We’ve probably all been through the following scenario at some stage. A certain individual has been catching your eye for a few months and while you know absolutely nothing about them – they look hot – and that’s often enough, isn’t it? You ask them out, they say yes…

So you roll-up at their door, pressed and dressed, a little on edge, the senses tingling in anticipation of the night ahead. You’re hoping for one of those rare nights: a nice meal and some good conversation. A night when four hours seems like four minutes.

The reality, of course, more often than not, is that you spend a few hours learning one of life’s little lessons. Your date may look hot, but everything else is cold: the food, the restaurant and the conversation.

There is little behind the facade.

Which brings me not so neatly to Jeep’s all-new 2008 Cherokee; a ‘hottie’ – we’re talking looks - that left me feeling a little cold.

We loved the ‘mad’ SRT8 Grand Cherokee and I’ve always admired Jeeps from a distance. But the smaller Cherokee, until now, always seemed a little underdone on the outside – too soft, too curvy – a Jeep with not enough Jeep about it.

But all that has changed with the 2008 Cherokee. It’s squarer, chunkier and, dare I say it, even has a hint of Hummer about its imposing new styling. There is plenty to like. It looks how a Jeep should look; ruggedly handsome with a chiselled jaw. The new ‘Handsome Rob’ of the Toorak tractor set?

The Cherokee’s interior is dominated by a flat-fronted dashboard and typically chunky American trim – more Fischer Price than finesse. Put aside the flimsy indicator stalks (reminiscent of a mid-90s Commodore), and some errant trim-fit, and the quality of the interior is actually quite good. If you are used to Australian-built cars, then the Jeep’s fit and finish won’t see you complaining.

The cabin is roomy, there is a reasonable storage area behind the rear seats and the front seats are comfortable and provide adequate support. The driving position, while not perfect (the pedals are noticeably offset and the footwells are best described as ‘compact’) is comfortable and you do adjust to its quirks.

The Sport model on test makes do with a six-speaker stereo, with auxillary jack for connecting MP3 players. It will belt out a fair tune, and is one of the better stereos that I’ve come across in the $40k price range.

Standard Cherokee features include automatic climate control, power and heated fold-away mirrors, power windows with driver-side one-touch, fog lamps and aluminium wheels. A new feature of note (only available on the Limited) is the optional Sky Slider canvas roof, for those who like their motoring to be an open-air experience.

For interior packaging and value therefore, there is a lot to like about this ‘family-fare’ Jeep.

If taking it off-road (a camping trip by a mountain stream), the new Cherokee now features as standard Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist and an all-new four wheel drive system called Selec-Trac II: a full-time, active on-demand system that anticipates and prevents wheel slip before it occurs.