheel openings that quickly identify a vehicle as a Jeep.  It has a fast windshield and backlite – definite Grand Cherokee cues.  Its bodyside is more muscular than before, but not muscle-bound.  But, the new Grand Cherokee looks very, very evolutionary compared with its immediate predecessor. 

There are three Grand Cherokee models:  Laredo, Limited and Overland.  Prices range from $32,995 for a 4×2 Laredo V6 to $42,995 for an AWD Overland V8.  Checking all the option boxes could probably get the price to touch $50,000.

Finally, More Rear Seat Leg Room  One of the characteristics of Jeeps since the Cherokee of 1982 has been a very short rear door and small rear seat.  The first three Grand Cherokee generations suffered from small rear seats difficult to get into and out of.  Especially if you had large feet.  The new Grand Cherokee adds 5-inches to the wheelbase and the rear seat gets 4-inches of that length.  Great move that will be appreciated by all Grand Cherokee buyers.

Grand Cherokee Becomes High Technology Platform  Jeep engineers have been able to incorporate many of the new features now available in the industry.  These high tech devices range from safety enhancements, to convenience features, to entertainment features.  All appreciated, but some answering questions few are yet asking.

There are two navigation systems.  A basic system uses a Garmin interface and is available on the Limited and the fully functioning nav system is on the Overland.  There are three four wheel drive systems: Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II, Quadra-Drive II all with increasing degrees of competence.  There is Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist.  There is Quadra-Lift that can raise the vehicle 4.1 inches for true off-roading or lower it by over an inch to make ingress/egress easier. 

There are more than 45 safety features standard or available:  Stability Control,  Traction Control, Roll Mitigation, ABS, Keyless Enter-N-Go, Blind Spot and Cross Traffic Detection Systems… and the list goes on.  

New V6 and HEMI Power – 5-Speed Automatic Transmissions  Power comes from an all new 290-horsepower 3.6L Phoenix V6 with double overhead cams, aluminum block, variable valve timing.  The V6 – that Chrysler terms the “Pentastar” V6 – effectively replaces the old 4.7L V6.   The top engine is the 5.7L V8 – better known as the HEMI.  But Chrysler does not let Jeep badge its vehicles with the HEMI logo, so it appears only on the engine cover.  HEMI is now reserved for Dodge.

Both engines are mated to 5-speed automatic transmissions.  This is an indication of the development turmoil Chrysler has gone through and the temporary lack of resources.  You can bet they would have preferred to launch with a minimum of a 6-speed automatic, but efforts to acquire a 6-speed fell through.  Chrysler announced in May 2010 that they will be working with ZF to develop advanced transmissions with more gears.  Look for the Grand Cherokee to be one of the first beneficiaries.

Interior One of the Best In Class:  The interior shows substantial improvement.  Very upscale.  Good ergonomics.  Good materials choices.  Comfortable seats.  There is glare in the instrument faces when there is bright sunlight (developing vehicles in Michigan or Germany often leads to veiling glare problems… after all, when you don’t see the sun often…).  The navigation system is easy to use, but I would prefer a system that also shows the city you are in in addition to the street name.  Oh, well, someone will get it perfect sometime. 

Driving the All New Grand Cherokee  Here’s what you’ve been waiting for.  How does it drive.  Well, it depends.  It depends on the suspension set up you select.  During a drive evaluation south of San Francisco, we first drove a V8 Limited with Quadra-Lift air suspension.  This vehicle was a delight.  It was powerful, purposeful, seamless, confident and competent.  It soaked up bumps and road undulations as if they weren’t even there.  The engine gave it almost point-and-shoot capability meaning you think about where you want to be and then it is there.  Cool.  Sign me up.

The next Grand Cherokee we tried was a V6 powered Limited with Steel Springs.  The suspension set-up made all the difference.  The V6 seems like a very pleasant engine.  The combination V6 with the 5-speed automatic is perfectly “adequate” from a powertrain standpoint.  It will be perfect for folks cruising around town, going on short trips, schlepping to Costco.  The downfall of this particular vehicle was the suspension.  It really demonstrated the excellence of the Air Suspension system.  This vehicle was sloppy on anything but a glass smooth road surface.  It seemed disconnected front to rear and side to side.  Normally, we don’t criticize SUV suspensions too much because they are designed for off-roading, but the difference between the V8 and V6 we drove was so dramatic it has to be mentioned.  Suffice it to say that we would not recommend any Steel Spring Grand Cherokee (probably 80% of the planned mix).