Pictorial Review: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit

As far off road as most grand cherokees will go

By now we’ve all seen the current generation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Last November I briefly drove this very Jeep and came away very impressed. Now, however, I’ve spent a long weekend with it and… remained equally impressed, except for one thing (keep reading). This time, in lieu of writing just another review, I chose to focus on the little details that are often omitted from general vehicle reviews.

There are no bad cars today. Pick any one, because all of them are good. They’re all safe, reliable, long lasting, and perform their functions well. It is the execution of these everyday functions; the ergonomics and the easy of entry and use for instance, which separate the good vehicles from the great vehicles. Here is a look at some of those details, good and bad, on the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

And that one thing that I didn’t like.

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Review: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport

To write a story about the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport, I have to find the proper place to allow the vehicle a small chance to stretch its capable legs. I have to go to a place where the road is made of mud or dirt, not asphalt. A place where traction is earned not given. The problem is that I live in a beach town in Southern California, and the most treacherous part of my commute is caused by light rain on the 405 or a dangerously uncaffeinated crowd attempting to maneuver around the lot in front my local Starbucks. I need to venture inland.

Still, simply driving away from the siren-song provided by the crashing waves of the beach might not be enough to satiate the needs of the Wrangler, nor my desire to push the vehicle. Regardless, it was time to find out.

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First Drive: 2012 Jeep Compass

One is not like the other

This is the third, and last, installment of quick drives of some 2012 Jeeps. The first was the Wrangler, followed by the Grand Cherokee, and now the Compass. We will also have extended review of the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon as that vehicle has generated a lot of interest. After that, no more Jeeps!

I did not want to drive the Compass. I just did not think I would have anything good to say about it, but the nice Jeep spokesperson insisted that I drive it, so I did. My first impression was similar to my first impression of the 2011 Chrysler 200 I drove some time ago – Chrysler took an existing vehicle and did their best to modernize it without spending the time and money to develop a completely new vehicle. It’s a smart move as it buys them time to develop an all-new product while having something new in the showrooms.

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Quick Drive: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit

While it’s been out for over a year, this was my first time driving the Grand Cherokee, in this case the loaded “Overland Summit” edition. I don’t want to exaggerate here, but this thing is damn nice. Furthermore, it seems as though the new WK2 improved on every single issue the old WK had. The tight packaging of the WK has been expanded, in part probably due to ditching of the live rear axle, which also improved on the twitchy WK handling. The increase in the cargo and rear seat area means that the Grand Cherokee is now as functional and roomy as it looks.

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Quick Drive: 2012 Jeep Wrangler

For 2012, the Jeep Wrangler gets the new Pentastar 3.6-liter engine which increases power and fuel economy. When combined with last year’s interior makeover, this should make the ’12 a much improved vehicle over the ’10 Unlimited Rubicon 6-speed I drove some time ago. I was expecting it to be better, but I didn’t expect it to be that much better. Be aware, adjectives such as “smooth” and “refined” will be used in reference to what was once military equipment.

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SUV Showdown: Infiniti FX50 Vs Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Part 3

It’s time to move on from ridiculous hoonage back to the real world (for now). After the canyons and the empty streets of California City came miles of long, straight highway.

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SUV Showdown: Infiniti FX50 Vs Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Part 2

After hammering the canyons and making short work of the Antelope Valley, we rolled into California City ready for some mischief. For those unfamiliar, California City is a community master-planned back in the late 50s. If you look it up on Google Maps, you’ll see a grid of roads that suggests miles of suburban sprawl. Switch to satellite view and you’ll see there’s nothing at the corner of Oldsmobile and Buick Blvds. Then again, one man’s failed city is another’s ready-made rally course…

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SUV Showdown: Infiniti FX50S Vs Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

When life gives you lemons, you’re supposed to make lemonade. When your press car suppliers give you two 400ish horsepower SUVs, you make hoonade.  The recipe? Take equal parts Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Infiniti FX50s, stir vigorously on a pre-dawn canyon drive, whip mercilessly on the semi-abandoned roads of California City, and let simmer on a long freeway drive home.

While most other sites are content to review just one vehicle at a time, we’re running them head-to-head. In addition to the typical week of toodling around town, we decided to put these bruisers through their paces both on and off the pavement. We woke up insanely early and took the scenic curvy canyon route out of LA out to California City for a little dirt-road hoonage. Muscle cruisers like these are useless if they can’t cover freeway mileage with ease, so we took the straight-line route back into town. Today’s Part I will focus on initial impressions an canyon driving. In Part II, we hit the dirt. Part III wraps it up.

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