1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review

If Europe's BMW or Jaguar made a sport/utility vehicle, it likely would resemble the hot Jeep Grand Cherokee, which looks as if it should come with standard Rolex watches.

Chrysler Corp.'s new, $24,603-$32,906 Grand Cherokee sees its first big revamp since its 1993 debut and continues to offer a sporty European feel that rivals lack, I found while testing a 1996 Grand Cherokee Laredo.

Chrysler concentrated mostly on giving the 1996 Grand Cherokee improvements that make it perform better, so it concentrated on the powertrain (engine and transmission), chassis, steering, electronics and interior.

Even my test Grand Cherokee Laredo's Selec-Trac system, which offers full-time four-wheel-drive road grip, doesn't give it the typically cumbersome feel of other sport/utilities with four-wheel drive. The Laredo costs $26,571 with Selec-Trac and $24,603 with two-wheel drive.

Jeep excels at four-wheel drive, and its top-line Quadra-Trac all-wheel-drive system has been revised for 1996 to divert 100 percent of power to the rear wheels in dry conditions to improve slow-speed cornering responsiveness and high-speed stability. When roads get slippery or terrain becomes tough, Quadra-Trac delivers maximum engine torque to whichever axle needs traction.

But any four-wheel-drive system's extra weight and friction eat into fuel economy. And the Grand Cherokee Laredo only manages an EPA-estimated 14 m.p.g. in the city and 18 on the highway with Selec-Trac and optional ($511) 5.2-liter V-8. The V-8 comes with a slick four-speed automatic transmission recalibrated to provide better acceleration off the line and at mid-range speeds.

Full-size sport/utilities are notorious gasoline guzzlers--especially in city driving. And the Grand Cherokee's silky 220-horsepower V-8, which makes it quite fast, doesn't help matters.

Also offered is a more economical, 185-horsepower six-cylinder, which has been made smoother and quieter for 1996 with items such as a stiffer, stronger cylinder block and lightweight pistons. Many Jeep buyers should be happy with this 4-liter six, which now provides better punch at typical driving speeds.

The 1996 Grand Cherokee has a bigger grille, which has been extended into the bumper, and new bodyside cladding. Those items, besides fog lamps newly integrated into the grille instead of perched atop the bumper, make the Grand Cherokee look racier. But they're also functional; the grille improves engine cooling, fog lamps are less likely to get ripped off and the cladding offers greater side protection from parking-lot dings.

It's a fairly high step up into the Grand Cherokee's front compartment. And narrow rear doors don't open wide enough to allow easy entry and exit to the back seat. Without rear seatbacks folded forward, my test vehicle had just average cargo space--partly because its optional full-size spare tire consumed a good chunk of room on the cargo area's left side. Many don't want a large, heavy sport/utility like the Grand Cherokee with a mini-spare tire.

The new Grand Cherokee finally gets dual front air bags, instead of only a driver's air bag--although Jeep must be credited with providing the first driver's air bag in the sport/utility market in 1993.

Gauges and displays are easily read in the new instrument panel, and controls are better positioned within a driver's sightline and reach.

Four 6-footers easily fit, but the rear seat doesn't allow comfortable three-across seating for adults. The overstuffed front bucket seats provide good comfort during straight-line driving, but offer scant support during spirited motoring, which the good-handling Grand Cherokee invites.

Jeep claims the new Grand Cherokee has the first advanced multiplex electrical/electronic system in a sport/utility, and its handling has been improved through items such as revalved shock absorbers that give the suspension more linear damping. A front anti-sway bar features ball stud joints that replace rubber grommets for better durability, response and stability. The steering column area has been reinforced to cut road harshness transmitted through the steering wheel. But new speed-proportional steering, which provides better on-center feel, is offered just for the top-line Grand Cherokee Limited.

Most Grand Cherokee buyers may not care that the suspension's front jounce bumpers now incorporate a solid urethane core, but they probably will notice that the new material reduces jarring and noise that come from suspension bottoming during off-road driving, where Jeeps always have done well.

It's nice to see a good vehicle get appreciably better.