Jeep engineers and designers paid attention to the details with the 2011 Grand Cherokee, and we've come to appreciate them now that we've spent so much time with our Four Seasons test vehicle. All of the Grand Cherokee's new luxury touches elevate the Jeep flagship from its former status as a commodity crossover to a vehicle that can mix with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, the Lexus RX350, and the Land Rover LR4. We're talking about amenities like automatic high-beam headlights, and heated and cooled front seats, and a remote start system that turns on the heated seats and steering wheel and rear defroster when the temperature is close to the freezing point. Great stuff.
The Jeep folks were also smart enough not to ditch features from the old Grand Cherokee that still worked, like the steering wheel-mounted audio controls. "Jeep has had these back-of-the-steering wheel buttons forever, and they're great once you've memorized what they do," says senior editor Joe Lorio. "The left rocker is for volume, the right rocker is for seeking. It's that simple, and they fall right to hand, positioned at nine and three."
As much as the Grand Cherokee has evolved into a serious luxury vehicle, it still has its rough-road chops. Our Grand Cherokee Overland is equipped with Jeep's Quadra-Trac II four-wheel-drive system, which features a two-speed transfer case and five off-road modes. We've also got an adjustable air suspension and a full set of underbody skid plates. It's all easy to control via clearly marked dials and buttons in the center console, something copy editor Rusty Blackwell appreciated when he encountered flooded roads in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area during the NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four in April.
Finding his way around the MSP metroplex proved to be a frustrating endeavor for Blackwell, though, as he found the outdated navigation system to be too slow to refresh and hard to decipher: "The cartoonish car icon is dozens of miles long when you zoom out," he complained. However, assistant editor David Zenlea counters all of our kvetching with a very astute point: "It offers a big security advantage over a store-bought Garmin -- this one is impossible to lose and much harder to steal." Thank you, Zenlea, for bringing us back down to earth and reminding us that the navigation interface is only one minor problem in an otherwise impressive vehicle.
Associate editor Eric Tingwall aptly sums up our feelings so far -- "If you can forgive the sluggish five-speed transmission, the Grand Cherokee nails the fundamentals. The chassis and development teams have done a great job, with great ride, admirable handling, and fabulously weighted steering. They really sweated the small stuff."
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4
Base price (with dest.): $42,690
Price as tested: $45,805
Overview
Body Style: SUV
Accommodation: 5-passenger
Construction: uni-body
Powertrain
Engine: VVT Pentastar V-6
Displacement: 3.6 liters
Power: 290 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 260 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Drive: Four-wheel
Fuel economy: 16 / 22 / 18 mpg (city/hwy/combined)
Chassis
Steering: Electronically-assisted power steering
Turning Circle: 36.7 ft
Suspension, Front: MacPherson strut/ coil spring
Suspension, Rear: Multi-link/ coil spring
Brakes F/R: Power-assisted ventilated disc/disc; ABS
Wheels: 18 x 8.0-inch polished aluminum
Tires: Michelin Latitude Tour
Tire Size: 265/60R18 109T
Measurements
Headroom F/R: 39.9 / 39.2 in
Legroom F/R: 40.3 / 38.6 in
Shoulder Room F/R: 58.7 / 58.0 in
Wheelbase: 114.8 in
Track F/R: 63.9 / 64.1 in
L x W x H: 189.8 x 84.8 x 69.3 in
Cargo Capacity: 36.3 / 68.3 cu ft (rear seats folded)
Weight: 4850 lb
Fuel Capacity: 24.6 gal
Est. Range: 440 miles
Fuel Grade: 87 octane
Standard Equipment
3.6-liter V-6 engine
5-speed automatic transmission
Quadra-Trac II 4WD system
Hill descent control
Electronic stability control
Selec-Terrain system
Quadra-Lift air suspension
ParkView rear backup camera
ParkSense rear park assist system
Trailer tow group
Keyless enter-n-go
Hill start assist
Trailer swap damping
Remote start system
Rain-sensing windshield wipers
Heated front and rear seats
Vented front seats
8-way power front seats
60/40 rear split/fold seats
Dual-zone automatic climate control
Uconnect hands-free phone system
30 GB hard drive with 6700-song capacity
9 premium speakers with 506-watt amp and subwoofer
Sirius satellite radio
Heated steering wheel with audio controls
Wood/leather wrapped steering wheel
Power tilt/telescoping steering column
115-volt auxiliary power outlet
20-inch wheels
Command view dual-pane panoramic sunroof
Power liftgate
Smartbeam headlamps
Bi-Xenon headlamps with auto-leveling
Power heated mirrors with memory
Daytime running lights
Options
Rear DVD entertainment center -- $1495
Rear overhead console
Rear seat video overhead system
Power single-pane sunroof
Advanced warning and adaptive cruise control -- $1295
Blind spot monitoring and rear cross path detection
Adaptive speed control
Forward collision warning
Off-Road adventure II package -- $295
18 x 8.0-inch aluminum polished wheels
P265/60R18 on/off-road tires
Skid plate group
Tow hooks
Trail rated badge
Engine block heater -- $50
The Jeep folks were also smart enough not to ditch features from the old Grand Cherokee that still worked, like the steering wheel-mounted audio controls. "Jeep has had these back-of-the-steering wheel buttons forever, and they're great once you've memorized what they do," says senior editor Joe Lorio. "The left rocker is for volume, the right rocker is for seeking. It's that simple, and they fall right to hand, positioned at nine and three."
As much as the Grand Cherokee has evolved into a serious luxury vehicle, it still has its rough-road chops. Our Grand Cherokee Overland is equipped with Jeep's Quadra-Trac II four-wheel-drive system, which features a two-speed transfer case and five off-road modes. We've also got an adjustable air suspension and a full set of underbody skid plates. It's all easy to control via clearly marked dials and buttons in the center console, something copy editor Rusty Blackwell appreciated when he encountered flooded roads in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area during the NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four in April.
Finding his way around the MSP metroplex proved to be a frustrating endeavor for Blackwell, though, as he found the outdated navigation system to be too slow to refresh and hard to decipher: "The cartoonish car icon is dozens of miles long when you zoom out," he complained. However, assistant editor David Zenlea counters all of our kvetching with a very astute point: "It offers a big security advantage over a store-bought Garmin -- this one is impossible to lose and much harder to steal." Thank you, Zenlea, for bringing us back down to earth and reminding us that the navigation interface is only one minor problem in an otherwise impressive vehicle.
Associate editor Eric Tingwall aptly sums up our feelings so far -- "If you can forgive the sluggish five-speed transmission, the Grand Cherokee nails the fundamentals. The chassis and development teams have done a great job, with great ride, admirable handling, and fabulously weighted steering. They really sweated the small stuff."
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4
Base price (with dest.): $42,690
Price as tested: $45,805
Overview
Body Style: SUV
Accommodation: 5-passenger
Construction: uni-body
Powertrain
Engine: VVT Pentastar V-6
Displacement: 3.6 liters
Power: 290 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 260 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Drive: Four-wheel
Fuel economy: 16 / 22 / 18 mpg (city/hwy/combined)
Chassis
Steering: Electronically-assisted power steering
Turning Circle: 36.7 ft
Suspension, Front: MacPherson strut/ coil spring
Suspension, Rear: Multi-link/ coil spring
Brakes F/R: Power-assisted ventilated disc/disc; ABS
Wheels: 18 x 8.0-inch polished aluminum
Tires: Michelin Latitude Tour
Tire Size: 265/60R18 109T
Measurements
Headroom F/R: 39.9 / 39.2 in
Legroom F/R: 40.3 / 38.6 in
Shoulder Room F/R: 58.7 / 58.0 in
Wheelbase: 114.8 in
Track F/R: 63.9 / 64.1 in
L x W x H: 189.8 x 84.8 x 69.3 in
Cargo Capacity: 36.3 / 68.3 cu ft (rear seats folded)
Weight: 4850 lb
Fuel Capacity: 24.6 gal
Est. Range: 440 miles
Fuel Grade: 87 octane
Standard Equipment
3.6-liter V-6 engine
5-speed automatic transmission
Quadra-Trac II 4WD system
Hill descent control
Electronic stability control
Selec-Terrain system
Quadra-Lift air suspension
ParkView rear backup camera
ParkSense rear park assist system
Trailer tow group
Keyless enter-n-go
Hill start assist
Trailer swap damping
Remote start system
Rain-sensing windshield wipers
Heated front and rear seats
Vented front seats
8-way power front seats
60/40 rear split/fold seats
Dual-zone automatic climate control
Uconnect hands-free phone system
30 GB hard drive with 6700-song capacity
9 premium speakers with 506-watt amp and subwoofer
Sirius satellite radio
Heated steering wheel with audio controls
Wood/leather wrapped steering wheel
Power tilt/telescoping steering column
115-volt auxiliary power outlet
20-inch wheels
Command view dual-pane panoramic sunroof
Power liftgate
Smartbeam headlamps
Bi-Xenon headlamps with auto-leveling
Power heated mirrors with memory
Daytime running lights
Options
Rear DVD entertainment center -- $1495
Rear overhead console
Rear seat video overhead system
Power single-pane sunroof
Advanced warning and adaptive cruise control -- $1295
Blind spot monitoring and rear cross path detection
Adaptive speed control
Forward collision warning
Off-Road adventure II package -- $295
18 x 8.0-inch aluminum polished wheels
P265/60R18 on/off-road tires
Skid plate group
Tow hooks
Trail rated badge
Engine block heater -- $50
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