Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.0 Turbo delivers a punchy motor and improved on-road refinement

The all new Grand Cherokee delivers a chunk of Americana with its improved on-road refinement, punchy motor, and unmistakable road presence.

American car brands are a rarity in Singapore because few models are suited to our market, so even fewer drivers can experience driving and owning these cars. Dodge has long gone, and the Chrysler 300C and Grand Voyager have disappeared as well.

The only remaining brands are Ford, which retails the Ranger and Raptor pickup trucks, and Chevrolet, which sells the right-hand drive Corvette that you're unlikely to see.

Jeep is still around, too, with five different Wrangler variants available. But the model likely to catch the SUV buyer's attention is the all new Grand Cherokee, which offers local drivers a chunk of Americana.

I am big

America is known as the land of the large (okay, oversized) and the Grand Cherokee exemplifies this. Even from afar, the SUV's boxy shape and square-jawed profile are prominent.

At 4,900mm long, 1,979mm wide and 1,797mm tall, the Grand Cherokee is about the size of a BMW X5 . As you step closer, the handsome car starts to look even more intimidating, as the high bonnet and shoulder lines, along with the deep wheel wells, seem to further magnify its dimensions.

Speaking of footprints, the official dealer specified the Grand Cherokee with 20-inch wheels rather than the standard 18-inch rims because the latter would have looked puny.

Given its size, you'd imagine the designers pushing the envelope by endowing the Grand Cherokee with an equally ginormous grille.

But it doesn't look any larger than the one on the older model. And with slimmer headlamps and taillights compared to its predecessor, the Grand Cherokee looks sleeker as well.

Breathing room

Step or climb into the Grand Cherokee's cockpit and you'll immediately notice two things. Firstly, the layout of the dashboard is neater than before , and secondly, Jeep has endeavoured to keep things as simple as possible.

You won't have to wait for the infotainment system to boot up to say, switch off the start-stop function or turn off the lane-keeping feature, because these have dedicated buttons. Climate controls are also physical, not digital, so you can immediately adjust the temperature to your liking. I like that.

The 10.25-inch infotainment display has sharp graphics, while its menus are relatively easy to navigate. There's wireless Apple CarPlay, but folks like me with older iPhones (which tend to get hot when used this way) can just plug them into the system. There's no need to Bluetooth sync.

For the 'wired' generation, the Grand Cherokee offers a total of eight USB ports — four in front and four in the rear — for convenience. With a choice of both USB-A and USB-C ports, nobody should feel left out.

Other goodies include a full-digital dashboard (the older model had a part-analogue, part-digital cluster), and a Jaguar Land Rover-inspired gear selector dial. Jeep tried to simplify the steering wheel controls as well, with a D-pad for navigating menus on the left and the adaptive cruise control (ACC) functions on the right.

As expected, the Grand Cherokee has oodles of passenger space. With a wheelbase of 2,964mm, legroom is generous for backseat occupants.

Thanks to its 'American size', three average size adults sitting abreast will still find it comfy, and even passengers 1.75m tall will find headroom to be plenty.

Also plentiful is the boot capacity. The Grand Cherokee offers 1,064 litres with the rear seats up, which is 39.6 litres more compared to the older model. Fold the seats down and this expands to 2,004 litres, which easily accommodates everything from a full-size bicycle to flat-pack furniture.

Small but potent

The previous Grand Cherokee was only available with a naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6. And for a time, the extreme Grand Cherokee SRT8, with its 6.4-litre V8 Hemi motor, could be had as well.

But this time around, the Grand Cherokee is better suited to the Singapore market, thanks to its 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.

Don't assume that this motor is inadequate for an SUV of this size, though. Turbocharging makes up for any perceived lack of displacement and enables the powerplant to produce 268bhp and 400Nm of torque.

Now, while there are fewer ponies compared to the 3.6-litre V6, there's an extra 53Nm of torque. Coupled with the slightly lighter body (it's still over 2.1 tonnes, though), the new Grand Cherokee can finish the century sprint in 8.2 seconds, or 0.9 of a second quicker compared to its predecessor.

More mass results in more inertia, but this Jeep responds perkily to throttle inputs. Off the line, the Grand Cherokee can even chirp its tyres as you gun the motor. Getting up to expressway speeds isn't an issue.

The SUV's other strong suit is its ride quality. As you'd expect from a large American car, the dampers are pliant and easily absorb undulations from pockmarked surfaces. Going over those wide speed bumps is satisfying, too, for the Grand Cherokee's size makes these things seem tiny.

How it fares off the beaten track remains a question mark, though, since there was no chance to drive it in an actual jungle. But given Jeep's reputation, plus the fact that there's still a fair amount of articulation, the Grand Cherokee should be able to tackle light off-roading with ease.

Articulation is the reason why drivers who are used to European SUVs might find the Grand Cherokee a tad 'unsettled' or find that the steering has more turns lock-to-lock. More articulation enables the suspension to adapt to varying surfaces when going off-road, which in turn helps the tyres provide grip.

Characterful and colourful

The new Grand Cherokee proved to be an unexpectedly fun drive, for it provides a unique counterpoint to nearly everything else that's out there. Most SUVs are primarily tuned for on-road comfort and aim to deliver a more 'car-like' driving experience, despite their size.

The Grand Cherokee, on the other hand, feels comfortable in its own skin. It does not try or pretend that it is honed for the tarmac.

It's an SUV with an equally big feel, for it does not shrink around you at speed. The steering wheel has a wide diameter, the indicator stalks are relatively large, and even the gap between the pedals exists to accommodate bulky footwear.

And yet, despite its intimidating dimensions and presence, the Grand Cherokee is approachable and easy to get along with. For drivers looking for more than a slice of Americana, this might be it.

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.