The Jeep Grand Cherokee was unique in the SUV marketplace, using unibody construction to make it much lighter, more rigid, and easier to drive than other SUV's. Recent entries into the luxury SUV market by Mercedes and BMW have now created SUV's that drive as well as and better than the Cherokee, but no where near the same price range.
I have owned 3 recent model Cherokee's, a 1996 model V8 limited, a 1998 5.9 limited and a 2000 V8 limited. All of them have performed flawlessly, with no maintenance required beyond oil changes.

The benefits of the Cherokee over most traditional SUV's is it's drivability on standard roads and handling in snowy conditions. I drive from the bay area to Tahoe nearly every weekend of the winter and desire a vehicle that is quiet and pleasurable to drive long distances. When in Tahoe I require a SUV that can handle unplowed roads and slick icy conditions. The Cherokee is that vehicle, it is a pleasure to drive and has never gotten stuck in over 90 trips through some amazing snow storms, it has in fact pulled dozens of other cars out of snow banks using a tow strap I keep in the back.

The other major benefit of the Cherokee over other SUV's is its power and acceleration. Being lighter than most and having one of the biggest engines in its class gives the Cherokee acceleration many cars would dream of. The '98 5.9 limited had 0-60 times close to 6 seconds. While this certainly isn't a requirement for an SUV, it definitely adds to the pleasure of driving.

The '99 and '00 models are redesigned and offer larger rear storage space, a slightly wider cabin and better gas mileage.

Other SUV's that can compete with drivability and power include the Mercedes ML 320 and the BMW X5.