MORE ROUNDED STYLE IS CHEROKEE'S CHIEF ATTRACTION
I always thought the first Jeep Cherokee to hit UK shores in any quantities, back in the early 90s, was too boxy.
But when the car was re-launched early this decade it had a much more rounded profile and many people protested that it looked too soft. Personally I liked it, although that's not to say I am a well rounded type, too, although I am what modern kids would probably term well round.
Now the Cherokee has entered its third generation, Jeep has tried to keep echoes of the original, but with the edges rounded off. So in theory we should all be happy.
Whether or not the car sells strongly might have more to do with market confidence, however. Jeep is part of Chrysler which was bought by Daimler (Mercedes) and rather painfully chewed on for a while before being spat out as totally indigestible. It was bought by private equity types who must now rue the day they ever signed the contract.
Chrysler is one of the poverty stricken big three American auto makers and ironically is being subsumed by Fiat, the Italian maker considered such as basket case by General Motors not long ago that the American firm spent a small fortune backing out of an option to buy the whole of Fiat and divest itself of the investment it had already made. Hollow laughs all round, then, as soon as Fiat started talking of taking on the European arm of General Motors as it became the real basket case.
One of the jewels of the Fiat deal for General Motors was Fiat's excellent diesel engines. The European divisions of General Motors knew the value of them and were only too happy to pick them up and run with them. Even Ford knows that the Fiat 500 makes an excellent basis for improvement and recreation as the Ka.
But the General? The trouble was that as usual the Americans knew better. They had no need for diesels, they thought, until the recession bit and they realised they needed to economise. And, of course, that nice Mr Obama turned up in the White House, telling the American people that they could no longer consider the rest of the world as an open trash can ready to accept America's pollution. If he does nothing else, he's a hero.
Jeep uses a 2.8 litre diesel in the Cherokee but, coupled to the auto box of my test car, I have to say it was awful, if not worse. The car was brash, noisy, sluggish, and felt too low on energy to be able to move itself on its own. A bit like one of the 60 stone human disasters you see in those agonising TV programmes. But while they still draw breath there's time to save them, and so it is with Jeep.
It is, after all, an iconic brand the world over, more so than Land Rover no matter how much British patriots might like to think otherwise. After all, a Jeep chassis was the very foundation of the first Land Rover prototype.
If the new Cherokee used a Fiat diesel it would, no doubt, be much greater than it is now. The 2.8 litre produces 174 bhp and, more importantly, 302 lb ft of torque between 2,000 and 2,800 rpm. One thing it needs when fitted with the auto box, a £1,000 option, is the torque coming in at much lower revs. It does not have the energy to overcome the inertia of the auto box and pulling away is a nightmare. The temptation is to pile on the revs but if you do this in reverse on a slope while taking a curved path the engine speed rises, the car surges backwards, and the limited slip differential bites all at the same time, which is quite disconcerting.
The car weighs 2.5 tonnes, even though it is a lot smaller than the not much heavier Land Rover Discovery, and will only pull 2.8 tonnes when the Land Rover will quite happily shift 3.5 tonnes hanging off the back.
The Jeep also has a 27 mpg thirst among its flaws. But, as the success of Land Rover clearly demonstrates, buyers are ready to accept flaws to own the brand. Like Land Rover, Jeep's brand is massive and, again like Land Rover, its products will mostly take you anywhere. That, for some, will be enough to justify the Cherokee auto's £25,295 price.
Maurice Hardy
In an age where manufacturers baffle us with huge model ranges and more choice than we could ever hope to decipher, Jeep has gone the other way with the Cherokee.
There is only one model, the CRD Limited, and the only major choice option is whether or not to have the auto box - apart, that is, as to whether it's worth buying at all.
The 242 g /km CO2 figure means the tax penalty is always going to be huge, which will deter subsequent potential owners as it gets older, and the boot capacity of 419 litres with the rear seats up or 1,404 litres with them folded is also stretching even the description of mediocre to its outer limits when you consider the size of the thing. It is definitely not a triumph of modern packaging.
On the other hand, there are not many new 4x4s at this price that will pull 2.8 tonne trailers, although the Kia Sorento is one that will (and more). If you decide to opt for a nearly new car instead of a brand new one that's not such a limiting factor. There are then many rivals that offer more space, better refinement, and cost less money. After only a short mental debate you will make the right choice. Your Jeep dealer may not be pleased, though.
Annette Hardy
Car: Jeep Cherokee 2.8 CRD Limited automatic
Does it fit your ego?...
0-62 mph: 10.5 secs
Top speed: 111 mph
Bhp: 174 @ 3800 rpm
Torque: 302 lb ft @ 2000 - 2800 rpm
...and your wallet?...
Price: £25,295
Urban: 24.1 mpg
Extra urban: 37.7 mpg
Combined: 31.4 mpg
CO2 emissions: 242 g/km
Insurance Group: 13
Best bits: brand image; 4x4 and towing ability.
