THE Grand Cherokee has been given a minor "2008 Model Year" refresh to lure buyers to the SUV wagon after what has been a lacklustre three years of sales since the 2005 release of Jeep's all-new WH model. While Jeep rustled up 416 Grand Cherokee customers this year to the end of July, BMW leads the luxury SUV segment with 2386 X5s going out the door. The revised Jeep won’t stop BMW in its tracks but it is certainly appealing with its increased standard features for $100 less, in a 4WD wagon that has maintained relatively slim proportions in a market full of ever-ballooning competitors. Here we test the CRD turbo-diesel in flagship Limited guise.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Released: July 1999
Ended: June 2005
Family Tree: Grand CherokeeThe second generation of the Grand Cherokee arrived in Australia in July 1999 and was dubbed the WJ series (which became the WG after a relatively minor refresh in 2000). Like its predecessor, the ZG, it offered car-like unitary construction but with tough live axles at front and rear, plus a dual-range transmission and a revised, more sophisticated four-wheel drive system. The WJ offered an upgrade of its predecessor’s 4.0-litre inline six-cylinder and added a new a 162kW 4.7-litre petrol V8. The WJ range included entry-level Laredo, Limited and top-spec Overland equipment lines and prices ranged from $52,990 for the Laredo six to $66,825 for the Limited V8.
Road Test
Facebook Twitter Instagram