OVERVIEW ;
The iconic American brand, Jeep made its foray in Indian market in August, 2016 with the launch of one of its most loved SUVs, ‘Grand Cherokee’. The model is available in three variants-Grand Cherokee Limited, Grand Cherokee Summit and the more powerful performance trim, Grand Cherokee SRT. The Limited and Summit variants derive power from the 3.0 litre, V6 EcoDiesel engine as opposed to the SRT trim that comes equipped with the high capacity 6.4 litre, V8 engine putting out massive power and torque. Both the engines are linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and drive is sent to all four wheels through a 4WD system.
EXTERIOR AND LOOK ;
This here, ladies and gents, is a monster. One glance at its tall, muscular design is enough to leave you with a breathless impression. We’ll be honest here, never before have we laid eyes on a vehicle with such a pronounced, masculine characteristic, which is, at the same time, imbibed with a delicate, feminine touch. The overall composition of the body reflects a balanced layout, and this certainly does hike up its appeal. Its profile has a streamlined element that most people would find attractive, for it does add a sporty touch to the overall look. At the front, it wears a massive grille that comes with some noticeable silver elements for a more rejuvenated look. The front portion has been imbued with a more charismatic and powerful expression with the wide front skirt that drapes down all the way to the lower bumper. A large air intake section at the bottom of the skirt harmonises the entire image, and we thought it fit perfectly into the look.
On either side of the grille, there are attractive headlamps that come with all necessary lighting units. Moving upwards, the hood spreads over a large area, and when you stand before the vehicle, you can feel an exalting, majestic demeanour with this. The refined curvatures that flow inwards into the hood added a rich touch to the design, and we’ll tell you here itself that it’s small aspects such as these that bring out the younger car lover in you. The windscreen has been swept back, and we could feel a strong aerodynamic agility here, allowing the right airflow when driving. On the side, the region surrounding the wheels comes with a more heavily toned effect, and we loved the distinctive impression this creates. The heavy lines that streak the door-sides are gorgeous, and the well sculpted body cladding adds to the vibrant effect. The roofline of the vehicle slides upwards, engaging a more beefed up rear area. The tail-lamps on either side of the boot trail into the side portion, and we thought this struck a rather good look. The fine lines that run through the boot-side add to the refined look, while at the base, the sporty exhaust pipes pack a more thrilling look that we know few people would turn down.
INTERIOR AND COMFORT ;
Move onto the driver’s seat and one will appreciate the fresh design language from this brand. A premium grained black plastic can be seen with wood inserts that run from the door pads all through the high-set two layered dash which sport leather and silver accents. Along with the higher window line and a compact front windscreen, is a thick A-pillar that needs some adjusting to, especially while negotiating city traffic. A large premium steering with wooden inserts and the ‘Jeep’ badge can be seen adorning this dash.Unique bits that immediately catch your attention are the yacht style gear shifter and the foot operated lever which serves as a manual parking brake. As much as the wide front seats offer superior contours, good back and thigh support, and a surprising amount of lateral support, even tall occupants should find it accommodating in this SUV. There’s adequate space for one’s knick-knacks in the centre console and the door pads too.
Nevertheless, we felt that the firm contours on the rear seat made it slightly uncomfortable to be seated on. That said, even thigh support and legroom could have been much better, but as a relief, these ventilated seats can be adjusted for angle, and three abreast should be an easy affair. Two flip-up screens behind the front seats serve entertainment to the occupants, and a huge sunroof does its job by throwing in some light into the otherwise dark cabin. This five-seater sports a boot that can swallow up to 1025 litres of luggage and an electric boot lid that smartly warns with beeps while shutting.With the Cherokee Summit, one gets features such as ventilated front and rear seats, auto dimming passenger door mirror, leather trim on the dash and a steering with wooden inserts. There’s also an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, dual rear screens, electronic stability control, traction control, hill start assist, and hill descent control, to name a few.
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION ;
Powering the Grand Cherokee is a diesel motor that’s good for 240bhp and 570Nm of torque. This 3-litre V6 mill works closely with an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. On the go, when you pedal the throttle in ‘Normal’ mode, it will respond with an eager shove from idle and the motor propels this SUV to gain momentum in a swift and linear manner. One wouldn’t realise the advancement in velocity until you hear the sporty growl, or spot the revs hitting the 4000rpm limiter. Superior insulation is the culprit here! Lift the foot off the accelerator pedal and the motor immediately upshifts so that the revs are gradually dropped to as low as 1500rpm for effortless long distance driving. However, shift into ‘Sport’ mode and the engine reacts instantly through the rev range to now meet the driver’s throttle expectations by clinging to each gear all the way to the redline. Even if you back off the accelerator pedal in this mode, a lower gear is hung on to, so that the motor can plunge you ahead as soon as you feed an input.
Barring some kick-down situations where the transmission took a bit longer, the gearbox usually carries out most shifts smoothly and quickly.Engineers have equipped this Jeep with a light steering that’s quick off the centre, so basic city driving should be easy. However, this steering requires a number of turns from lock-to-lock and this means one will need to work their arms a bit to conduct tight manoeuvres. On the other hand, while highway driving is a breeze, the steering weighs up much slower at higher speeds.Despite this being mechanically correct, one will need to put in more effort to drive around a bend as the motor just slingshots to top speeds without a sweat, and could catch you unaware.
RIDE AND HANDLING ;
The Jeep Grand Cherokee features its trademark terrain response system that has an uncanny effect to work exceptionally well making the driver a mere accessory as it goes on to handle any sort of terrain that gets thrown at it. Be it snow, mud, rocks, gravel or the more difficult – streets of Mumbai – the Jeep Grand Cherokee with its Quadra-lift air suspension can tackle everything. Maybe India should have sent one of these to Mars…
As we mentioned earlier, the Jeep Grand Cherokee wears an enormous set of 20inch wheels shod with 265/50 R20 section Continental tyres. These massive wheels and tyres are phenomenal in terms of grip and handling in general. The large wheels though do pose an issue while treading through rougher patches of road and we did manage to get not one but two punctures on undulating and rough road surfaces. Although the Jeep Grand Cherokee runs on huge wheels, the ride is extremely supple due to the air suspension setup. The Jeep Grand Cherokee has most certainly been setup for comfort over performance. What did pleasantly surprise us was the ease with which one could drive this rather large car. The light steering feel that weighed down appropriately as speeds got higher was a real joy. The extremely tight turning radius of the Grand Cherokee making it extremely easy to drive for a car that is almost 5 meters long also impressed us!
SAFETY
The Summit model comes standard with the Grand Cherokee’s wide selection of active and passive safety systems. On the active side, the Summit adds Blind Spot Detection, Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and, for the first time, Lane Departure Warning and Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist. Passive systems include multi-stage airbags, seat belts, and a safety cell that envelops all five occupants.
CONCLUSSION ;
So what role does the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT fulfil in the garage of a wealthy businessman? Well, it can’t be his daily drive due to the limited range thanks to the poor fuel efficiency. It is also difficult to be his long distance tourer again due to its demanding appetite. It certainly can be his ride for the weekends when he wants to head out to his farmhouse close to the city and have some fun on the way or at the destination. It can be his ride for some parties where he would like to announce his arrival rather loudly. And in that sense, the SRT makes for a good buy.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Petrol Ex-showroom Price is 75,13,710/- and On Road Price is 93,75,603/- in Bangalore. Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Petrol comes in 5 colours, namely Deep Cherry Red,Granite Crystal,Brilliant Black,Bright White,Billet Silver.Check the price of Jeep Grand Cherokee in carzprize.com