Test Drive: 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
 

3-second Summary: A Refined, Comfortable Off-roader that works on the road.....in certain environments.

A bunch of y'all are going to be wondering, what an on-road, driving enthusiast like me would possibly be doing driving a large SUV that decidedly has off-roading precedence over sporty, on-road road manners. A good answer, is that given my new surroundings and increased focus on shuttling DH runs on my mountain bike, I appreciate the some off-road capabilities, although the X3 suffices in this regard just fine.

The real reason is that I promised an off-roading, Jeep-owning friend of mine that I'd give the Grand Cherokee a test drive. I'm open-minded, and it does seem to have the right ingredients.

At first, I gotta say, I like the styling. From the butch front-end to the flared wheel arches and crisp tailgate, this does look good. And the interior is surprisingly refined in the upper-level trim levels as well. There's some very questionable ergonomics in places and the seats need more side bolstering but all in all, this isn't a bad place to be. Indeed, if your normal drive consists of bumpy, non-maintained roads and fairly straight interstate miles, I can't really find fault. Heck, I've been in BMWs with worse seats. :eeps:

Of course, I didn't get to take the Grand Cherokee off-roading, so I didn't get to test out the various Terrain Select modes, although the Sport mode did firm up the suspension on road a bit and reduces the DSC intervention threshold. But it's a Jeep with independent suspension, so I'm sure it'll hold its on over rocks, through water, and anything else Western NC would throw at it. The cargo space is more than adequate for a SUV this size and very well-furnished, and the backseats are comfortable with optional rear seat-heating and a 115V outlet. Not surprising for an American SUV with the usual conveniences. :smokin:

Not surprisingly, there's no mistaking the Grand Cherokee for any sort of sedan-based SUV. The steering is well-weighted but fairly devoid of feel, the throttle response is lazy, and worst of all, the 6-speed automatic gearbox is slightly less responsive than the US Congress. Body motions are reasonably well controlled on winding roads but there's no hiding 2200kg and an off-road biased suspension. The 5,7 litre V8 is supposed to be well, a V8 but it never really feels that way even if it is very smooth and quiet. And let's not go into the fuel consumption or blocks of CO² it emits. :stickpoke

So no real surprises then. It's a big SUV that's comfortable, luxurious, and great off the road, but it isn't much cop in the bends.

But that's not the end of the story. Because priced at $42-46k there is some seriously good kit that can be optioned. High-beam assistant, Comfort Access, rain-sensing wipers, radar cruise control, blind spot warning...much of the new driver aids on German SUVs are either standard or can be equipped without much cost. And given that under normal suburban driving one isn't exactly screaming around mountain bends at 80km/h or focused on torque converter lockup points, this is more than fine on the road for the "average driver".

So actually, this good-looking, reasonably-priced off-roader actually does work for most people. And the news only gets better, as a 3 litre, V6 diesel with the ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox, which should improve on the fuel consumption and shifting, provided Chrysler doesn't botch up the programming (which it probably will). If you're looking for a luxurious off-roader that works around town for good value and doesn't make you look like a git, this may be worth a test drive once the diesel comes out.

For the few 10% of us who do like to go 'round bends with verve and gusto though, this isn't a solution. But you probably already knew that before you read all this. So carry on. :whistle:

Test Info: The test drive was approximately 30km and took place on interstate, urban, and backroads in Buncombe County, NC. Outside conditions were sunny and 19°C and pavement conditions were good.

If I ever was going to make a switch to another SUV that was more "pedestrian" it would be to a GC.

At that price range I'm getting an Audi Q5, no question.

That being said, I question why an Asian guy living in South Carolina insists on portraying himself as being some flavor of European heritage, and using metrics and Euro punctuation/spelling on a US based automotive site. But hey, we all have our quirks.


Carry on.

The Overland is at one of the higher pricepoints for GCs. You can get a 2WD Laredo with most of the popular options for $35K.

I understand that, but I was stating that for a 4x4/AWD at that price point and comparably equipped, the Audi, imo, is more to my liking. Also, you can get a Q5, with AWD, starting at $35.9k.

The GC doesn't really compare to the Q5, it's more the size of a X5/Q7/ML and actually rides on the ML-chassis.

I've been on a test drive with Meiac09 of the Q5 and it wasn't particularly remarkable. Plus, the 3.0 TFSI version starts at $44k and to get xenon headlamps, you have to bump up to the Prestige version which is upper $40s which is fantastically poor value. Plus, the Q5 is decidedly on-road based yet not as sharp as say, an X1 or the old X3. Plus, it rides on the firm side, not what I really want after a day of work.

I'm still glad I took on my friend's advice to drive it though. I treat my X3 somewhat like a Jeep already- mud and debris on seats and carpet from a bike ride is never a concern, and I do tend to be a bit of a hooligan on the forest roads ("Watch how sideways I can get it around this gravel turn"). Always a leery of hitting a hole or rock too fast and damaging the suspension, worries that would be less of an issue with Jeep. But definitely, I do have a priority towards on-road handling and given the pace with which I attack the corners, I'm not giving up my X3 soon. Thank god for the partial underbody cladding :cool:

whoa, too much to address here, as you're misinformed on a few things:

I'm aware it rides on the ML chassis. I'm also aware that GC owners RARELY take them off road, somewhat off road, or even mildly off road, intentionally or unintentionally. They're primarily used as road cars. They also get horrible MPG (that's mile per liter for your alter-personality ;)). I just sold my 2012 Q5 with 18k miles on it after using it as a daily driver and 80 miles a day round trip. You're entitled to your opinion about the Q5 ride, but IMO it's better than the X3 and the GC, as a friend has an ML based GC and it floats, rolls and drives like a tank. I test drove the '12 X3 and Q5 before buying the Q5, the X3 handling wasn't as good. Obviously that's subjective, so arguing about it is a waste of time.

Let's talk about size and which cars are comparable: Cargo capacity in the GC is 35 sq ft. The Q5? 29 sq ft. That's only a 6 sq ft difference. Which while a difference, isn't that big of a difference. The handling on a Q5 is better. The Q5 gets better MPG. The interior is far better. And to get the same options on both costs about the same, so as I said earlier, for the same money, I'm getting the Audi.

You don't have to "upgrade" the Audi to the 3.0 engine (and I put upgrade in quotes as the 2.0 is far more popular than the 3.0) to get xenon headlights, nor do you have to get Prestige. That's just a fact. my 2.0 prem + had Xenons.

I have no idea what you're talking about regarding "riding on the firm side", for starters, that's not true, and the X3 rides more firmly.

All of that being said, configure a Q5 and an X3 similarly and then come back and report on value. The X3 is more expensive than a comparably equipped Q5.

You might want to have another go at a Q5 test drive, because it appears that you were asleep during the last one. You also might want to check out the options on Audi of America > Luxury Has Progressed.

EDIT: I did not edit Thunder's post. I erroneously clicked on the "EDIT" button instead of "QUOTE".

I couldn't pay that much for a Jeep. Just couldn't do it. It's like $50,000 pickup trucks. Easy to get the price up there but just seems wrong to me.

I've noticed the same thing about Azn's "quirk". He once even quoted the price of an Audi Allroad in Euros. I'm sure the dealer would love to be paid in Euros at Euro price points. :D Quirk, indeed. But hey, he did start off with "y'all" so....

Boys, boys, boys you need to chill. The Q5 isn't even in the same market segment--it's a compact SUV whereas the GC is mid-size. So, comparing the 2 on MPG and handling doesn't make any sense---of course a 2.0L engine on a smaller car will get better MPG than a V6 on a larger car, etc. And there is no NAV on a base Q5 + if you are going to go base models then you can get a GC for probably less than $30K. It's not an apples to apples comparison.

Ron you are a freakin riot. :bustingup:bustingup