Test drive Jeep Grand Cherokee 2003 - 2005 SUV
All inclusive
This car does not need at all. For Russia, the first generation Grand Cherokee has become a relic, a symbol of a whole period of recent history, an era, oversaturated with events and ambiguous. And the current model is the usual sight on our roads, although it does not inspire the former trepidation in the hearts of those around them. In the early nineties, Grand Cherokee blew up the SUV market with its tactical and technical parameters: the buyer received reactive dynamics without much damage to patency. Over time, the competitors pulled themselves up, and against their background the second -generation car said the dashing image of his predecessor. The characteristic style has been preserved, but the high -speed qualities have faded. And by the 2002 season season, Grand Cherokee suffered a faceting with a serious revision of the contents of the engineering space. The turbodiesel changed, and the Overland version with a 4.7-liter engine forced the family has stood up. The former four -speed machine gave way to five -speed, also German origin.
When the new car just appeared, many joked that it was very much like the first Grand, but bitten by bees. Swolled, they say, the poor man, but never recovered. And the truth: when looking at the car, such an allegory suggests itself. The proportions are almost the same, only the fat increased. It seems to be shod an SUV in the sixteenth wheels, but they also seem small. Here are inch eighteen ...
However, there is another point, not at all an aesthetic properties. Problems with a sense of dimensions visit us quite rarely both the design of modern machines and their own experience. Grand Cherokee is one of the unpleasant exceptions. A high waist line and massive body racks make you feel like in an armored car. All hope is only for large external mirrors. However, because of their sizes, they sometimes have a hard time: the right mirror ruthlessly demolished the SUV for comparable dimensions, trying to stick between two rows. The interior of the car is initially shocked. One hundred percent Europe! There are no American motives in the world, there were only hints like excessively soft chairs with weak side support and black-green schedules of displays. The view of the salon is expensive and high -quality. Noble, clean design, full order with buttons. The soul of wooden decor and the respectability of leather-and-stroke seats warm the soul. There are six dials on the dashboard, but their readings are perceived without complications. The organization of the multifunctional steering wheel is generally perfect! I can’t even believe that all this is really created in America!
The list of equipment of the version of Overland is huge, but something should be mentioned. In particular, electric drives of the driver's seat in ten directions and an electric hatch; Climate control, four airbags and, of course, an audio system with a CD-reiver, a ten discs for ten discs and the acoustics of Infinity about ten speakers. In the realism of the sound, cars from behind the ocean always ahead of their counterparts from the Old World and Japan, and Grand another confirmation of this.
Traveling from behind together is convenient and carefree, the three of them are crowded. Only one detail alerted: the edges of the door do not enter the wheel niches, as on most today's all -terrain vehicles of different classes. And this exposes the wardrobe of passengers to be stained when landing on road and off -road dirt. Grand Cherokee is still the same. The two -ton colossus accelerates with the enthusiasm of the charged hatchback, sensitively responding to any displacement of the accelerator pedal. The speedometer arrow flies into the three -digit zone in the blink of an eye. Moreover, the stability of the car and the quality of noise insulation are such that speeds up to 120 km/h are not perceived by either the driver or passengers as any serious. The consistency of engine and transmission operation is amazing! The switching is fast, barely noticeable, the traction capabilities of the motor are enough to shoot without frequent transitions to Kik-Daun. Most of all I liked the ability of the machine to braking the engine: when resetting the speed, the box independently selects a suitable step, and the fidelity of its choice is not in doubt. Therefore, the subsequent acceleration does not begin on the fifth with subsequent convulsive switching to the fourth or third, but immediately with the third. As a result, a significant reduction in the time of the reactions of the machine to human commands.
Grand Cherokee handling is very good. Yes, the response of the SUV to the turns of the steering wheel does not shine with speed, but they are sufficiently accurate and predictable. Add here an unexpectedly high level of feedback, and you will understand why driving on this car is much more pleasant than on the mass of other SUVs. And the setting up of the all -wheel drive transmission is so successful here that it is not even a very experienced driver to drive a car on slippery covers in drifts. Of course, the Grand Cherokee is not x5 on the asphalt, but he went very far from American counterparts. But with the smoothness of the course, the picture is not so rosy. The fully dependent design of the pendants determines both tangible fluctuations in the unsped masses, and the rigid passage of major irregularities.
The uniqueness of the Grand Cherokee lies in the fact that on off -road he holds no less confidently than on the highway. The capabilities of the Quadra Trak II system are truly impressive. In ordinary modes, this is an rear -wheel drive car: the front axis automatically connects through a multi -disc clutch when slipping of the rear wheels. The inclusion of the lowering row is accompanied by a rigid locking of the center differential. The rear bridge is equipped with an automatic locking of the inter -coil differential quite effective, because the diagonal hanging does not immobilize the machine. And the thoughtful geometry of the body allows you to overcome pits and hillocks without risk to catch on the ground. However, do not ignore the following: if your Grand is shod in highway rubber, all its distributions and locks in a really difficult situation will be powerless. There was only one, final touch. A 24-hour technical support program for Chrysler and Jeep car owners purchased from official dealers has recently been introduced on the territory of Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the case of warranty malfunctions, as well as annoying road troubles, like the ended fuel or damaged tire from the nearest dealership center, a technician will go to your aid. A similar type of elite service is practiced in Europe and North America, prize-brands car manufacturers, but we have it for the first time. Another argument for.
The car was provided by CJSC Daimlerrucapaler cars RUS
The article was published in the Wheel Journal No. 5 [68] for May 2003
Text: Leonid Klyuyev
Photo: Roman Ostanin
Source: Wheel magazine [No. 68/2003]
