Grand Cherokee 4.71: The toughness of a jeep, comfort of a sedan
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.