New Jeep Grand Cherokee (2011): Details, photos & video

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

I don’t know why, but I always thought the Grand Cherokee an appealing SUV. It was soft and soggy in typical Yank-Tank way, and its interior trim owed more to the art of plastic than trees, but it had an appeal. More so in V8 mode than the Euro-Special diesel, although the current 3.0 litre is a lot better than the 2.7 litre it replaced.

Surprisingly, the Grand Cherokee is outsold in the UK only by the Jeep Patriot, so there are obviously a number of UK buyers who quite like the soft and soggy joys of a Yankie SUV. So they’ll be more than a little inetersted to know that Jeep has given the Grand Cherokee a major seeing to for 2011 – it’s almost a new car.

Almost, because the underpinnings – although new – are a reworking of the old. The Grand Cherokee looks the same, just fresher and newer. Jeep say they’ve made the Grand Cherokee a much better SUV with lots of modern tech and improved quality.

The interior – always a weak point to European eyes – seems to have improved no end, and the suspension has had a serious fettling, with independent front and rear suspension and a much stiffer body. There’s also Jeep’s version of Terrain Response to ensure the off-road credibility endures.

The US gets a 3.6 litre Penstar V6 or a 5.7-liter HEMI V8. Expect the UK (and Europe) to get a diesel instead of the 3.6 V6, which could be a tweaked version of the current 3.0 litre CRD but could very easily be a Fiat lump by the time the new Grand Cherokee arrives here in 2011.

The 2011 Grand Cherokee seems more than just a tweaked icon; it seems a proper step forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCii3PWf_vM

By Cars UK