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2005 Grand Cherokee, Cleveland Plain Dealer

This appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper today:

Grand Cherokee has new focus

04/08/04

Christopher Jensen
Plain Dealer Auto Editor

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has always been a rough-and-tumble sport utility, a
vehicle that could actually go off road and come back without recuperating
at the dealership for several thousand dollars.

The perfect example was in 1998 when Cheryl, my wife, and I drove about
7,700 miles through Africa following the Shield of Africa Rally, in which
people who should have known better tried to drive vintage sporty cars on
some incredibly bad roads.

In South Africa, we towed a broken-down rally car through miles of deep,
stay-here sand, although bystanders doubted we would get enough traction to
budge the vehicle.

Later, the Grand Cherokee's predictable and competent handling were great as
we literally raced across the tiny, mountainous country of Lesotho to escape
rioting and an attempted coup, which were thoughtlessly interfering with
motor sports.

Overall, the Grand Cherokee was a multitask, on-and-off road vehicle.

This fall, Jeep is introducing a completely new 2005 Grand Cherokee and
there have been some drastic changes.

What has not changed a huge amount is the look. The 2005 Grand Cherokee is
still easily identified as a Jeep and a Grand Cherokee. But the new model's
186.7-inch overall length is 5.4 inches longer and the wheelbase is four
inches longer.

What motorists will notice is a major improvement in on-road refinement,
according to Craig Love, Chrysler Group's vice president for activity and
premium vehicles.

The reason for Jeep's new focus on on-pavement performance is that other
automakers are increasingly offering sport utilities with car-like handling,
and few of their owners care about anything more challenging than a snowy
road. For most sport-utility owners, off-road is parking on the lawn while
the driveway is being sealed.

To respond to the new challenge, the Grand Cherokee finally gets an
independent front suspension and a new, five-link rear suspension.
Previously, the Grand Cherokee had solid, live axles front and rear. That
meant the wheels on each axle could not react to bumps independently.

These solid axles were praised by Jeep engineers for being rugged and
excellent for serious off-road work. But they also meant about 100 pounds of
extra weight resulting in steering, ride and handling that were hardly world
class.

The new suspension should improve ride and handling, including the tiresome
"head-toss" or side-to- side rocking motion to which the current Grand
Cherokee was ever-so susceptible, particularly on a road with a crown.

The old recirculating-ball steering has been replaced with a new
rack-and-pinion system such as that found on most cars. Again, the goal is
to move away from the dead, on-center feel of the current Grand Cherokee to
something that is more car-like.

Three four-wheel drive systems will be offered, with the most sophisticated
having features including front and rear electronic, limited slip
differentials.

Jeep engineers insist the new Grand Cherokee will still be extremely capable
off road. But it is hard to imagine how Jeep can have it both ways. Either
Jeep exaggerated the advantages of the old solid axles or the new Grand
Cherokee's suspension will not be as good off- road as the previous
generation.

Jeep's approach and departure specifications show the 2005 model will not be
able to climb or descend as steep a hill as the old model without rubbing
either the front or rear on the ground.

Safety equipment will include an electronic stability control system that
tries to determine if the front or rear of the vehicle is sliding in a
direction other than what the driver wants. Then, it tries to correct.

The most powerful engine will be Chrysler's 5.7 liter Hemi V-8, which is
rated at 325 horsepower at 5,100 revolutions per minute and 370 foot-pounds
of torque at 3,600 rpm. Jeep says 90 percent of that torque is available
between 2,400 and 5,100 rpm.

As on the Chrysler 300C and Dodge Magnum, the Hemi has Chrysler's
Multi-Displacement System. When all eight cylinders are not needed to
maintain speed, the computer shuts down four of them to save fuel. The
transition takes only 40 milliseconds, the automaker said.

The preliminary fuel economy estimate for the Hemi is 14 miles per gallon
city and 21 highway.

The alternatives to the 5.7 are a 210-horsepower 3.7 liter V-6 and a
230-horsepower 4.7 liter V-8.

The only transmission is a five- speed automatic, although a different
design is used for the V-6. While an automatic is not offered, the automatic
can be shifted manually.

The interior is all-new, with peace-at-any-price features such as a DVD
player to keep the kids happy and a navigation system to prevent
destinational misadventures.

There is still no third row because, Jeep says, it wanted a "right-size"
package for off-road work. And a third row means the Grand Cherokee might
compete with the Dodge Durango, of course.

One of the complaints about the current Grand Cherokee is a lack of rear
legroom. That is not likely to change since the rear legroom (35.5 inches)
is virtually unchanged. However, a Jeep spokesman noted the front seats are
raised enough so that the person in the second row can now tuck his feet
under them, gaining a little more space.

Jeep's figures also show a loss of cargo room behind the second row. On the
current model, it was rated at 38 cubic feet. The new model is rated at 34.5
cubic feet, a significant reduction.

Safety equipment includes optional "air curtains" that cover the side
windows to protect the heads of the front and back-seat occupants.

Like the current Grand Cherokee, the U.S. versions of the new model will be
built in Detroit. Jeep isn't talking about price yet or providing other
details.