Jeep used to be the leader in the midsize SUV segment. It helped that they introduced a compact four-door SUV six years before GM and Ford. These days, however, it takes more than a strong off-road reputation and a second set of doors to remain the leader. More and more, SUVs have to be good at everything. For 2005 Jeep has redesigned the Grand Cherokee. Does the new model have what it takes to remain a major player?

Styling

The previous Jeep Grand Cherokee was designed at a time when round was “in.” As a result, it looked a bit too round and thus weak in places, especially the lower half of the rear end when viewed from the rear. The new design is considerably blockier, if anything too much so—with one major exception: the overlapped dual headlights are now round, with Jaguar-like bumps in the hood above them. I don’t care for their appearance regardless, but they especially clash with the rest of this vehicle’s styling. I can see what the designers were attempting, to inject some Wrangler flavor into the Grand Cherokee, but it’s not working.

For me the weakest aspect of the previous Grand Cherokee was its interior. Hard plastics and cheap-looking details abounded. The interior was not suitable for a $20,000 vehicle, much less one that reached forty. So I expected a major change here.

The new interior is a major step in the right direction, but falls short of my expectations. As in other recent Chrysler products, straight lines and hard edges dominate the interior styling, especially on the door panels. This is in character for a Jeep, I guess, but not nearly as interesting as the Liberty's interior (a product of the previous era in Chrysler design). The materials are better than before, but still tend to be hard plastic. It helps that they generally look like the soft-touch stuff even when they aren’t, but a Lexus RX 330 looks and feels much more luxurious inside. The new instruments look much better than the bargain bin old ones. In Limited trim the two-tone khaki perforated leather looks especially nice; as before the Laredo interior has a considerably more pedestrian ambiance.

Accommodations

The big news on accommodations is no news—Jeep has decided to buck a major trend by not offering a third-row seat in the new Grand Cherokee. A larger Jeep is on the way with that feature; for now I suppose Chrysler hopes you’ll just buy a Durango.

The driving position has improved. The A-pillars are quite thick, but have a triangular cross-section with the point towards the driver so they appear less thick than they are. Fully recessed grab handles in these pillars are a nice touch. The pillar rake and position is about ideal, neither too close nor too far away. As a result, the view from the driver’s seat is both more open and sportier than in the Durango, with its huge, heavily raked pillars. If memory serves, the view forward is also more open than in the previous Jeep Grand Cherokee, courtesy of a slightly lower base of the windshield.

The front seats are reasonably comfortable, if nothing special. I drove a Laredo with cloth interior, and the side bolsters worked well aside from being spaced a touch too wide for me.

The rear seat was cramped in the previous Grand Cherokee, and unfortunately this has not changed. Knee room is limited, and the seat is far too low to the floor to provide thigh support.

The Grand Cherokee remains smaller than most competitors, so it still cannot match them in cargo volume. Actually, the cargo volume has decreased compared to the 2004. The major competitors can hold about twenty percent more stuff. One nice feature: the rear headrests automatically fold forward as the seat is folded.

On the Road

With no clear advantages so far, the Jeep will have to sell based on how it performs. Jeep’s largest advantage should be off-road, but I was unable to test this. On the pavement is also has some strengths.

The new Jeep Grand Cherokee is offered with three engines: a 3.7-liter V6 and 4.7-liter and 5.7-liter “Hemi” V8s. If Jeep expects the Hemi to boost sales they have a strange way of going about it. The 330-horsepower engine is only available in the Limited with AWD, so price will be an issue with most potential buyers. The Grand Cherokee I drove was powered by the 4.7-liter. This engine produces nearly 100 fewer peak horsepower. In the midrange the gap is narrower, but still substantial. I found powertrain performance at least adequate, especially at around-town speeds, but in no way thrilling. If you want to feel V8-style thrust off the line and when passing at highway speeds, you want the Hemi. If, on the other hand, you just want a smooth engine that feels robust in normal driving, the 4.7 will do. (I suspect the 3.7 falls short, as this engine is hardly up to the task of motivating the lighter Liberty.)

Once upon a time SUVs were cursed with terrible ride quality and sloppy handling. Those days are gone. I drove the Ford Freestyle and 2005 Honda Odyssey the same day I drove the Grand Cherokee, and the Jeep was easily the best riding of the three, especially over minor road imperfections. Like other recent Chrysler’s, the redesigned model has a solid, substantial, quality feel to it. Noise levels were also lower than in the other two vehicles.

Time was a posh ride was attended by sloppy handling. Yet the new Grand Cherokee handles better than most SUVs I’ve driven, with moderate lean (for an SUV), very good control of body motions over the rough stuff, and decent feedback through the well-weighted steering. The typical car handles better still, but if you want a midsize off-road-capable SUV this is nearly as good as it gets; the Toureg has an edge, but not a huge one. Stabilizer bars that engage in turns and disengage otherwise should improve the ride and handling even more; these will be an option later in the model year.

The Grand Cherokee’s relatively compact size, with a narrower-than-average cockpit, helps. Compared to the Durango, which is nearly full-size, it feels far more agile, even sporty. Compared to the Toyota 4Runner the Jeep feels much less trucky and considerably lighter on its “feet.” The Chevrolet rides nearly as well as the Jeep, but at the expense of considerably more body lean and less composure in turns. The Ford Explorer is my least favorite. Compared to the Jeep it feels much less substantial, handles less adroitly (despite good steering for an SUV), and rides more busily.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Price Comparisons and Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

Using this site, I find that the Jeep is priced about $1,500 beneath a Ford Explorer and as much as $1,000 less than the Chevrolet TrailBlazer. Compared to the 4Runner the difference varies greatly depending on feature level, with the Toyota having a sizable advantage at the bottom end and the Jeep an even more sizable advantage at the top.

Last Words

Overall the new Grand Cherokee is an acceptable vehicle at a competitive price. It has an excellent chassis going for it, and a cramped second row and unavailable third row going against it. Those seeking a solid, comfortable, easily maneuverable midsize SUV with solid off-road capabilities—but not a lot of room inside—will be happiest either here or in the VW. The big question for Jeep is how large this group is.

The Hemi should provide class-leading acceleration, and this might broaden the market—except that this engine is only available in the most expensive trim line with all-wheel-drive.

A Note on Jeep Grand Cherokee Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a Grand Cherokee rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Jeep Grand Cherokee reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need reliability data on all cars--not just the Grand Cherokee--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Acura MDX review
Chevrolet TrailBlazer review
Ford Explorer review
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee review
Nissan Pathfinder review
Toyota 4Runner review
VW Touareg review
Amount Paid (US$): 32000
Model and Options: Laredo AWD with Package F