JPFreek - Index

JPFreek - Spring 2008 - Index

About the new 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee
For 2008, Jeep has added two new engine platforms to its
Grand Cherokee lineup: A 3.0L CRD Turbo engine, as well as a
4.7L V-8 engine with increased horsepower, torque, and fuel
economy from its predecessor.
In addition, the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee features a number of
enhanced styling cues that begin from the inside and work their
way to the exterior, including:
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HID (high-intensity discharge) headlamps,
ParkView® rear back-up camera,
ParkSense® rear park assist system,
iPod® connectivity,
MyGig multimedia infotainment system that can store up to
100 hours of music in your Dashboard,
Tire Pressure Monitoring System with display, and
Numerous safety features for on-road and off-highway
application.
The interior of the vehicle certainly commands attention and
aesthetically rivals most competitors, even those priced 1.5 times
as much or higher (the sticker on our test vehicle was
approximately $45k nearly fully-loaded). With that being said, the
“chrome” along the edges of the “wood grain” throughout the
interior is nice but it’s not real; it’s plastic. That’s fine for a base
model Grand Cherokee but for the 4x4 Limited, we were a little
disappointed with the materials.
The seats are definitely the most comfortable we’ve ever sat in
on a Jeep vehicle. Lumbar support in all the right spots, along
with high quality leather and optional seat warmers, made for
such a comfortable ride that we almost had to be pulled from the
vehicle upon returning it to Chrysler. Of course, that also may
have had something to do with the very cool MyGig multimedia
infotainment system, capable of holding enough music to last for
an entire week-long family excursion.
One design cue we weren’t impressed with is the windshield. It
is sloped at a pretty extreme angle making the sun visors almost
without purpose. We’re sure the exterior design cues tried to
compensate for the vehicle’s boxy aerodynamics and appearance;
however, the sloped windshield virtually eliminates the purpose
of sun visors. Fortunately, the seats raise and lower to
accommodate a person’s height.
Part I: On-Road Performance and Handling
The CTTVTC was the stage for all of our on-road and
off-highway testing. The on-road portion of our test included
paved evaluation on a 2 mile oval track with wet and dry traction
60-0mph stop distances, as well as ¼ mile and 0-60mph timing.
In addition, a 1.3 mile dry handling circuit was used to evaluate
cornering and maneuverability.
With a curb weight hovering around 4,725 lbs, the expectation
was that our 60-0mph stop distance testing would be
comparable to that of stopping an elephant in full sprint. To our
chagrin, the vehicle Brake Assist and Brake Traction Control
systems worked pretty well with average stop distances of 145
feet on dry pavement and 160 feet in wet conditions. This is
certainly not something a Porsche 911 Turbo would be proud of,
but for a vehicle in this class we were quite satisfied.
From there, we tested the vehicles acceleration in the ¼ mile
and consistently saw times in the 17.1 seconds range at an
average speed of 83.2mph. In our 0-60mph testing, the vehicle
saw average times of 9.13 seconds. Again, this may not sound
impressive, but for a vehicle weighing nearly 2.5 tons we were
happier than a kid in a Willy Wonka factory.
Next up was the 1.3 mile dry handling circuit. The 2008 Jeep
Grand Cherokee CRD 4x4 Limited is surprisingly nimble for, again,
a vehicle in this weight class. Slalom was a bit sluggish at 60mph
with a tad bit of understeer. Cornering and maneuverability was
also a bit sluggish but helped by gas-charged, twin-tubed coil
over shock absorbers in the front and rear that helped add
stability. Braking came through quite nicely with 12.9” vented
discs up front and 12.6” discs with single-piston pin-slider calipers
in the rear, both with ABS.
Engine
Impressive is putting it lightly when talking about the feel and
power of the 3.0L CRD Turbo engine. Built in Berlin by Mercedes
Benz, this particular diesel platform is the best we’ve ever seen
and arguably the greatest diesel platform available on the
market…ever. The engine feels, sounds, and drives like its Hemi
big brother. Featuring an all-aluminum block with a compression
ratio of 18:1, the 3.0L CRD Turbo engine boasts a plentiful
215hp @ 3,800rpm and a neck-jerking 376 lb-ft of torque @
a mere 1,600-2,800rpm.
On top of this, the 3.0L CRD Turbo not only runs
on diesel fuel, which has less CO2 emission than
regular fuel, but it can also run on bio-diesel. For
those not familiar with bio-diesel and bio-fuels,
we’re basically talking about an energy source that’s
created from leftover waste product from vegetable
cooking oil in French fries to Algae from the ocean. The
simplicity of the fuel source is amazing! To top it off, the
vehicle saw consistent mixed on-road and off-highway
fuel economy of 20 miles per gallon. Did we mention the
vehicle weighs almost 2.5 tons? Pretty awesome fuel economy
given the weight and vehicle class.