Jeep Grand Cherokee 2018 Review: Genes, urban styled

It takes illustrious confidence to hold on to automotive designs for a decade or longer. Range Rover has been doing it. Jeep has been doing it. If you drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee at the turn of the decade, when it was launched, you can still drive the 2018 version without feeling like you missed much. And yet, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, through its occasional facelifts, have come some distance.

THE DIMENSIONS: L x W x H: 4822 – 4846 x 1943 x 1749 – 1781 mm Wheelbase: 2915 mm Curb Weight: 2266 – 2499 kg, Boot space: 782 L and 1554 L with rear seats down

THE SPECS: 3.6L V6 Pentastar engine, 8-speed Automatic, 292 hp, 347 Nm torque, 18-inch polished aluminium wheels

THE PERFORMANCE: 0 – 100 in 8.7 seconds (test), Test fuel economy: 8.0 km/L urban, 6.5 km/L mixed

OFF ROADING: 4WD Low, Hill Descent Control Sand/Snow/Mud/Rock Modes with Auto

THE HIGHLIGHTS: 8.4” touch screen, U-Connect Multimedia, Ventilated front seats, Integrated voice controls, Navigation, 9-speaker system with subwoofer, Panoramic Sunroof, 4WD Low gear

Standard safety: Advanced Multistage Front Airbags, Front seat mounted side airbags, side curtain front and rear airbags / Automatic headlamp leveling system, Park Sense front and rear parking assist ystem, Rear view camera, Selec-Terrain System, Quadra-Trac II 4WD system, Anti-lock Wheel Disc HD Brakes-4

THE PRICE: Limited S: AED 239,499 Limited: AED 219,999 Laredo: AED 187,499
[Prices shown are before 20% down payment contribution. For instance, the Limited would cost AED 179,000 at the time of posting. Laredo would cost AED 151,785 and the Limited S AED 193,880]

THE UPSIDE: Spacious 5-seater, Highway fuel economy, Comfortable cabin, Friendly Tech, Above average off-road capability, standard safety features

THE FLIPSIDE: Don’t expect a sporty start, Brief blind spot, No third row, Voice commands for navigation and contact list are erratic

The Design

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has a timeless feel about its exteriors. On the sides, the parallel lines resemble something like a scallop, making a subtle connection with its Chrysler siblings. The upturned roof fins adds a sporty sign off to the Grand Cherokee’s familiar profile.

When I drove the Grand Cherokee Limited a couple of years ago, the gear knob was quite a handful – wide like a Challenger’s but in 2018 things are back to palm-sized and Jeep-normal. Another thing that would have (naturally) improved in the inevitability of advancing technology is the U-connect telematics system! The bumper has lost a bump or two, a few buttons have appeared to fill the console compared with the 2016 model– sport button, eco mode off are two of them.

Colours have a season for brochure’s sake but I still like the golden or champagne Jeep I drove last time! Between that one and the silver Grand Cherokee I am reviewing now, design comparisons are stuff for the ‘spot the differences’ weekend corner.

Cabin and Controls

The interior is a classy combination of leather, wood veneer and a stylish chrome strip that holds the dash and the console together. At the centre of it is a squarish 8.4” screen, on which the U-connect multimedia shines – in the Laredo, it’s a not-so-small 7” screen. Two old-style turn knobs for A/C and the volume flank the panel below the screen. Everything else is dotted around the frames of the screen, cluttering the cabin in no way.

The multimedia system is one of the better ones in the market. It has radio and media, navigation, telephone connectivity and a whole page dedicated to Apps. The App page, unlike the one I found in the Compass, seems to be well organized and impressive. There are some tools of interest, including Offroad pages on the App and the Quadra-Trac II 4WD graphics for off-road motoring.

The Jeep GC has a very wide and well-guided rear view camera apart from the parking sensors. The 9-speaker system with subwoofers is among the best in an under 200K cabin.

The controls are steering mounted and better still, they can be activated by voice commands. The commands can help in finding the place you want to go to, the person you wish to call or the number to dial, or even choosing a radio station. They can but the first two don’t really. Speaking out a specific name to call was frustrating or hilarious – depending how you look at it. I tried accents ranging from Indian (several versions of it), Arabic and the ‘propah’ way of saying it. But nothing seemed to work reliably. Thankfully, spelling the radio station or calling out the number to dial worked, every single time. But what was even more useful was the message read out service – which usually comes along in half-a-million worth cabins. Interestingly, I could select a message sent by someone with a thick Indian accent and listen to it rendered in an Oxonian voice! (That’s fun!) Anyway, the point is the safety of it, not the sonic pleasure.

While I didn’t play too long with the paddle-shifts that peeked out from the back of the steering, the manual mode generally waits for you to engage with it instead of automatically rushing into the next gear.

The Drive

While the Grand Cherokee retains some of the firmness of a traditional Jeep drive, it demonstrates Jeep’s accomplishment in smoothly adapting to an urban context. That said, the Jeep Grand Cherokee can be described as smooth and easy, only till you start comparing it to cars like the Nissan Patrol whose appearance belies its driving character. But people who prefer a hint of macho retained in the SUV driving style will appreciate the way the Grand Cherokee drives. The steering displays just as much stiffness as would be appreciated while the sport button makes the Grand Cherokee’s firm-ish ride a tad bumpier.

There is body roll as expected but the suspensions absorb much of it. The Grand Cherokee strikes a good balance between an elevated view and ease of access. It is an SUV even those scared of heights won’t mind climbing into! Talking about views, while the Grand Cherokee cabin is a glasshouse, it could benefit a bit from a blind spot monitor. Because, the slightly early positioning of the A-pillar and the haunches in front give rise to what I call a ‘brief bike blind spot’ like in many SUVs. Sitting further behind is an easy way out if you are daddy long legs; but it must be something you get used to anyway, because most of the owners I asked didn’t seem to even acknowledge it.

For a large, heavy car, the Grand Cherokee has a surprisingly agile turning radius and in fact, holds its stead at curves we would estimate as too quick for an SUV. The braking is effective, despite the sway on the chassis at quick speeds.

While in the topic of ease and safety, all trim levels have great standard safety features (as listed at the start) but the Limited S comes with a whole package including Blind Spot Monitor and Cross Path Detection, advanced cruise control, Forward Collision Warning Plus, and Lane Departure Warning Plus. Now, ironically the Jeep Grand Cherokee only has a 4-star safety Euro N-Cap rating mostly due to pedestrian protection aspects, and low reliability rating but has one of the highest owner satisfaction figures – as was evident in many conversations I had with Grand Cherokee owners.

The 3.6 L V6 Pentastar engine is the same across the Laredo, Limited and Limited S. 292 horsepower and 347 N-m are quite encouraging figures at first glance. Agreed, it is slow to release torque at the start (8.7 seconds to get to the 100 kmph mark) but that turns out an advantage while climbing alien terrain because the torque doesn’t die out midstream. It also helps while overtaking on highways when you are already cruising.

The 8-speed transmission and the accompanying efficiency make the Grand Cherokee more desirable among SUVs of its caliber. I clocked almost 8 km per litre on urban canters and highway cruises. The more demanding drives brought down the efficiency to around 6.5 km per litre – which I can still live with!

Off-road capability

The genes really can’t be ignored, and there isn’t a Jeep that isn’t rearing to be let loose into that sea of beige. That explains the little button marked 4-wheel drive low and the hill decent control button below it (for more traction and controlled speed while coming downhill). The four-mode knob spells out aspirations clearly – Sand, Snow, Mud and Rock modes. The Quadra-Trac II four-wheel drive system is there to manage torque and traction to the wheel with maximum grip.

However, the Grand Cherokee is notorious among off-roaders for its low bumpers that partly restrict its capability to less challenging dunes. However, with the Grand Cherokee’s available torque and capabilities, it is possible to find an alternative route of escape, almost always.

Beyond that, if you are looking for a more capable Jeep Grand Cherokee, there is the Limited S. It not only offers that comprehensive driver assistance package, but also improved ride height, thanks to air suspensions, and factory-fitted high-perched bumpers.

Family Drive

The Grand Cherokee isn’t a seven-seater. But that makes it one of the most spacious five-seater family SUVs in town. Loads of rear legroom and boot space, with an automatic boot opening convenience using the remote key (there is no button on the boot lid for it!). The firmly toned seats are good to travel long distances in. They are ventilated for cool and heated air, and have lumbar adjustments. While the air-conditioning felt effective during my test drive, some owners felt the rear seats take longer to cool – this has often been a trade-off with some Japanese models in lieu of the spirit and substance of a Jeep.

The dual opening for the armrest for segregated storage, cup holders and a storage net in the rear make for reasonable storage space even though the door side could have offered more space.

The essential Jeep Grand Cherokee 2018

If the smile quotient of owners is anything to go by, though Jeep owners can be a little biased at times – many of them seem to be sticking to the brand when they go for a change. So, looks like those days are gone when huge bills used to deter people from opting for the Chrysler brands – these days with the 5-year warranty and service packages available especially during Ramadan, reliability is mounting in Jeep ownership.

For those who are not into drag racing at signals, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited promises long drive comfort. Those who have more adventure sticking out of their boots, there is the Limited S, for about AED 15,600 extra at current offer price. And for those who wish to save even more, there is the Laredo!