By Frank S. WashingtonDETROIT, MI – I test drove a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4X4 over a weekend and I was really impressed by what it didn’t have.
There were no leather seats. They weren’t heated or cooled either. There was no navigation system, no sun roof and no Bluetooth. What I had was what seemed to be a base model Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo without a lot of equipment. And that’s what I found impressive.
There was a premium quality to my Grand Cherokee that was absent in past generation models that were fully equipped. A satellite radio was the only extra that I could fine and that wasn’t extra; it was standard.
The interior workmanship struck me. Yes, the new Grand Cherokee had a sharp exterior design. But let’s face it; drivers don’t spend the bulk of their time looking at the vehicle. They, like me, spend their time with a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the driver’s seat. And from there my test vehicle looked pretty good.
It had a black textured top notch cloth interior. It looked like the kind of fabric you’d find on an upscale chair or sofa. The front seat cushions formed a bucket that also leant to the upscale look.
A silver satin template covered the center stack. Normally, I really don’t like the stuff but Jeep had dulled it down in terms of shine and it didn’t overwhelm the interior. That was a good thing. The seats had tall backs and headrest that were functional.
The rear seats had adjustable seatbacks and they would slide and flip forward and the head rest would flip forward for pretty easy access to the cargo area. When I pulled up the removable floor, it held the spare tire.
Jeep has come a long way in its fit and finish. The space between buttons and switches was minimal and uniform. The surfaces were tactilely pleasing and I found the illuminated cup holders and door latches a very nice touch.
The charcoal gray wood appliqué that created a side-to-side band helped to lift the upper part of the dash. From the outside, the Grand Cherokee design is round, smooth and sleek. But my test vehicle still had the hefty feel that conveyed security. That to me is one of the main selling points of a true sport-utility.
In a phrase, my Jeep Grand Cherokee was fairly nimble like a car but it gave me the secure feeling of a truck. That’s a neat engineering trick for which I don’t think Jeep has gotten enough credit.
There was a 290 horsepower V6 under the hood that made 260 pound-feet of torque. The engine was mated to a five-speed automatic transmission and that is only one of two quibbles I had with the Grand Cherokee.
Jeep, it seems to me, needs to speed development of a six-speed transmission for the Grand Cherokee. Another forward gear could have improved the mileage which had already been improved 11 percent. My vehicle’s EPA rating was 16/22 in city and highway driving.
My test vehicle had Jeep’s Quad-Trac 1 system. It means that power was put to all four wheels, 48 percent to front set and 52 percent to the rear, all of the time. It was fixed; the system would not shift torque from front to back or vice versa. But with that kind of torque split it’s hard to imagine torque shifting ever being necessary.
My other quibble was that the auxiliary jack was at the corner and on the face of the audio controls. These days most manufacturers opt to put those jacks in the center console or in the glove compartment. But then again Jeep could always argue that it’s not most manufacturers.
The bottom line is that my test vehicle had the ambiance of a premium vehicle. The materials and they way they were employed showed thought and care for driver and passengers alike. And I think after some off years, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has regained its premium credentials in the sport-utility market.
And the best part was that my test vehicle listed for $32,995. I thought that was an astoundingly good price for a quality iconic sport-utility.
Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com and
June 5, 11 – June 18, 11 Edition
