Jeep’s grand adventure

You certainly feel safe in the Jeep Grand Cherokee

If you’re new to the Jeep brand one of the first things you’ll be asking yourself as you slip into the luxurious heated leather driver’s seat of the Grand Cherokee is ‘how the hell do I turn on the wipers’’, even more so if it happens to be raining when you do so. Indicators and wiper controls sharing one steering wheel stalk is one of the more unusual features for European drivers of the iconic American brand.

The Grand Cherokee is the big brother of the Compass and you certainly do feel safe in this big and sturdy-looking vehicle. Inside the massive cabin, there’s a beautiful leather and wood trim, with a leather steering wheel, height adjustable driver’s seat with memory settings and heated seats throughout. Rear windows have tinted privacy glass.

The sound system in this car really is a gem. As well as the usual radio/CD/USB/Bluetooth, the Grand Cherokee also has its own 30GB hard drive that you can transfer close to 7,000 songs on to. Leg room is extremely generous both back and front, with rear seats almost in their own post code. The boot in this car, as you would expect, is also massive with the option of extra space by lowering the back seats.

The wood trim in the cabin brightens up the interior

Driving-wise there was a handy rear reversing camera in the model I was driving, as well as both back and front parking sensors. Cruise control was also fitted, as was stop and start technology. A four wheel drive, it offered 4WD/snow/mud and sport driving options. Unfortunately for me, the weather was good the week I was driving it so I didn’t get to test those options.

While you could slightly feel the gear changes in auto mode, sports mode was a dream.

The Grand Cherokee really is a big car but it looks bigger than it actually feels to handle. I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive taking it into a sloping underground car park for the first time – but of course I needn’t have worried.

While for the most part I liked the Grand Cherokee, of course, there were a few little niggles. I didn’t like the foot brake rather than a hand brake and my right hand was reaching into space to turn on the wipers for most of the time I had the car. However, those gripes aside, the auto diesel car I was driving was luxurious and well equipped and best of all, I enjoyed driving it.

The Grand Cherokee Limited CRD I was driving is available from €63,295, with prices for the Overland starting from €79,090.

Tech Spec.
Engine: Limited 3.0CRD 241hp 5s Auto 4X4
Acceleration: 0-100kph in 8.2s
Maximum Speed: 203kph
Combined fuel consumption: 8.3l l/100km
CO2 emissions: 218g/km
Annual road tax:  €1,129

A version of this article first appeared in Metro Herald