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.

After my first trip with the Grand Cherokee I was confused. I was pretty sure that it was the V8 model; it was the Overland Summit edition and it had two tailpipes, one on each side, which emphasizes additional power and substance over lesser Jeeps. But it did not jump off the line like the V8-powered Grand Cherokees of yesteryears; it did not have much of a mean growl either. It wasn’t the hot-rod sleeper it once was; instead it was a focused mature adult, smooth and refined, and in a way, kind of boring. I opened the hood – 5.7 V8 Hemi. I blame the programming of the engine and transmission, which emphasizes fuel economy over fun.