Jeep updates Grand Cherokee large SUV range

JEEP has updated its Grand Cherokee large SUV with mildly tweaked styling, small price rises for certain variants and a range reshuffle that involves the removal of the Summit and petrol Overland variants, and the introduction of the off-road-focussed Trailhawk.

Due in Australian showrooms this month, the range kicks off with the two-wheel-drive petrol-powered V6 Laredo from $47,500 before on-roads, and tops out at $91,000 for the 6.4-litre Hemi V8-powered SRT.

The biggest change is the arrival of the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel Trailhawk that Jeep claims is the most capable Grand Cherokee in the rough stuff.

Priced at $74,000 BOCs, the Trailhawk comes with a uniquely-tuned Quadra-Lift air suspension that gives the Trailhawk 260mm of ground clearance, the most of any Grand Cherokee.

It also comes with Jeep’s Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system, four underbody skid plates, front tow hooks, a matte black bonnet decal, grey mirrors and grille, and off-road assistance systems such as select-speed control with hill ascent control.

Jeep Australia director Guillaume Drelon said the Trailhawk would fit well with Australians who liked to get out and explore.

“The arrival of the new Trailhawk model, with its heightened off-road abilities, is particularly exciting for Australia, a nation whose core values resonate strongly with Jeep’s love of freedom and adventure,” he said.

Range-wide visual updates include a redesigned front fascia with tweaked headlight design and LED foglights, a slimmer version of Jeep’s iconic seven-slot grille, a new selection of 18- and 20-inch alloy wheels and six new paint colours to bring the total colour palette to 11.

All variants bar the SRT get Jeep Offroad Pages – a feature that brings up the car’s diagnostics on the Grand Cherokee’s 8.4-inch touchscreen. This includes wheel articulation, suspension, driving modes, and oil, coolant and transmission temperatures.

The SRT instead gets Jeep Performance Pages – a more road-focussed diagnostic system.

Inside, buyers get a new acoustic windscreen and front door glass for improved noise levels, as well as a gear selector that has been redesigned after the old one made news for the wrong reasons last year, when actor Anton Yelchin was killed after he failed to properly engage park in his Grand Cherokee which then rolled down his driveway and pinned him against a security gate.

Updates have also been made to safety features such as lane departure warning and parallel and perpendicular park assist.

Prices have been increased on some variants, rising $500 on petrol-powered Laredo and Limited variants and $1000 for the diesel-only Overland and range-topping SRT. Diesel-powered Laredo and Limited variants remain the same price.

Dropped from the range are the Summit, which sat atop the Grand Cherokee range before the arrival of the SRT, while the petrol V6-powered Overland is also gone.

No changes have been made to the 184kW/570Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 or the 344kW/624Nm 6.4-litre SRT V8, but the 3.6-litre aspirated V6 comes with a tiny 3kW power bump as well as 4 per cent fuel economy improvement, thanks in part to the introduction of an idle-stop system.

All variants are still powered by an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission that has been updated for improved shift quality and durability, and now comes with an Eco mode.

The updated range comes with a five-year warranty, lifetime roadside assistance and capped-price servicing.

2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee pricing*

Laredo 3.6-litre V6 RWD (a)	$47,500
Laredo 3.6-litre V6 4x4 (a)	$52,500
Laredo 3.0-litre TDV6 4x4 (a)	$59,000
Limited 3.6-litre V6 4x4 (a)	$62,500
Limited 3.0-litre TDV6 4x4 (a)	$69,000
Trailhawk 3.0-litre TDV6 4x4 (a)	$74,000
Overland 3.0-litre TDV6 4x4 (a)	$80,000
SRT 6.4-litre V8 4x4 (a)	$91,000

*Excludes on-road costs