Jeep brings the Grand Cherokee to the premium SUV market with the 2011 model, offering a refined interior and ride. But the Grand Cherokee is no slouch, able to tackle tough terrain with its off-road systems.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Chrysler has gone through some rocky territory over the last few years, but internally the company kept working on making a new Jeep Grand Cherokee that would compete well in the premium SUV segment. The 2011 model is a good indication that Chrysler can build quality and refinement.
The Grand Cherokee incorporates Jeep's seven-bar grille, a design cue that Jeep regards as important to the brand. But the sides and rear of the vehicle have a less individualistic look.
This 3.6-liter V-6, a new engine for Jeep, uses variable-valve timing to eke out 290 horsepower. It gets the Grand Cherokee around, but does not feel powerful. A 5.7-liter V-8 is also available.
The Grand Cherokee can be had with an air suspension, giving it an extra 2.6 inches of clearance as needed. Its all-wheel-drive system uses advanced technology to help it keep grip in tough terrain.
Jeep used quality materials in the cabin, and it shows good fit. The cabin electronics could use some refinement, but they do bring in many useful features.
Unlike other high-tech Chrysler company vehicles we've seen, this one puts a voice command button on the steering-wheel spoke, making it easy to access. The arrows control an instrument cluster display.
The five-speed automatic is a little simple for a 2011 model. We would like to see a six-speed in the Grand Cherokee. There is also no manual gear selection.
The Selec-Terrain knob lets you dial in the Grand Cherokee's electronic road-holding systems for different surfaces. The Sport mode dials down traction control, letting the vehicle rotate a little in the turns.
This media-center head unit is standard in the Limited trim version but does not include navigation. Jeep is integrating a Garmin GPS system into the head unit at a later date.
The satellite radio interface is indicative of how generally cluttered the various screens are. The look is not in keeping with the Grand Cherokee's premium SUV character.
Although the interface does not offer much feedback on the phone system, we found that the voice command system works very well. For example, we could dial a contact in our phone by saying the name of that person.
