Jeep’s giant family SUV returns with a downsized engine, but does the new Grand Cherokee make a convincing case in Singapore?

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Launched: March 2023 – Price S$373,888 with COE
Five-door, large family SUV, five seats
268hp, 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, VES C2, 9.7L/100km

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PROS
Punchy performance despite small engine in such a large car
Decent to drive
Plenty of space

CONS
Interior quality could be better
Confusing infotainment menus

Photos: Ben Chia and Jay Tee

SINGAPORE

Singaporeans do like small engines in big cars. In a country where engine capacity is still a differentiating factor for a number of vehicular policies, like COE categories and road tax, a big car with a small engine is seen as being bang for buck and maximising one’s dollar.

Viewed in that sense, some might consider the new Jeep Grand Cherokee as a value for money buy. Here is a car the size of a BMW X5, but powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, and based on that alone, the potential savings in taxation one could have over the previous model’s 3.6-litre V6 is significant to say the least. Could this then perhaps be the car to finally push Jeep into the mainstream in Singapore?

Here’s another large SUV that’s more powerful, and MUCH MORE expensive

The thing is, it’s not exactly a completely alien concept, given the trend towards downsizing engines in recent times (BMW themselves once had a 2.0-litre 7 Series), but there will still be some who will have concerns over whether such a small engine is fit for purpose in a car this large. After all, the Jeep in some ways is a representation of the American ideal of a large lazy car powered by a brawny muscular engine. Given the fact that the new Grand Cherokee is still a fairly sizeable vehicle, there will naturally be doubts about whether the engine is up to the task of powering this giant SUV.

In all fairness, the 2.0-litre powerplant does make a fair effort. Turbocharging boosts the output to a not-inconsiderable 268hp, and there’s also a pretty handy 400Nm of torque on hand as well. The end result is an engine that’s actually rather punchy, and delivers a good amount of oomph to get you going without feeling strained. 0-100km/h comes up in 8.2 seconds, and top speed stands at 210km/h, which is impressive for a car that weighs well over two tonnes.

There are more surprises in the Grand Cherokee’s driving abilities too. Despite its size, stature and the seemingly undersized 20-inch wheels (already an upgrade from the standard 18s) that makes the car look like it’s on stilts, the Grand Cherokee manages to be a reasonably adept handler. Understeer and body roll remains present, but are relatively well-controlled and the car doesn’t feel like a cumbersome monster to pilot.

It obviously doesn’t hold any sort of sporting pretensions, but neither does it possess the boat-like handling abilities that large American cars are supposedly infamous for, and the Grand Cherokee strikes a sort of neutral middle ground that’s neither excellent nor terrible.

That said, it does give the car a slight false sense of security, because the Grand Cherokee is still undeniably a huge vehicle. One has to be extra careful when parking or manoeuvring it in tight carparks, which can sometimes be a harrowing affair in Singapore. On the flip side, the Grand Cherokee’s large size means that there is plenty of interior room for occupants to stretch out and relax in, with lots of legroom and headroom all round.

The rest of the interior though does feel like a bit of a letdown. To its credit, the Grand Cherokee does come fairly well-equipped, with neat features like a head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, 360 degree camera and adaptive cruise control, to name but a few. But the infotainment system is a bit messy to operate, with the confusing menus needing some time to get used to.

Perhaps most disappointingly, interior quality feels a long way away from what one would expect for a car in this class and price range. Cheap and hard plastics abound, and while generally the car feels mostly well put together, there is a sense that Jeep could have done a lot better with material choices and quality given the sort of competition it is going up against.

Nevertheless, the new Grand Cherokee is still a solid effort, if not quite a polished product yet. The 2.0-litre engine is undoubtedly a surprising performer, especially in relation to its size, and while the interior does fall a bit short of the class benchmark, if one could look past that, the Grand Cherokee does make for a novel alternative to the usual large family SUV contenders.

Jeep Grand Cherokee

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