Price as tested: £49,495
Top Speed: 126 MPH
Engine: 3-litre V6 turbo diesel
0-62 MPH: 8.2 seconds
Performance: 247 BHP
Combined CO2: 198 G/KM
What the kind-hearted and informative service
provider has failed to appreciate was that I was
in no way pledging my allegiance to a certain
brand of black sugary fizzy beverage, but simply
using the word that has come to represent all
drinks of that nature. A 'Coke' is such a universally
understood term, that it has become generic. It
has usurped the names of all other brands in the
hearts and minds of consumers, and generally,
unless you are a waiter in a chain restaurant who
is contractually obliged to name the alternative
brand they are tied into using, everybody knows
precisely what you mean when you say it.
wheels, and smaller, hi-tech looking LED
headlights that add to the instantaneous eyecatching nature of this model.
And it's also true with Jeep.
What's more, the accessibility of the driving
controls include a three-dial TFT (Thin Film
Transistor) display, instead of traditional needledriven instruments. This affords ease-of-use and
makes for an excellent driving experience, which
is exactly what you want in the Grand Cherokee.
Long before school-run mums pootled along to
the gates of the local primary school to safely
ferry their younglings home, Jeeps were being
shot at on battlefields and hurtled across ploughed
fields, many with cattle in the boot. Jeep is to
the USA, what Land Rover is to the UK — the
original, and many would argue, the best of the
best. The standard to which all other brands
aspire, the abbreviated term 'let's take the Jeep'
is used for all cars of the same ilk, in many
households across the world.
Jeep has always moved with the times, and the
latest incarnation shows plenty of evidence of
this. Externally, the Grand Cherokee appears
more sculpted and stylish than its predecessors.
Once upon a time the Jeep wore its rugged
manliness like a 70's aftershave favoured by
Henry Cooper, whereas these days, its handsome
good looks and newfound feminine touch means
it appeals to drivers of either gender. You get the
impression that no expense is spared on build,
with plenty of shiny chrome on its bumpers and
Economy: Combined 37.7 MPG
The feel of quality is extended once you clamber
up into the Jeep, where inside the cabin you are
treated to a cornucopia of different materials
including wood trim, leather and suede. An
impressively large digital touch screen display
sits in the centre of the dash, promising (and
delivering) a perfectly controlled handling of the
heating and ventilation system, stereo and sat
nav.
The diesel option we road-tested came with a
satisfying 3-litre V6 engine, which despite weighing
2.5 tons, can go from 0-62 mph in 8.2 seconds,
has a top speed of 126 mph and manages an
impressive 37.7 combined MPG — competing
well with other four-wheel drives that contain
considerably smaller engines. This combination
of raw power with efficiency is something that
really sets the Jeep apart from its rivals, and
understandably it's these such traits that
make for an attractive option when it comes to
towing horse boxes, or large white things behind
the car.
True to form for a proper Jeep, the four-wheel
drive options went far beyond those of the average
soft-roader and included a separate dial-in
function with options for snow, mud and sand,
as well as a four-wheel lock mode, meaning this
car isn't planning to get stuck anywhere!
On a straight road the Jeep feels enjoyably
powerful, and produces a very satisfying roar,
whilst it handles bends in a predictable and
comfortable fashion. You never feel like you are
at the mercy of a large, powerful car, rather that
you are fully in control of a car that has power
when you need it, and in all the right ways. It is
easy to drive, and it's easy to forget you are
driving a large car (right up to the point where
you step out of the car absent-mindedly, as I did
when leaping out to take some quick photos,
and find yourself plummeting earthwards).
The latest Grand Cherokee Jeep builds on the
heritage and pedigree that came before it, and
will no doubt endear the brand to a whole new
generation of fans, as well as keeping its existing
ones happy. In fact having kicked off this article
by comparing its fame to that of a well-known
soft drink, I am left wondering which other vehicle
could possibly be mistaken for such an iconic
entity, as the Jeep?
Chrysler Jeep Maidstone
Performance House
Forstal Road
Maidstone
ME20 7XA
01622 238379
www.lipscomb.co.uk/chrysler-jeep
www.insidekentmagazine.co.uk
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