Jeep Grand Cherokee has old school charm that will appeal to Aussie drivers

It has been more than three years since the last Australian built car rolled off the assembly line, but this SUV has one feature Aussie cars were loved for.

2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee S-Limited.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is unashamedly American – it’s big, powerful and decadent. But scratch beneath the surface and there is more than meets the eye.

Here are five things you need to know about the Jeep Grand Cherokee S-Limited.

IT’S OLD SCHOOL

The Grand Cherokee’s V8 engine will trigger a sense of nostalgia for some buyers, as V8s used to be a mainstay of Aussie family cars.

Our S-Limited model is powered by a 5.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8 that makes 259kW of power and 520Nm of torque.

It is matched to an eight-speed auto which is smooth-shifting and adept at finding the engine’s sweet spot.

Jeep’s V8-powered Grand Cherokee S-Limited will feel familiar to many old Commodore drivers.

There is enough grunt to shift the Grand Cherokee’s ample 2300kg from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds. This isn’t express but it is accompanied by a charming, raucous V8 soundtrack when you put your foot down.

It looks the part, too, with muscular styling, a chunky grille, 20-inch alloys and two large vents in the bonnet to help cool the big engine.

FUEL USE BE DAMNED

Most cars coming out of Japan or Europe have small turbocharged engines to meet increasingly stringent fuel use and emissions standards.

But in the land of the free — and cheap petrol — they take a more relaxed approach.

Jeep claims the S-Limited will drink 13L/100km, but if you drive mostly around town, expect that number to rise into the 20s.

Luckily for your hip pocket this version runs on cheaper regular unleaded petrol. The Grand Cherokee SRT and Trackhawk versions require premium.

There is plenty of luxury and convenience features in the S-Limited

THERE’S A HEALTHY EQUIPMENT LIST

The Grand Cherokee has been around in its current form for about a decade, and as with most brands, Jeep has loaded it up standard kit to keep it relevant against newer competition.

There is an 8.4-inch infotainment screen, which is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, in-built satnav, digital radio and a nine-speaker Alpine stereo with subwoofer.

Passengers are treated to leather seats — the front pair are heated and electronically adjustable. The leather wrapped steering wheel also has a heating function, and paddle shifters give it a sporty edge.

It’s aimed at families, so Jeep has loaded it with ample driver aids including auto emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning and radar cruise control.

IT ISN’T CHEAP

The Grand Cherokee S-Limited is a lot of car, but the $80,000 drive-away price tag is a lot of money. Our test car also had optional Velvet Red metallic paint costing $895.

It is hard to place the S-Limited, as no other mainstream brand offers a full-sized SUV with a V8 engine. The closest is the twin-turbo V8 diesel powered VW Touareg, which costs almost $150,000.

It is pricey at about $80,000 on the road.

Range-topping variants of the Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-9 — both of which have seven seats compared to Jeep’s five-seat layout and use smaller capacity turbo petrol and diesel engines — are priced at about $65,000 and $70,000 respectively.

YOU CAN REST EASY

Jeep is trying to take the stress out of ownership and win back customers after some reliability and quality issues. As with all Jeeps, the Grand Cherokee is covered by the brand’s new capped-price servicing program, which costs $399 every 15,000km or 12 months for the first five years.

Jeep also guarantees its vehicles for five years/100,000km.

The American brand earlier this year also committed to boosting its after-sales support for customers by installing a team of “flying doctors”, technical experts who have a roving commission to tackle customer complaints and retrain staff in regional areas to make sure servicing and repairs are handled properly.

Originally published as Jeep Grand Cherokee has old school charm that will appeal to Aussie drivers