Jeep Grand Cherokee climbs to the Summit

JEEP Australia has injected some spark into its all-important Grand Cherokee large SUV range by adding a new luxury flagship to sit above the Overland specification.

Priced $4000 above the Grand Cherokee Overland at $84,450 plus on-road costs, the Grand Cherokee Summit is mechanically identical to the Overland with its 184kW/570Nm 3.0-litre diesel engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and multi-mode full-time 4x4 drivetrain.

However, it adds a swathe of cosmetic and convenience extras to attract customers who might otherwise look to European brands for their new ride.

These include body coloured exterior trim on items such as side cladding and wheel arch trims, a platinum-chrome pack that extends to the 20-inch alloy wheels and a platinum-and-black seven-slot grille, restyled front fascia with LED foglights, reworked rear treatment, leather interior with suede-look headlining, Harmon Kardon audio system with noise-cancelling technology, dual-pane sunroof, noise-cancelling rear glass and upmarket Berber carpets in both the cabin and cargo area, among other things.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia brand and product strategy director Guillaume Drelon said gave the Grand Cherokee luxury in an area of the market where Europeans were strong.

“Without compromising Jeep legendary capabilities, Summit is providing an extra edge of adventure, bringing to market the best combination of on-road refinement, technology and comfort with best in class off-road capabilities,” he said.

“The sport-style exterior is elevated by the platinum trimmings, perfectly married with the elegantly crafted interior featuring premium, high-grade leather for exceptional cabin comfort.”

The Grand Cherokee – Jeep Australia’s top-selling model with 2037 units sold to the end of August – needs the model reinforcement, as sales are down more than 30 per cent on the same period of last year in a segment down 8.3 per cent.

Because the Grand Cherokee accounts for more than half of all Jeep sales in Australia, the decline has dragged overall Jeep sales down by 26.8 per cent.

Jeep Australia has released a bunch of limited-edition Grand Cherokees to try to lift sales, including the Grand Cherokee S Overland that is still on sale at $1500 below the new Summit.

Unlike those temporary variants, the Summit becomes a fully fledged member of the range.

Grand Cherokee Summit customers can opt for an even high level of leather luxury that adds Laguna quilted leather seats with contrast stitching, leather-wrapped door panels, centre console and glovebox.

The Harmon Kardon audio system has a 10-inch subwoofer and 19 high-performance speakers around the cabin.

Along with acoustic glass in the second row and tailgate window, the noise cancelling system of this audio system is claimed to cut road racket by 10dB.

Other standard features include air suspension with five ride positions, rear electronic limited-slip differential, 8.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto infotainment system, heated front and rear seats and steering wheel and remote engine start.

The five-star safety suite of technologies includes reversing camera, rear cross traffic alert, blind-spot warning, lane departure warning and other goodies.

While the Summit becomes the premium diesel Grand Cherokee variant in Australia, two petrol V8 variants – the $91,450 SRT and $134,950 Trackhawk – still rule the roost as the most expensive varieties.