StarTelegram.com
Special to the Star-Telegram
By G. Chambers Williams III
Jeep introduced the next generation of its Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle
during the recent media preview of the New York auto show, a 2011 model that goes on sale early next year.
While some in the auto community thought the Grand Cherokee might be discontinued because of the severe decline in SUV demand brought on by last year’s high gasoline prices, that was never Chrysler’s intention.
Instead, the Grand Cherokee – one of the Jeep brand’s stalwarts during the SUV boom of the ’90s and early 2000s – gets a complete redesign as a no-compromises crossover utility vehicle based on the architecture of the Mercedes-Benz M-class SUV.
Nowhere in Jeep’s literature for the new model does the term "crossover" appear, however, because unlike the typical crossover, the Grand Cherokee is designed to be about as off-road capable as a Jeep vehicle can be.
Jeep introduced the next generation of its Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle
during the recent media preview of the New York auto show, a 2011 model that goes on sale early next year.
While some in the auto community thought the Grand Cherokee might be discontinued because of the severe decline in SUV demand brought on by last year’s high gasoline prices, that was never Chrysler’s intention.
Instead, the Grand Cherokee – one of the Jeep brand’s stalwarts during the SUV boom of the ’90s and early 2000s – gets a complete redesign as a no-compromises crossover utility vehicle based on the architecture of the Mercedes-Benz M-class SUV.
Nowhere in Jeep’s literature for the new model does the term "crossover" appear, however, because unlike the typical crossover, the Grand Cherokee is designed to be about as off-road capable as a Jeep vehicle can be.
While it is offered in two-wheel-drive versions, which would be comparable to most of the two-wheel-drive crossovers in design, ride and handling, the 2011 Grand Cherokee also will be available with serious trail-rated four-wheel drive, so that off-road aficionados can enjoy the highways and the byways.
Technically, the Grand Cherokee has always been a crossover, going by the strict definition of that term – a sport utility vehicle on a unibody chassis like that of a car, rather than having the body-on-steel-frame arrangement of a truck.
For 2011, the Grand Cherokee continues with a unibody arrangement, but it’s completely new inside and out, using the chassis of the redesigned M-class, which moved to the unibody format with the introduction of the second generation for 2006.
Of course, at that time, Daimler and Chrysler were part of the same company. The redesign of the Grand Cherokee is one of the last of the new Chrysler vehicles to benefit from the former marriage of the American and German automakers.
The Grand Cherokee was introduced in 1992 to replace the venerable Cherokee, which then remained in production anyway for nearly another decade, until the less-expensive Cherokee was replaced by the Jeep Liberty. Throughout most of its life, it has been the premium Jeep SUV offering, at least until the Commander joined the lineup four years ago.
Technically, the Grand Cherokee has always been a crossover, going by the strict definition of that term – a sport utility vehicle on a unibody chassis like that of a car, rather than having the body-on-steel-frame arrangement of a truck.
For 2011, the Grand Cherokee continues with a unibody arrangement, but it’s completely new inside and out, using the chassis of the redesigned M-class, which moved to the unibody format with the introduction of the second generation for 2006.
Of course, at that time, Daimler and Chrysler were part of the same company. The redesign of the Grand Cherokee is one of the last of the new Chrysler vehicles to benefit from the former marriage of the American and German automakers.
The Grand Cherokee was introduced in 1992 to replace the venerable Cherokee, which then remained in production anyway for nearly another decade, until the less-expensive Cherokee was replaced by the Jeep Liberty. Throughout most of its life, it has been the premium Jeep SUV offering, at least until the Commander joined the lineup four years ago.
The new model will be capable of towing trailers weighing up to 7,500 pounds. Even with the return of high gasoline prices, not everyone will give up his boat, camper or horse trailer, especially here in Texas. And those people will still need a good tow vehicle that can pull the trailer and haul the family to that favorite leisure spot.
Although the body has been extensively redesigned, it still looks like a Grand Cherokee, which has always been differentiated from the Cherokee by its more-rounded edges. That continues for 2011, along with the traditional Jeep seven-slot grille, short front and rear overhangs, and trapezoid-shaped wheel arches.
The wider stance makes it look more aggressive, but also helps with stability.
The wider stance makes it look more aggressive, but also helps with stability.
You can read more about the new Grand Cherokee here: http://bit.ly/C7w93
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