Test drive Jeep Grand Cherokee
The new Grand Cherokee will appear in two years, and the current car is changed for the second time. Bumpers, grilles and LEDs are standard, but there is something more important for those who love real off-road hardware.
There is a sign nailed to the tree with the words “Attention! This is not PlayStation, but reality. " And the caption below: "Jeep". An hour ago, the updated Grand Cherokee SRT8 flew on the road of the unlimited autobahn in the vicinity of Frankfurt at almost maximum speed, and now it is proposed to go about 250 times slower.
The instructor asks to use all available off-road arsenal, fully raise the suspension and turn on the assistance system when descending from the mountain at minimum speed. By this time, the SRT8 had to be changed to a less fast car, but even on it, driving at a speed of one kilometer per hour seemed like sheer torment. “Otherwise, you risk not staying on the road,” the instructor smiles. Okay, let's say three kilometers per hour - that's at least three times faster.
By Russian standards, everything that happened up to this moment is sheer nonsense. Moderate bumps and a light layer of snow on the frozen ground are not the kind of coverage for which you need to buy an updated Jeep Grand Cherokee in the new, most packaged version of the Trailhawk. But it turned out that the warning sign was not hanging for fun - behind the hillock of the prepared track suddenly began a thorough descent with potholes, into which it was scary to enter even at this walking speed. And when the slope became even stronger, the car began to work desperately with the brakes, but it could not fit into the 90-degree turn between two strong trees on the slope. The speed of 3 km / h was too high for such a steep and slippery place. The ABS did not work, the heavy Grand Cherokee pulled forward and stopped only due to the fact that the wheels rested on the logs specially placed outside the turn. "Slow down," the instructor calmly repeated, "off-road does not like fuss."
The Trailhawk is a really serious machine with a Quadra-Drive II transmission, a rear differential lock, increased air suspension travel and solid "toothy" tires. Externally, it features a matte bonnet decal, special nameplates and bright red display tow hooks. Moreover, the lower part of the front bumper comes unfastened to improve the geometry of the body, although the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk already has an impressive 29,8 and 22,8 degrees of approach and approach angles - three and eight degrees more than the standard version. And without the "extra" plastic in the front, you can even measure 36,1 degrees - more only for Land Rover Defender and Hummer H3.
Fortunately, there was no need to unfasten the bumper, but the passengers hung out in the cabin quite thoroughly while the Jeep rolled from one half-meter deep hole to another. To the official 205 mm ground clearance in the Off-Road 2 air suspension mode, another 65 mm is added, and in deep potholes, the Grand Cherokee swings up quite dramatically, without losing contact with the road. Quadra-Drive II handled diagonal suspension without much difficulty, and at moments when only one wheel out of four remained in normal support, the Trailhawk required only a little more time to shift the engine torque and work the brakes that helped the electronics juggle traction on the wheels. All this time, the drawn little car on the instrument panel display virtually repeated what was happening outside in reality with the wheels and the steering wheel.
There was already a Trailhawk version in the Grand Cherokee range, but four years ago this word in the company meant cosmetic improvements and stronger off-road tires. And after the current update, this is the official tough off-road version that will become the ideological successor to the Overland performance. In terms of a set of external attributes, technical charge and general wow factor, it perhaps surpasses even the super-powerful Grand Cherokee SRT8. And this version is the most important thing that happened to the fourth generation Jeep Grand Cherokee after the second restyling.
The 2 WK2010 model received its first update in 2013, when the Grand Cherokee received a more intricate face with sophisticated optics, a less playful rear end and a well-modernized interior. It was then that the Americans abandoned the archaic monochrome displays and devices in the wells, installed a modern high-resolution media system, a convenient climate control panel, a nice steering wheel and a touch-sensitive "fungus" of the automatic transmission lever. Now the family has returned to the traditional automatic transmission selector, given a wider range of assistant systems, and the appearance has been brought into complete harmony. The shape of the headlights remains the same, but the design of the bumper has become simpler and more elegant, and the taillights are now visually narrower and lighter.
No matter how electronic the interior of the twice updated car may seem, there is still a certain old-schoolness in it. Landing is not at all easy, the ranges of adjustment of the steering wheel and seats are limited. These are the features of a conditionally frame structure, but you sit high above the stream, and this gives a pleasant feeling of superiority. It is also very spacious here, even taking into account the powerful SRT version seats, which are also installed on the Trailhawk by default. Hanging on the strong side supports of the seats in the next mega-hole, you understand that this is quite justified. And you will have to get used to the only steering column lever that Jeep has left since the collaboration with Daimler.
It also seems quite old school in the Grand Cherokee that you can get confused in versions and modifications. You can't just choose the level of equipment - each version implies a certain set of engine, transmission and exterior trim. At the moment, the Russian line has not been formed, but it will look, presumably, like this: the initial Laredo and Limited with a 6 gasoline V3,0 and a simpler Quadra Trac II transmission, a little higher - a Trailhawk with a 3,6 liter engine. And on top, apart from the SRT8 version, there should be a new Summit modification with a full set of electronics, more refined interior trim and a completely civilian appearance with plastic bumper skirts and sills without any unpainted elements. However, this may not be brought to Russia. Most likely, there will not be a 5,7-liter "eight" - the most powerful will be the 468-horsepower V8 of the SRT8 version.
The naturally aspirated 3,6 engine develops 286 hp. and it seems perfectly sufficient even in the age of turbo engines. Fuel consumption for an SUV weighing more than 2 tons remains quite moderate, and in terms of dynamics, everything is in order. Even on the highway it is quite comfortable to walk - the reserve is felt, although there is no need to wait for extreme acceleration. The 8-speed "automatic" is almost perfect: shifting occurs quickly, without jerking, delays and confusion in gears. The manual mode also works adequately. Discomfort at track speeds is caused only by the hum of the tires, making its way through the generally good sound insulation, but this only applies to the Trailhawk version with its toothed tires.
Alas, the basic three-liter version with 238 hp. I could not try, but experience suggests that it will give a little to a car with a V6 3,6. In an amicable way, the three-liter gasoline version could generally be removed in favor of a diesel of the same volume, because in the SUV segment such engines are in strong demand even in our country. The American 250-horsepower diesel paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission is really good, and with it the Grand Cherokee is in no way inferior in dynamics to a gasoline car. The diesel engine pulls without much emotion, but it is always lucky reliably and with a tangible margin. On the German Autobahn, the diesel Grand Cherokee can easily reach a cruising 190 km / h, but you don't want to anymore. The driving feel of the SUV offers everything the same as before: good directional stability at moderate speeds, slightly increased demands on the driver at high speeds, slightly sluggish brakes that require strong effort.
The super-powerful SRT8 is quite another matter, which is a typical muscle car in the off-road segment. It may seem that there is a whole V12 here, but in fact it is an atmospheric "eight", which growls menacingly and insolently drags a two-ton car. The SRT8 is pleasant to look at both in the rearview mirror and in the windshield - it looks solidly knocked down, aggressive and, in a good way, heavy. It doesn't seem like much fun in corners, but the SRT8 is beautiful on the straight, and it certainly has the ability to delight tech geeks who enjoy playing with onboard electronics. Instead of a set of off-road algorithms, it offers a selection of sports, including personalized ones, and in the Uconnect system, a set of acceleration graphs and race timers. But he has no air suspension and lower gear, and the ground clearance is less. It is understandable why the SRT8 was not allowed to approach the forest track.
It is possible that the current Grand Cherokee will be the last truly brutal SUV in the series. The next generation model, which is promised to be presented within the next two years, is being built on the Alfa Romeo Stelvio lightweight platform, and in the basic version it will be rear-wheel drive. Adherents of the brand will probably begin to say that the "Grand" is no longer the same, and to scold the marketers, but this does not mean that fans of real hardware will only have to play computer simulators. The Grand Cherokee was and remains, if not an icon of the brand, then at least its most recognizable product, and this product can really coolly do what the brand is famous for. Finally, it really looks great not only on the PlayStation screen or its own media system, but also in reality, especially if this reality consists of half-meter potholes and dirt.
| Body type | ||
| Universal | Universal | Universal |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | ||
| 4821 / 1943 / 1802 | 4821 / 1943 / 1802 | 4846 / 1954 / 1749 |
| Wheelbase, mm | ||
| 2915 | 2915 | 2915 |
| Curb weight, kg | ||
| 2443 | 2266 | 2418 |
| engine's type | ||
| Gasoline, V6 | Gasoline, V6 | Gasoline, V8 |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | ||
| 2985 | 3604 | 6417 |
| Power, hp from. at rpm | ||
| 238 at 6350 | 286 at 6350 | 468 at 6250 |
| Max. torque, Nm at rpm | ||
| 295 at 4500 | 347 at 4300 | 624 at 4100 |
| Transmission, drive | ||
| 8-st. Automatic gearbox, full | 8-st. Automatic gearbox, full | 8-st. Automatic gearbox, full |
| Maximum speed km / h | ||
| ND | 206 | 257 |
| Acceleration to 100 km / h, s | ||
| 9,8 | 8,3 | 5,0 |
| Fuel consumption, l (city / highway / mixed) | ||
| n.d. / n.d. / 10,2 | 14,3 / 8,2 / 10,4 | 20,3 / 9,6 / 13,5 |
| Cargo space, l | ||
| 782 - 1554 | 782 - 1554 | 782 - 1554 |
| Price from, $. | ||
| ND | ND | ND |
