There's something about a BIG car that I like. Can't quite put my finger on what it is, but there's a certain sense of security and safety borne from the sheer physical size.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee certainly doesn't disappoint in this department. Apart from the obviously larger van-based vehicles such as Caravelles and Vitos, the Grand Cherokee must be one of the biggest cars I can remember driving. It really is a big beast.
Combined with this gargantuan presence comes a level of space and luxury very difficult to find nowadays with the obvious exceptions of either top-of-the-range luxury marques or souped-up and customised limited editions too.
I had a great excuse to put the Grand Cherokee through its paces on a run down to Brighton and back last weekend. I appreciate that this was only going to assess its on-road capabilities, but it was a start. From the outset the Grand Cherokee feels heavy. This is two and a half tonnes of machine to push around, so I wasn't expecting it to be like a hare off the mark. What did surprise me though, was the smoothness and refinement when getting up to speed. The gearbox is well balanced and gets you up to where you want to go without any grunting, roaring or fuss. I couldn't help but be aware of the amount of fuel that must have been shooting through those injectors every time it had to be brought up to speed after stopping in town traffic though.
On the open road the Grand Cherokee is a thoroughly capable performer, with plenty of power and flexibility once really rolling. It cruises effortlessly on motorways and the rate at which the fuel gauge was dropping didn't seem quite as high as it did once we hit town again. The cruise control makes really light work of it all, and combined with the driving height, even a long journey doesn't take anything out of you. The whole ride is effortless and comfy and the excellent music and entertainment system leaves you feeling as though you are in your living room rather than a car.
It's not for the faint-hearted when it comes to parking in car parks with limited space though. It does have a reversing camera mounted at the rear, but the most disconcerting aspect of parking is that you are sat so high that it is sometimes difficult to see the vehicles each side of you, despite the television screen sized wing mirrors, which on occasion seemed to create unfeasibly large blind spots themselves, especially on the driver's side.
Let's not forget that the Jeep's design philosophy is that of a big, off-road utility vehicle. Its on-road performance is actually ancillary to what the Grand Cherokee was really built to do. Its two-mode four wheel drive system will get you across virtually any terrain you could throw at it. The high clearance and soft suspension will allow field-hopping to be done without being rattled to pieces in the process. Even when worked hard, the 3 litre diesel engine takes things comfortably in its stride and doesn't make too much noise about it. The sound insulation is really efficient, so in virtually all situations it still keeps that luxurious and relaxed environment inside.
Those who will use the Grand Cherokee for its true vocation will definitely find it to be a capable and competent performer all round, but if your idea of 'off-road' is the school car park, and if you need to ask how big the fuel tank is, then this may be just a little bit over the top for your needs. However, for those who need a good value, high specification 4x4 that is as happy on the M4 as it is in the field then it definitely won't disappoint.
Nigel Crawford
December 2009
Model Driven
3.0 CRD Limited Diesel Auto. | 
Saab 9-3 Sportwagon
