2013 Grand Cherokee Review: Laredo 2WD, Overland V6 Diesel, SRT 6.4 V8
2013 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE REVIEW
What’s hot: Eight-speed auto, potent engines, and priced to surprise.
What’s not: Fuel efficiency, the SRT knows thee not; pricey diesel option.
X-Factor: It’s different, not your average SUV, with muscular style and genuine off-road capability.
Variants Reviewed | |||
Model | Engine | Fuel use listed | Tested |
Laredo 4x2 | 210kW/347Nm 3.6 petrol V6 | 10.1 l/100km | 12.7 l/100km |
Overland 4x4 | 184kW/520Nm 3.0 diesel V6 | 7.5 l/100km | 10.7 l/100km |
SRT 4x4 | 344kW/624Nm 6.4 petrol V8 | 14.0 l/100km | (not recorded) |
Note: all models equipped with ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. |
OVERVIEW
If we ran awards for ‘most improved in class', Jeep’s Grand Cherokee would have figured more than once in the past few years.
The last model was certainly better than nearly everyone expected; one of the stand-out buys in fact in the large SUV sector.
It’s taken four generations, but Jeep’s big SUV has gone from a floppy, flexy lump, to an impressively tight, desirable premium SUV buy: that’s the new 2013 Grand Cherokee.
And it comes with a styling appeal and ‘street presence’ that anyone would be pleased to parade past the neighbours.
Muscular, brash enough but not rudely ostentatious, the new Cherokee also carries a smart feel inside and a very cool eight-speed auto – with paddles at the wheel – as standard across the range.
And here’s the clincher: the new range starts at $45,000 on-road for the Laredo 4X2. That’s modest cashola for a lot of gutsy, well-equipped family wagon.
The new Jeep Grand Cherokee is also, as we discovered, a very decent drive. Whichever wheel in whichever model you choose to plant yourself behind, you’ll find a lot to like in this car.
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