Jeeps adds V6 luxury Grand Cherokee

JEEP has slipped the Chrysler Group’s 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 into a new version of its flagship Grand Cherokee Overland, effectively dropping the price of entry to its most luxurious SUV by $4500.

Previously only available with a choice of 5.7-litre Hemi V8 or 3.0-litre diesel – both priced at $69,500 – the additional V6 petrol version of Overland brings the price down to $65,000 (plus on-road costs).

The move will do nothing to diminish the rampaging sales appeal of the big Jeep, sales of which are up a staggering 217 per cent so far this year.

The Australian arm of the iconic American company last month shifted a record 1608 Jeeps, including 686 Grand Cherokees – the second best month in Australian sales history for the large SUV after June’s 750 units.

Chrysler says the V6 Pentastar version of the Grand Cherokee Overland will still be equipped with the same leather-and-wood luxury and high equipment levels of the V8 and diesel Overland models.

Fiat Chrysler Australia Group managing director Clyde Campbell said Jeep customers were responsible for his company’s decision to add the Pentastar engine to the Grand Cherokee Overland range.

Left: Fiat Chrysler Group managing director Clyde Campbell.



“We listened to our customers, and worked very hard to bring this variant to Australia,” he said.

“We know it is going to be a real crowd pleaser. At $65,000, it brings all the appointments expected on prestige vehicles well within the reach of a much larger audience.”

The V6 engine is already available in lower-ranked Grand Cherokee Laredo and Limited models, as well as the Grand Cherokee Jet special edition.

The alloy block quad-cam V6 delivers 210kW of power at 6350rpm and 347Nm of torque at 4300rpm, while using 11.0 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres on a combined test cycle.

The V6 Pentastar has more power than the 177kW V6 diesel, but less than the 259kW V8. In torque, the Pentastar trails both of the other engines, which produce 550Nm (diesel) and 520Nm (V8).

The engine – recognised as one of Ward’s Ten Best Engines of 2012 – is matched with a five-speed automatic transmission.

Standard equipment on all Overland models includes panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, 16.5cm touch screen with sat-nav, air suspension, five terrain settings to match conditions, hill-descent control and hill start assist and Quadra-Trac II 4x4 system.

Safety systems include forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, cross path detection, adaptive cruise control, rear view camera, electronic roll mitigation, self-drying brakes and trailer sway control.

Towing capacity takes a cut with the V6 compared to the V8 and diesel-powered models, down from 3500kg to 2268kg.

The next installment in the Grand Cherokee story happens next month with the arrival of the hot SRT8, powered by 351kW 6.4-litre Hemi V8 capable of propelling the big SUV from standstill to 100km/h in less than five seconds.