Road TestCar reviews - Jeep - Grand Cherokee - CRD 5-dr wagonJeep modelsThe Car2 Dec 2005 By TIM BRITTEN THIS is a Jeep that lifts the famous off-road brand into direct competition with a tough line-up of mid-size SUV opponents. For a two-tonne-plus off-roader it’s neat and nimble on the tarmac, yet retains its Jeep credibility in the muddy, rocky and slippery stuff. The icing on the cake is the Benz-contributed 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6. A new generation of oil-burning engines has been showing how crisp, clean and thrifty diesels can be. This one shows just how close they are getting to petrol-engine levels of smoothness and quietness. THERE is little point having a four-wheel drive model line-up these days without at least one diesel-engine version in the range. Mercedes-Benz, for example, developed no less than three turbo-diesels for its new ML range – there are two V6s, in 2.8-litre and 3.0-litre capacities, and, down the road, a 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8. The Benz V6s form an interesting backdrop to the Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD launched in Australia this week with an all-new, Mercedes-sourced 3.0-litre V6. Following the petrol-engine versions introduced last month, the diesel-powered Jeep succeeds the previous 2.7-litre five-cylinder inline CRD turbo-diesel and offers a power increase of 33 per cent, while torque goes up by 28 per cent. Diesel sophistication doesn’t come much higher than in this new engine. It is fed by a Bosch common-rail, direct-injection fuel supply system and a variable-geometry turbocharger, while its architecture mimics the latest petrol-engine design trends with all-alloy construction, twin camshafts per cylinder bank, four-valve cylinder heads and a counter-rotating balance shaft. The 72-degree, long-stroke V6’s all-alloy construction means it weighs in at just 208kg, consigning thoughts of heavy, primitive and clunky diesels to the history books. And it’s clean, being compliant with Euro 4 emission regulations. This is due to the clean-burning fuel delivery and cylinder head design, as well as the adoption of twin diesel catalytic converters placed optimally to ensure fast light-up and minimise initial exhaust belching when the engine is started cold. The Grand Cherokee’s turbo-diesel winds out an impressive 160kW (at 4000rpm) as well as the expected mountain of torque – in this case, 510Nm at a barely-spinning 1600rpm. This means it will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in a mere 9.0 seconds – half a second faster than the 4.7-litre petrol V8 version of the new Grand Cherokee. Just as importantly, the efficient oil-burner means the almost-2.2-tonne Grand Cherokee has fuel consumption figures that any regular full-size petrol-engined car would be proud of. The CRD’s combined ADR 81/01 figure of 10.2L/100km is almost good enough to banish thoughts about the resource-wasting wantonness of large 4WDs. The downside is that the CRD is priced $2600 above the 4.7-litre equivalent. The CRD is available with one transmission – a sequential five-speed auto. Consistent with Jeep’s traditional off-road credibility, the CRD also gets the topline Quadra-Drive II dual-range, full-time 4WD system otherwise only seen in the 5.7-litre version of the new Grand Cherokee (4.7-litre models get the less sophisticated Quadra-Trac II). It also gets limited-slip front and rear differentials. The suspension is the same all-coil, independent front/live rear axle combination seen in the petrol-engined Grand Cherokees. It also uses the same electronic safety systems including stability control, traction control, ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and Jeep’s Electronic Rollover Mitigation System. The CRD is available in either Laredo or Limited form, the latter sitting mid-way between the V8 engines on price. This means the CRD Laredo comes with standard gear including multi-stage driver and front passenger airbags, full-length curtain airbags, power front seats (eight ways for the driver, four ways for the passenger), 60/40 split-fold rear seat, an "Electronic Vehicle Information Centre", air-conditioning, a tyre-pressure monitoring system, 17-inch alloy wheels and roof rails. Did you know?The CRD Limited adds dual-zone climate-control, leather trim, auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers, rear park assist, heated front seats and a 276-watt Boston Acoustics six-speaker sound system with a six-stack CDAll car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen |
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