Jeep Grand Cherokee Overview

The Jeep Grand Cherokee offers superior off-road capability comparable to that of the upscale Land Rover LR3. This makes the Grand Cherokee a fine choice for families who venture off-road or vacation in the mountains or other remote areas.

Its edgy and angular lines make it instantly recognizable as a Jeep. Inside, the atmosphere is light, comfortable, and enveloping, with lots of seat adjustments, and excellent outward vision around relatively slim windshield posts.

With nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo space, the Grand Cherokee is useful for hauling whatever a family may need.

A wide range of engines is available. The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is updated for 2009, increasing from 330 to 357 horsepower. The Hemi is particularly good for towing or driving at higher elevations. The high-performance SRT8 model has a 420-horsepower 6.1-liter Hemi V8 and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. The smaller, 4.7-liter overhead-cam V8 works quite well and it can run on gasoline or up to 85 percent ethanol.

The Grand Cherokee also offers a Mercedes-Benz 3.0-liter common-rail turbo-diesel (CRD) V6, allowing it to tow up to 7,400 pounds (with proper equipment) and range 425 miles between fill-ups. The diesel engine makes it frugal for an SUV of its size.

Grand Cherokee was last redesigned for the 2005 model year. The current Grand Cherokee offers better handling than that of pre-2005 models, leaning less in corners. It rides better on all surfaces and its turning radius is tighter.

Four-wheel-drive models have hill-start assist and hill-descent control. Hill-start assist holds the brakes on a hill to allow smooth launches. Hill-descent control uses the ABS to control the rate of speed when driving down steep hills.

A trailer sway control system is available that applies braking pressure to individual wheels to help stabilize trailers during towing.

Also new for 2009 is tire-pressure monitoring and fuel saver notification displays in the instrument panel, an available 9-inch rear DVD entertainment screen in place of an 8-inch screen, and an available iPod interface.