Jeep Grand Cherokee (2005 – 2011) Review

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2005 – 2011) At A Glance

Bold and chunky styling, excellent 3.0 CRD diesel engine, superbly capable off-road, well equipped as standard, good-sized boot, great for towing.

Overly light steering and bouncy ride, interior let down by some cheap-feeling plastics, not available with seven seats like many other 4x4s.

Reviews for Jeep Grand Cherokee (2005 – 2011)'s top 3 rivals

Toyota Land Cruiser

Big, roomy, tough and stacked full of kit. Very capable off-road and as a tow car. Seats up to eight...

Nissan Pathfinder

Rugged looks. Seven seats. Strong build. Tidy handling and very capable off road. Good value for money.

Volkswagen Touareg

Luxurious, safe, accomplished 4x4. Comfortable on road, very capable off it. V10 TDI is astonishing,...

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2005 – 2011) handling and engines

• Engines range from 3.0 CRD to 6.1 SRT
• Readers report Real MPG to be between 12–30 mpg

This is where the Cherokee's shortcomings are highlighted. It feels quite cumbersome on the road, particularly on twisting roads or city streets, not helped by the overly light steering which isn't very responsive. As a result, tight corners often require more turns of the steering wheel than you'd expect

The bouncy ride doesn't help either, nor do the brakes which could do with more bite. There's a fair amount of body roll in bends along with noticeable pitching and diving under hard acceleration or braking. It means that the Grand Cherokee is rarely easy to drive smoothly, particularly in traffic.

On the plus side it's a good motorway cruiser, thanks to low noise levels and powerful engines that rarely have to be worked hard. The most popular is the 3.0 CRD diesel - an engine that's also used by Mercedes-Benz. It delivers 215bhp along with an impressive 510Nm of torque - making it ideal for towing. It's fitted with a smooth shifting five-speed automatic gearbox which, although not the most modern transmission around, still makes the most of the engine's effortless nature.

The V6 diesel unit is quiet and smooth, with vibration only noticeable if you really rev it, which is rarely necessary. Economy isn't too bad at 27.7mpg and if you spend plenty of time in the motorway this is realistically achievable. It's quick enough too and will accelerate from 0-62mph in 9.0 seconds.

This CRD is now the only engine available aside from the performance SRT-8 version which uses a monster 6.1-litre V8. Until 2006 there were two V8s available - a 4.7-litre with 228bhp and a 5.7-litre HEMI which boasted 322bhp and could go from 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds. However, their thirst and high running costs meant they weren't popular.

Where the Grand Cherokee excels is off-road. It's amazingly capable and will tackle seemingly impassable terrain with ease. This is down to a clever system called Quadra-Trac II which sends power to the axle with the most traction. It also features a low range ratio.

Top models come with an even more advanced set-up called Quadra-Drive II which includes an electronic limited slip differential. If it detects tyre slip it can instantly send up to 100% of the engine's power to the individual wheel with the most traction.

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2005 – 2011) interior

• Boot space is 978–1909 litres

There's a distinctly American feel to the interior of the Grand Cherokee as you'd expect, with lots of wood and leather on display. It feels well built and hard-wearing but there are question marks over the quality of some of the materials used. The plastics on the dash are distinctly hard and scratchy, and although top models have leather trim on the door tops, it still lacks the upmarket feel you'd expect given the considerable price tag.

Elements such as the old-fashioned manual hand brake (when many other 4x4s have electric parking brakes) and fiddly stereo aren't great either. However, some models come with an excellent Boston Acoustics touchscreen sat nav stereo system which includes an auxiliary-input and a USB port for memory stick with music on, or MP3 players. There's also Bluetooth and a 30GB music hard drive.

The leather seats are cosseting but still offer surprisingly good support and there's certainly plenty of room. One criticism from the driver's point of view is that there's nowhere to rest your left foot, and so long journeys aren't as comfortable as they should be. Forward visibility is also an issue due to the thick windscreen pillars, which is especially noticeable at junctions. However, there's surprisingly little wind noise, considering the sheer size of the Grand Cherokee, so motorway cruising is quiet and relaxed.

The boot is usefully large and features a clever reversible boot floor which is carpeted on one side and plastic on the other - ideal if you have a dog or muddy boots to transport. The plastic side includes a large shallow tray which is useful in stopping loose items sliding about the boot.

The rear seats split in the conventional 60/40 way and fold almost completely flat to create a huge load space which will cope with most things from furniture to bikes.

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2005 – 2011) models and specs

On sale until November 2010

On sale until May 2009

On sale until May 2006