Blame its American roots or its reputation as an off-road junkie’s vehicle of choice, but the Jeep brand in Singapore hasn’t achieved the same popularity as its rivals, which include Land Rover and Lexus. That’s a pity, because the most recent Jeep models being offered here are actually more than decent.
The Grand Cherokee, for example, offers a great blend of on-road luxury and off-road ability. For jungle bashers, there’s the Wrangler Sahara, whose diesel variant I drove a few months ago feels indestructible – perfect for explorers who love beating new paths.
What discourages local buyers from opting for a Jeep is the fact that most of its models have large-displacement motors. For instance, the Grand Cherokee comes with either a 3-litre turbo-diesel or a 3.6-litre petrol V6. In an era where smaller, forced-induction engines are the norm, big-cc motors seem wasteful.
Jeep, however, is hoping to attract new customers with its new entry-level mid-size model, the Cherokee. Unlike its larger “Grand” namesake, the Cherokee is powered by a 2.4-litre inline-4, which should make road-tax-sensitive motorists in this segment sit up and take notice.
The first thing that they’ll notice is the Cherokee’s futuristic design. Its slim daytime running lamps make the front end, which retains the iconic seven-slot Jeep grille, resemble a robot’s face.
As an off-roader, it has plenty of ground clearance between the tyres and wheel arches (making the standard 18-inch wheels look puny), with the rest of the body having suitably chunky styling. The Cherokee has so much road presence that you cannot avoid it even if you tried.
Now, although the Cherokee is the most junior model in Jeep’s local lineup, its cabin is so well equipped that the uninitiated would think that this was actually one of the higher-end models.
Climb into the driver’s seat and you’re presented with a modern instrument cluster, complete with an attractive 7-inch TFT screen that displays pertinent driving information. Said screen also offers drivers the flexibility of choosing how much data they want displayed.
Other conveniences on the Limited variant we tested include a park assist system that helps with parallel and perpendicular parking manoeuvres, a blind spot monitor and reversing camera. The Cherokee Limited is also equipped with Active Cruise Control (which automatically slows the car down when it detects another vehicle filtering into your lane) and Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist.
The latter actually makes steering corrections for you when the system detects that the vehicle is drifting into another lane without the indicators being used. It can feel uncanny at first, but in my opinion, it’s actually perfect for typical Singaporean drivers, many of whom don’t bother to signal before changing lanes.
Other goodies include a user-friendly infotainment system with a USB point, SD card slot and auxiliary jack. In the centre console, there’s even a wireless charging function for a compatible smartphone.
The Cherokee’s key strength, of course, is its terrain-conquering capability. Standard on the top-of-the-line Limited variant are Jeep’s Selec-Terrain and Active Drive II. The former lets the driver optimise the all-wheel-drive system in response to the conditions he is facing by choosing from the Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud settings, while the latter complements this by monitoring and modifying the drivetrain’s torque distribution. In extreme situations, the driver can select four-wheel-drive, which ensures equitable torque distribution among all four wheels.
Jeep claims that the Cherokee performs just as well on-road, and this is true. I expected a cushy cruiser (Americans are supposed to be good at building cars like these) and it delivers. However, this comfort also means that the Cherokee doesn’t like hard cornering manoeuvres. This SUV has plenty of grip, but it also leans considerably.
At any rate, the 2.4-litre motor doesn’t encourage enthusiastic behaviour. With 174bhp and 229Nm available, the century dash takes a leisurely 10.5 seconds. On the bright side, the powerplant is a smooth-revving unit that actually sounds nice and rorty when pushed.
Complementing the motor is a ZF 9-speed automatic, which is fairly faultless. Despite a slight tendency to “hunt” (it does have nine forward ratios), its gearchanges are executed seamlessly. In fact, the gearbox feels smoother than the 9-speed unit in the updated Range Rover Evoque that I tested some time ago.
Packed with amenities and probably as capable as its larger siblings when it comes to off-roading, the Cherokee has what it takes to sway buyers. It may be the youngest in the Jeep family, but it definitely punches above its weight.
SPECIFICATIONS
DRIVETRAIN
TYPE Inline-4, 16-valves
CAPACITY 2360cc
BORE X STROKE 88mm x 97mm
COMPRESSION RATIO 10:1
MAX POWER 174bhp at 6400rpm
MAX TORQUE 229Nm at 3900rpm
POWER TO WEIGHT 105.1bhp per tonne
GEARBOX 9-speed automatic with manual select
DRIVEN WHEELS All
PERFORMANCE
0-100KM/H 10.5 seconds
TOP SPEED 175km/h
CONSUMPTION 11.4km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 204g/km
SUSPENSION
FRONT MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
REAR Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
FRONT / REAR Ventilated discs
TYRES
TYPE Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport
SIZE 225/55 R18
SAFETY
AIRBAGS 7
TRACTION CONTROL ABS with ESC
MEASUREMENTS
LENGTH 4624mm
WIDTH 1859mm
HEIGHT 1707mm
WHEELBASE 2719mm
KERB WEIGHT 1655kg
TURNING CIRCLE 11.6m
BUYING IT
PRICE INCL. COE $238,000 (no CEVS rebate/surcharge)
WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km
WE SAY
+ Generous standard kit, promising off-roading abilities, great on-board connectivity
– Lacks agility around corners, gearbox tends to “hunt”, relaxed performance
