Grand Cherokee 4.71: The toughness of a jeep, comfort of a sedan
Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Cherokee no longer refers only to an important American Indian tribe. Now it also refers to the U.S.-based Jeep product.
Maintaining the success it has enjoyed as an off-road leader with such vehicles as Willys, CJ7 and Wrangler, Jeep is now coming to the Indonesian market with the brand new Grand Cherokee 4.7l.
What makes this new vehicle different from the old (boxy) Cherokee?
Aside from a softer look thanks to its curvy body, the Grand Cherokee also uses Quadra Trac II technology.
This on-demand system allows drivers to switch transmission from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive when traveling on rough or slippery terrain.
The Quadra Trac II is activated with a mechanical hydraulic system, meaning it will only function when there is a difference in speed between the front and rear wheels.
The process is helped by Vari-lok. These progressive locking axles respond faster and more smoothly than viscous-coupled limited-slip differentials.
During an off-road test-drive on March 21 at the Bukit Sentul housing estate in Sentul, Bogor, the Grand Cherokee was able to roll smoothly over the man-made muddy track.
Well-known off-roader Harry Sanusi handled the woodland-brown- satin-glow colored vehicle during the test-drive. Things kicked off with a test the vehicle's breaking system, which is equipped with ventilated disc with dual piston sliding caliper in the front and disc with single piston sliding caliper in the rear.
As the Grand Cherokee is a Sports Utility Vehicle, we experienced the toughness of a jeep in the comfort of a luxury sedan during the test-drive.
The interior of the vehicle is equipped with cozy sandstone- colored leather seats, cruise control, Jeep memory system, infrared dual zone climate control air-conditioning, steering wheel mounted audio controls, power fold-away mirrors with memory and auto dimming on driver side and illuminated sun visor side mirrors.
When reaching the muddy, bumpy and curvy track, the transmission was switched automatically to four-wheel-drive thanks to the Quadra Trac II technology. But Harry still needed to switch into the 4L gear to get more power to get over the logs, stones, water and mud.
The Power Tech V8 engine has maximum power of 175kW and maximum torque of 400Nm. Little wonder the Grand Cherokee easily and smoothly passed over the man-made track, which had become even more treacherous thanks to a downpour the day before.
But enough about the technology and power. For most Indonesians, who care so much about the look of their vehicles, the Grand Cherokee provides a combination of toughness and elegance for its look.
The grille and the front bumper emphasize the toughness of the vehicle, while at the same time curvy lines highlight its stylish shape.
Despite all the sophistication, PT DaimlerChrysler Distribution Indonesia -- which distributes Jeep, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz vehicles -- is keeping quiet about the Grand Cherokee's sales target.
"The price is the main consideration of why we only set our target at 130 units this year. It's still much higher than last year's sales of less than 100 units," said the company's deputy director of marketing, Anto Nurdiyanto.
Anto said the Grand Cherokee faced tough competition from the German-made BMW X5 and Mercedes Benz G500, and the Japanese-made Toyota Land Cruiser Cygnus.
Interested in getting a Grand Cherokee? Well, place your order now because you will have to wait six months for your completely built-up vehicle to be delivered from the U.S.