By David Colman

Hypes: Primo Looks, Handling, Practicality
Gripes: Flat-Backed Seats, Manual Steering Wheel Adjust

It took 4 days before I realized that this Jeep was not black, but green. “Black Forest Green,” to be exact, a shade so elusive that it only reveals its verdance in direct sunlight. Unlike its paint – which has a visual sweet spot about one millimeter wide – the Grand Cherokee’s sweet spot is a mile wide. Here’s a do-everything SUV from a company that still has the guts to offer it with a spanking V8. In fact, you can optionally order not only the 360hp, 5.7 liter V-8 of our test Jeep, but also a 6.4 liter V-8 which produces 470hp in the SRT8 model. For those of you more concerned with economy than performance, Jeep’s base motor for the Grand Cherokee is a 3.6 liter V-6 good for 290hp, as well as a just-introduced 3 liter diesel which makes 240hp, 420 lb.ft. of torque, and returns 28 MPG.

Although combined city/highway fuel economy of the 5.7 liter V-8 is a modest 15 MPG, this engine, coupled to a 6-speed automatic, is a perfect match for the Cherokee’s 4,470 lb. curb weight. The V-8 option adds $2,195 to the Jeep’s $43,595 base price. But the engine upgrade also includes a bevy of valuable extras that are essential if you plan to tow: 220 amp alternator, heavy duty ABS disc brakes, heavy duty engine cooling, and trailer tow group IV, which includes hitch and wiring. Another worthy option included on our test Jeep is the electronic limited slip rear differential ($695) which overcomes traction loss in the standard Quadra-Drive II 4WD system.

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By David Colman

Hypes: Does-It-All, Looks to Kill, Great Price compared to the Europeans
Gripes: 6 or 8 Speed Gearbox Would Be Nice, Thirsty

Jeep engineers must have had the mountain bike rider in mind when they designed the new Grand Cherokee. If you flip the rear seats down and pop open the hatchback gate, you’ve created the perfect storage area for a mountain bike. Tailgate lift-over is moderately high, but once you’ve got the hang of sliding your bike in and out, you’re good to go anywhere, because the Grand Cherokee is Trail Rated. Its base price of $39,295 includes Quadra Trac II all-wheel drive featuring a terrain selection knob that lets you optimize grip for sand, snow, or loose gravel. In addition, standard Hill Descent Control steadies your gait on long declines, while mud and snow rated 265/60R18 Michelin Latitude Tour tires get a sure grip on steep ascents. If the going gets too tough for this mountain goat of a Jeep, just roll that bike out of storage and tackle the trail with pedal power.

While the foregoing expedition is certainly possible with a Grand Cherokee as your guide, in all likelihood, your next outing will be cross town to the grocery store, not a foray up Mt. McKinley. The Jeep is just as well suited to the mundane as it is to the heroic. Although available with a variety of V-8 engines (ranging from 360 to 470hp), the basic powertrain consists of a perfectly adequate 3.6 liter V-6 coupled to a 5-speed automatic gearbox. This sophisticated new baseline prime mover produces 290hp and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s more than enough surge to meet any passing lane requirement, tow 7,400 pounds of trailer, and still return a thrifty 23 miles per gallon on the freeway. The V8 Hemi featured here is a monster at with power that is omnipresent.

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Introduction by Francis Cebedo:

I took this Jeep to my daily grind of work and picking up the kids for a few days and it didn’t do so well. On the freeway it is a bit rough and darty. Keeping it in the lane was a bit of a challenge as the vehicle was easily persuaded to move to adjacent lanes when hitting bumps and imperfections at speeds over 70 mph.

Picking up the kids,  they couldn’t get in the back seat as they couldn’t push the seats forward and the opening to get in back was tiny even for active youngsters.  I took this vehicle mountain biking but  there was hardly any space in the back to put my bike.  So I took the heavy rear eats out and it was better space-wise but only slightly. Finally, I took the front roof off to get some sun but then all the cold wind seemed to descend in to the cabin at highway speeds. Even the mighty heater and heated seats had a hard time of keeping me warm.

Off-roading in Hollister Hills, CA

That’s when I decided to take this car off-roading.  This is the Rubicon, 2-door so it should feel right at home on an off-road jamboree. It is 2-door so it is short wheelbase and ideal for keeping the tires in contact with the ground. The tires are massive 31 inch with meaty rubber. Other trail worthy features are:

• High ground clearance
• Heavy duty front and rear Dana axles
• Rock rails for true underside protection, skid plates all around the under side
• Electronic front sway bar disconnect – gives 20% more suspension articulation to keep the wheels on the ground.
• Electronic locking front and rear differentials.
• Removable roof, doors, rear seat to lighten up the vehicle

Below is a comprehensive list of all the Expert Car Reviews and feature articles published on CarReview.com [updated 10/11/2011]:

By Ming Tan

Pros

• Exterior styling – share some visual cues with the big brother Cherokee Series
• Roomy – the passengers get a decent amount of leg and shoulder room for long distance comfort, although some cargo room is sacrificed
• Heritage – shares the same Jeep off road bloodlines that began with the original Wrangler
• Relevance – the 2.4-liter I4 motor is efficient – 21 mpg city and 26mpg highway

Cons

• Small storage area for its class – 60.7 cubic feet vs. 73 cubic feet in the popular Toyota RAV4
• Sparse interior – hard plastics and a simple dash – some consider this a good thing, but on the Compass, it doesn’t look like an interior belonging to a $27k SUV
• Blind spot visibility – the rear c pillar design adds to the exterior aesthetic appeal, but hinders blind spot visibility

“Evolution of a Legendary Bloodline”

I’ve always liked trucks and SUV’s; to be more clear, rugged trucks and SUV’s. I’ve even had my eyes open for a rugged Jeep Wrangler sometime down the road. To me, that model is synonymous with Jeep and it embodies what is pure about the brand: its rugged and well-rounded capabilities.

I’ve owned a few SUV’s over the years, and have test driven a number; most recently, the new Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The new Jeep Compass is similar in price, size, and value, so the timing was good to get some miles on this small SUV. I recognize that not everyone takes their SUV off road, so I evaluated the Compass from an image, value, and capability standpoint, given the compact SUV class that it belongs to. It seems to be a growing segment with worthy competitors, and the Jeep performed well overall, but not without a few issues.

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By Derek Mau

Hits:

• Smooth power delivery from 290 hp Pentastar 3.6L V6 engine
• Quadra-Trac all-wheel drive system will never leave you stuck in the mud or snow
• Leather-lined seats provide the support and comfort for all-day driving trips
• Interior quality and design on par with some luxury-class vehicles
• 2nd row passengers also get heated seats

Misses:

• iPod interface and controls have poor ergonomics
• Owners need to pony-up for the Trail Rated Quadra-Drive II system if they plan to do any rock-crawling

The recovering car market has welcomed the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee with a brass band. Chrysler reports November 2010 sales were up from those of November 2009 by 256 percent. Fresh optimism pervades Chrysler’s headquarters and technical centers in Auburn Hills, Mich., where dozens of new employees and engineering consultants have been quietly brought on since last fall to revamp the company’s product line, with help from its new Italian partner and parent Fiat. While Italian automaker Fiat now controls Chrysler, development of this Grand Cherokee began in 2006, when Chrysler was still tied up with Daimler-Benz (the parent company of Mercedes-Benz). Cue the music.

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Jeep Commander Consumer Reviews	Jeep Commander More Expert Reviews	2010 Jeep Commander Photo Gallery	2010 Jeep Commander Sport 4×4 Specs

By contributing editor David Colman

If you want to relive That Eighties Show, you could pop an Air Supply cassette into your tape player, watch a Ron Reagan speech on VHS, or jump into a Jeep Commander. Of the three choices, only the Jeep requires no tape for replay. You can march down to your local Chrysler/Jeep dealer right now to buy this perfect time capsule vehicle for just $33,575. Granted, a number of mostly unseen safety and technological advances distinguish the current product from its predecessors, like advanced multistage airbags and side curtain airbags in all rows. But you can’t see these improvements. So if you’re after that throwback feel, you couldn’t do better than a new Commander. After all, there’s a lot to be said for classic Jeep: the simple lines, the big chrome smile, the vast amount of space inside, the virile feel of the controls, the hunky responsiveness of the engine, and last but certainly not least, the legendary off-road agility of a Trail Rated Jeep.

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By Mary Ellen Ash

Yays:

• Excellent cargo space
• Average in-class mpg
• 4×4 off-road capability
• More utility than a Swiss army knife
• Lots of television screens

Nays:

• Poor rear view visibility
• Very cramped 3rd row seating
• Flimsy ignition system
• Anemic engine
• Cheap, poorly designed interior

Ruling: it’s utilitarian with lots of passenger and cargo space, with average in-class mpg.

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By Michael D. Leroy

Pros

• Great on-road manners
• Touch-screen stereo works great and the built-in hard drive is nice
• Easy to park with backup camera and good turning radius

Cons

• Base V-6 lacks torque, get the 5.7L HEMI
• Unresponsive throttle when moving from a stop
• Poor rear visibility
• Too much hard plastic for a $38,000 vehicle

SUV’s for far too long have been too much utility and not enough sport. Many SUV’s have questionable off-road ability. Jeep claims the Commander, its flagship model, is a “Trail Rated” seven-passenger people mover. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to do an off-road excursion, but I did get a chance to see the Commander’s city manners.

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By Kurt Gensheimer

I stepped up to the rental desk at Norfolk International and asked for a Jeep. Any Jeep, so long as it had four wheel drive. The cheerful rental company representative, who looked like Edie McClurg in Planes, Trains and Automobiles presented me with a choice of three Jeeps: a Compass, a Grand Cherokee or a Wrangler. Now since the business, tax-writeoff justification end of my vacation was to pit a Jeep against my brother’s new Subaru Outback and run them ragged along the endless driveable beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, I needed the most capable Jeep available to really put the Outback through its paces. I slapped my finger down on the miniature picture of the Wrangler.

The representative smiled, handed me the keys and the paperwork. I signed a few documents and was just about on my way when she pulled out a huge red stamp and slammed it down on the rental agreement.

“Oh, you’ll need to sign this too, honey.” I looked at the stamp and all I could think about at that moment was Edie’s famous two word response to Steve Martin’s F-bomb tirade, “You’re f**ked.”

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