2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee updated. Words Sam Purcell Jeep has injected some fresh life into the Grand Cherokee, which has been running around since 2009. The new model has an updated look, refreshed interior and tweaked engine outputs. The Grand Cherokee…
2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee updated.
Words Sam Purcell
Jeep has injected some fresh life into the Grand Cherokee, which has been running around since 2009. The new model has an updated look, refreshed interior and tweaked engine outputs. The Grand Cherokee has been a real winner for Jeep, but sales have dropped a lot in the last couple of years. Affected by negative brand perception and exchange rates, yearly sales slumped by 28% in 2015 and fell a further 46% in 2016. Clearly, Australians have fallen out of love with the five-seat 4X4 wagon.
For images, videos and the full RV Daily experience, read this in our online magazine.
Inside the new Grand Cherokee is a sizeable infotainment screen, which sports all of the latest phone connectivity and tech. There’s also a new design for the gear selector – moving away from a former design that did cause the model some problems.
The 3.6 Pentastar petrol V6 has an upgraded power output, delivering 213kW. The 3.0-litre diesel (184kW/570Nm) and 6.4-litre Hemi V8 (344kW/624Nm) remain the same, but economy is improved through electric power steering and an updated, more efficient, eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The Grand Cherokee still sports a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, and does represent great value for money when compared to Toyota’s LandCruiser Prado and Ford’s Everest. The cheapest configuration is a 2WD Laredo at $47,500 (or $52,500 for a 4X4 model), going up to $91,000 for the specced-out and very powerful SRT model. There is also an off-road biased Trailhawk version which goes for $74,000.
