Returning to my Jeep Grand Cherokee at my local Waitrose store– where else would you shop with such an upmarket vehicle – I found it getting a close inspection from a Range Rover driver .
After a few minutes he made it quite clear that much as he loved his new car he wished he’d checked out the big American off-roader before parting with his hard earned cash.
It didn’t help when I explained that if he had he would have saved himself at least £20,000 .
For while the £52,000 price tag of the top-of-the-range Summit version of the V6 Grand Cherokee is not exactly cheap you get a lot of car for your money.
And it has to be said that, despite its bulk, this new version with its generous use of chrome on the exterior is a good looking car which certainly attracted a lot of interest in the week I drove it.
Powered by a beefy 3.0-litre, 247bhp V6 diesel engine mated to a smooth eight-speed automatic transmission, it’s also far quicker than most people would imagine given its size, and 62 miles per hour comes up in a very respectable 8.2 seconds.
At low speeds there’s no disguising the traditional diesel rattle but once the Grand Cherokee gets into its stride on the motorway that noise disappears and the car in general is impressively quiet.
The ride is comfortable if a little soft and there is some body roll but it’s all well contained and never feels uncomfortable.
Jeep claims the car will average just under 38 miles per gallon and I managed to get close with 31mpg which, given the size of both vehicle and engine, is impressive.
And it’s the size of this SUV which ensures plenty of space inside for passengers and – with 782 litres with the seats upright – an abundance of space beneath the electrically operated tailgate for numerous suitcases.
In Summit trim you get a lot of luxuries including leather seats with electric adjustment and memory settings, leather trim on the dashboard and doors, a double slide and tilt electric glass sun roof and very smart multi-function steering wheel in wood and leather .
Both the front and rear seats have a heating function on them and rear seat passengers in the car I tested could while away any journey using the seat mounted DVD/Blu-Ray player, a £1,425 optional extra.
An 8.4-inch centrally mounted touchscreen allows easy access to a host of functions, including satellite navigation.
The performance of Jeep models off-road is legendary and this latest comes with Selec-Terrain, a system which allows you to opt for any one of five ground surfaces – including snow and rocks – simply by turning a dial.
But for most people their vehicle will never tackle any seriously rough terrain so it’s useful to know that on the highway you are protected by a host of safety systems including forward collision warning with crash mitigation, adaptive cruise control, hill descent control, hill start assist and blind spot monitoring to mention just a few.
And when it comes to safety the height of Grand Cherokee gives you superb all-round vision to help you keep out of trouble.
With all that in the package it’s not really surprising that my Range Rover-owning fellow Waitrose shopper was having serious second thoughts about his choice of vehicle.
Fast Facts
Model: Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit
Price: £51,995
Mechanical: 2987 cc, 247 bhp, 6 cyl diesel engine driving all wheels via 8spd automatic gearbox.
Max speed: 126 mph
0-62mph: 8.2 secs
Combined mpg: 37.7 mpg
CO2 emissions: 198 g/km
Insurance group: 43
Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles
