![]() ![]() This was the point of no return was I really about to take a brand new $50,000 car mudding? The air suspension raised and a light lit on the dash. Computers couldn't replace mechanical devices that off-road geeks like me pour our time, money, and effort into, could they? To find out, I took it to my favorite wheeling location!Īfter a 30 minute drive (with air-conditioning, heated seats, a sunroof, great stereo, very comfortable suspension) I pulled onto the rutted sand track that marks the entrance and engaged sand/mud mode on the Jeep's 4x4 knob. With all this in mind, I cooked up the perfect test for what I thought was a fake Jeep. Also, it does away with the traditional solid axles and leaf springs, instead using independent air suspension and lines of code to supposedly provide articulation, load capacity, and comfort all at once. Among other things, it imitates locking differentials with individual brake applications, while different throttle mapping is used to simulate the added control of low range. Instead of these things, the Jeep accomplishes what used to take extra weight, complexity, and expense with clever computer programming. It doesn't have a big lever labled "low range." It doesn't have aggressive tires. In a departure from past Jeeps, the Grand Cherokee has very little in the way of actual off-road equipment. As a result, I'm slightly biased against both Jeeps and "fake" off-road SUVs. Let me preface this review with the following: My daily driver is a boxy 1991 Isuzu Trooper that I've modified considerably for better off-road performance. Subscribe now or visit the Grassroots Motorsports online store for back issues. Like what you read here? You can get a whole magazine full of these types of articles delivered to your home or shop 8 times a year. This package slathers fancy wood, leather, chrome, speakers, sensors, and lights all over the place it also adds a few items that one might actually use on an overland expedition, like skid plates, tow hooks, a rear electric limited-slip differential, and slightly off-road oriented wheels and tires. To find out for ourselves, we recently sampled Jeep's newest Grand Cherokee in its highest trim level (aside from the SRT8), Overland Summit. So, which is it? Is this a car or a truck? Jeep's revival or a sign of the company's imminent demise? However, car enthusiasts praise this redesign as a sign of Jeep's revival, and it has certainly won many awards. Off-road enthusiasts cite the fully independent suspension and plush interior as signs that Jeep has lost its way. Jeep's newly redesigned Grand Cherokee has certainly ruffled some feathers. But not as good as: First-Generation Isuzu Trooper ![]()
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