The new Jeep Grand Cherokee: an Indian in a suit - voila! vehicle

2022-12-01T05:28:06.766Z

The fifth generation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee arrived in Israel as a regular import and took the test. What happened to the tough Indian that comes with 5 or 7 seats and at a price starting at NIS 400,000?

Jeep Grand Cherokee (manufacturer)

For quite a few years now, the Jeep brand has been trying to position itself in the luxury group in the local market.

To say he succeeded in it?

Not really.

The attempt to place tools like Wrangler and Compass next to the word "luxury" can only happen if you don't know who Wrangler and Compass are or don't know what luxury is.

It's not necessarily the tools' fault, the Wrangler is an excellent off-road vehicle and when you can buy it in the United States starting at around $31,000 you can forgive it for a lot of things.

It is more difficult when it starts at 290 thousand shekels in Israel.

A similar story with the compass, starts there at 26 thousand dollars, starts here at 189 thousand shekels.

And why am I talking about Wrangler and Compass in the Grand Cherokee test?

Mainly because as the kilometers accumulated it became clear to me that we are dealing with a different story than what we have heard until now.

Angular and chiseled, the external dimensions are definitely generous (photo: Kenan Cohen)

This is the fifth generation of the Grand Cherokee, the American SUV whose first generation won a place of honor in Chapter 7 of the series of articles "The Cars That Changed the World".

How revolutionary and amazing was he?

Here's a glimpse of what we wrote about it: "When its replacement arrived, the Grand Cherokee in 1993, Chrysler realized that the demand for the original was so great that it was a shame to replace the hen that lays golden eggs, and continued to market it alongside the one that was supposed to replace it for another 8 years until it was officially discontinued The production in 2001".

And although the world to which the first Grand Cherokee arrived in 1984 and the car market of 2022 are almost two parallel universes, in one sense its mission has not changed - like its great-grandfather, it too is supposed to offer its buyer the aura, the name, the image but with road manners civilized

good to know (in advance)

Smoother skin after just one use with a revolutionary device for home care

Served on behalf of B Cure Laser

Its passenger compartment is a huge leap forward compared to the outgoing generation (photo: Keinan Cohen)

So he carries the name, and he conveys the message in a square design that conveys purposefulness and rigidity, with a chassis that hangs high above 20-inch rims and a lot of air under the belly, and all this in American XL dimensions.

But the biggest change is in the cabin, which presents a big leap forward in terms of appearance, technology, materials and quality.

The digital dashboard and the large multimedia screen also do not replace physical controls for the climate control system, the volume dial and the direction of the stations.

The driver's environment is spacious and airy, the low window line, the square hood and the seating position place the driver in a high and commanding position.

Only the thick A beam interferes with getting a good field of view to the left side.

The human engineering is good, there is room for improvement in the multimedia operation (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

So while the quality of the materials is very good, with the use of wood, aluminum and leather, there is still room for improvement in regards to the quality of the assembly, including a disturbing click that came from the bottom of the console and would be bearable if it wasn't exactly where the knee touches the plastic and there was the soundtrack of driving.

Here and there the human engineering also needs to improve.

Like the gear controls behind the steering wheel that are so small and so close to the radio buttons that you'll occasionally change a station or change the volume instead of downshifting.

The radio station calibration works on American frequencies - that is, in odd jumps, and at least in the test car the connection to the wireless Android Auto was not without interruptions.

The small chopchick at the top changes gear, the small ones at the bottom change the volume (photo: Keinan Cohen)

Moving to the back seat reveals that the living conditions are mixed here as well.

There are air conditioning ports, two USB sockets and two USB C sockets in addition to a 115V outlet and heating.

The seats themselves were less impressive, being a bit too short and low to offer long-term comfort for a full-sized adult and despite a handsome 296cm wheelbase, there's no exceptional comfort here. With 12V ports, hanging hooks and anchor rings, all this without giving up a spare wheel.

As with every Jeep, here too we found a host of small surprises, more or less hidden (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

The trim level under consideration is the Limited, the middle of the three trim levels of the 5-seat configuration, with the Altitude below it and the Limited Plus above it.

The list includes, among other things, the 10.25-sized digital dashboard, the 10.1-sized multimedia, Apple and Android connectivity, heated and electrified leather seats, heated steering wheel and rear seats, electric trunk door, panoramic sunroof, and more.

The safety systems include automatic braking, detection of a vehicle in a "dead zone", lane departure correction, reverse camera, automatic braking in reverse.

Less space than we would expect from a size like his (photo: Keinan Cohen)

While the previous generation shared a platform with the Mercedes ML, the current one uses that of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

The new platform brings with it not only a lighter structure (another weight saving is achieved through the use of aluminum body parts), but also a new suspension arrangement, an extension of the axle spreader and a new steering system.

The one left intact is the very old Fantastar engine.

It's the same 3.6-liter V6 that has been with Chrysler-Jeep products for many years.

Also here with 290 horses and 35.5 kg. The drive is a fixed double through an 8-speed planetary gearbox.

On the road the overall performance is fine, the engine and transmission are pleasant in regular use, get confused when under load, the engine becomes too loud, the transmission jumps between gears.

The same goes for behavior.

The Americanization of the Giorgio platform took away from it the sharpness and dynamism and the connection to the steering wheel with too little communication and too much dead space make it clear that here the direction is not mountain passes in the European Alps, but straight Arizona roads.

Here, on the other hand, there is no lack of space in any way (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

As soon as you make the switch and stop asking it for nonsense such as changes of direction and a sequence of quick turns, that's when you discover an excellent partner for relaxed driving trips and in general for covering distances in the comfort of a cradle.

His handling of the vast majority of disruptions, breaks, bumps or asphalt waves is done in an excellent way.

A little more investment in noise insulation and he was already in the league of the really good ones.

As someone who bears the name Jeep, of course an off-road episode was also on the menu, but to begin with it was clear that in light of the sparse assemblages here, this is a particularly diet menu.

The drive system here is the quadra-trac I, meaning the most basic dual drive among Jeep's systems.

No power transmission, no locks except for a type of "lock" using the brakes for the front wheels, which also worked in a very unimpressive manner.

In short, with a moderate approach angle of 24 degrees, a reasonable headroom of 20.3 cm, you will get mainly limited trail capabilities. For more than that, you will have to go for the SUMMIT RESERVE trim level, which will add locks, air shocks and a headroom that reaches up to 27.7 cm, available in the configuration The 7 seats and yes, it costs NIS 600,000.

At the end of the test days, the fuel consumption stood at 7.1 km per liter, driving in Dhilho and Rahimo will bring you perhaps closer to 9 km per liter.

With determination, momentum and skill you can make some progress in the field, but he is no longer there in terms of abilities (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

Summary

The answer to the question of whether a particular vehicle is good or not always involves the more basic question of what it is supposed to do.

And in this respect, the Jeep Grand Cherokee does exactly what is expected of it.

It is not without flaws and needs more polishing so that it will challenge the really good ones.

But it is an improved package of what the Grand Cherokee offered in the past with significantly better handling, quality, technology, refinement and handling than ever before.

Back to the beginning of the article, to the examples of the Wrangler and the Compass, in this respect it is definitely and distinctly the first in the showroom that can rub shoulders with the word luxury without causing itchy discomfort.

It has only one problem, despite the compliments, at a price of NIS 450,000 for the tested version with 5 seats, it is at an intermediate point where it is too expensive compared to its original competitors in its homeland such as the Kia Sorento, Ford Edge, Chevrolet Blazer and Hyundai Santa Fe on the one hand, and still not "there "In terms of finish and capabilities compared to the older luxury brands.

Not a simple historical burden (Photo: Keinan Cohen)