AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: 2011 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

On The Cover Review: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Don’t let the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s familiar looks fool you.  This SUV is all new—and all the better for it.  Chrysler Corporation may not be owned by Mercedes anymore, but the Grand Cherokee was designed during that partnership, and carries a lot more Mercedes M-Class DNA than it does old Jeep Cherokee.  It’s bigger, rides better, handles better, and is more refined and better built inside and out.  Customers can choose between a new 290-hp, 3.6-liter V6, or the fuel-thirsty, power-hungry 360-hp, 5.7-liter “Hemi” V8.  The new Grand Cherokee can be ordered in one of three trim levels, and spec’d-out with either two-wheel-drive, or one of three different all-wheel-drive configurations.  And despite the Mercedes connection, the creators of the new Grand Cherokee remembered that it was still a Jeep.  To that end, rugged off-road capabilities are part of the package.  Chrysler may have some problems lately, but this 2011 Grand Cherokee is the best example of this nameplate in the history of the company.