Jeep Grand Cherokee reviews

2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Driving Impressions

Jeep Grand Cherokee combines mountain-goat agility in rugged terrain with stable and responsive handling on the paved roads where most buyers will spend most of their time.

The Laredo comes standard with Chrysler's 210-hp 3.7-liter V6, borrowed from its sister trucks, the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Ram, with its own five-speed overdrive automatic transmission. The 3.7-liter uses single overhead cams and has been upgraded for '07 with electronic throttle control. The V6 gets an EPA-rated 17/22 mpg City/Highway, significantly better than any of the V8s.

The 4.7-liter V8, on the other hand, works really well in the Grand Cherokee. This modern, overhead-cam engine is a paragon of power and smoothness for around-town and highway driving. It has a broad torque band, a lovely sound, and electronic throttle control (drive-by-wire) that's easy to use and precise in tricky downhill off-road situations. If you don't live in the mountains and don't usually tow anything, this engine might be your best choice. The 4.7-liter V8 produces 235 horsepower at 4500 rpm and 305 pound-feet of torque at 3600 rpm. It's EPA-rated at 15/20 mpg. And for 2007, in 45 states, it's flex-fuel capable, meaning it can run on gasoline or up to 85 percent ethanol (i.e. E-85).

The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is a thoroughly modern engine, featuring twin spark plugs, direct ignition, and electronic throttle control, though it is a pushrod-overhead-valve design. The 5.7-liter Hemi produces 330 horsepower at 5000 rpm and 375 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. Fuel economy is an EPA-rated 15/20 mpg. Note that it delivers much stronger torque yet matches the fuel economy of the 4.7-liter. Torque is that force that propels you from intersections and helps you tow trailers up long grades. Its highway fuel economy is at least partly thanks to the automatic cylinder deactivation feature, which shuts down four of the engine's eight cylinders whenever it detects a steady-state cruise condition and then reactivates them on demand. DaimlerChrysler claims this can improve fuel economy by up to 20 percent.

Both V8 engines get a heavy-duty five-speed automatic transmission with a direct fourth gear for towing. Both this transmission and the five-speed automatic that's mated to the V6 feature the Chrysler/Mercedes-Benz manual override function.

In the first quarter of calendar-year 2007, Jeep buyers will be able to choose a 3.0-liter common-rail turbo-diesel (CRD) V6, engineered by Mercedes-Benz, that produces 215 horsepower at 4000 rpm and 376 pound-feet of torque at 2000 rpm. That's as much torque as the Hemi, at half the engine speed. Towing capacity will also match the Hemi, at 7400 pounds (with 2WD); while EPA fuel economy of 19/23 mpg will yield a driving range of over 400 miles on one tank of fuel. New clean-diesel technology reduces carbon-dioxide emissions by 20 percent. The CRD will not be available in Maine, New York, Vermont, Connecticut or California.

The Grand Cherokee offers a nicer ride and better cornering than any other Jeep in history. We don't recommend flinging 4500-pound SUVs into corners, but the Grand Cherokee can encourage this sort of socially unacceptable behavior because it's easy to drive and rewarding within the limits of its tires. There seems to be a flatfooted, glued-down attitude with this Jeep. The steering is reasonably quick and accurate, and nicely weighted. A tight, 37.1-foot turning circle provides advantages off-road as well as in crowded parking lots or when making a U-turn. It feels more like a truck than do other SUVs, however.

Tow ratings are 3,500 pounds for the 3.7-liter V6, 6,500 pounds for the 4.7-liter V8, and 7,400 pounds (7,200 with 4WD) for the 5.7-liter Hemi or 3.0-liter turbo-diesel. A tow package is available for the 4.7-liter that boosts its rating to 7,200 pounds. The high-performance SRT8 is rated to tow just 3,500 pounds, however, so think twice about ordering the fast