JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

An American answer to the European-dominated luxury SUV segment, and a solid one at that

- BENJAMIN GRACIAS

While the ‘Wrangler’ nameplate has been synonymous with off-roading since time immemorial, the ‘Grand Cherokee’ is a well-versed name for a more luxurious but almost as capable SUV for decades. In fact, Jeep even sold the fourth-generation Grand Cherokee in India and I even remember hooning around in a surprisingly quick Grand Cherokee SRT. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is now back in its fifth-generation avatar and is being locally assembled at the SUV maker’s Ranjangaon facility making the luxury SUV a fine left-field alternative with the added benefit of being a true-blue offroader.

While the lines are a gentle reminder of Jeep’s own Compass and Meridian, in the flesh the Grand Cherokee has quite an imposing presence. The Grand Cherokee is almost two metres wide and five metres long making it as large as its competitors.

The other highlight is its styling. It features a boxy silhouette with an emphasis on key design areas. Like the trademark seven-slat grille flanked by slim rectangular LED headlamps and the square-shaped wheel arches that are filled with rather classy-looking 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels. In comparison, the tail section looks underwhelming and I reckon a more angular tail lamp unit would have offset the vast blank space on the tailgate better. While chrome has been used liberally on the bumpers, grille and roofline, the overall look is quite discreet. In fact, as a whole, I feel that the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s suave design will age well compared to its competition.