Jeep: Comfort during roughest of times

Luxury Overland trim package and impressive V6 turbo-diesel take the latest Grand Cherokee to a new level. Photo / Supplied

Jeep has added two more flavours to its Grand Cherokee product pie.

Although the completely redesigned American off-road wagon was introduced in February with an engine choice of V6, V8 Hemi and the promise of a V6 diesel, they were available in only one trim package, the Limited.

Since then, Jeep New Zealand has added the more luxurious Overland - the first examples arrived at the same time as the diesel motor - and the company is close to finalising the "budget" Laredo, to be introduced later this year.

Slices of this American pie now range from just under $80,000 to $97,000.

However, the Laredo is expected to cost a lot less and may even sneak under the $70,000 barrier.

On the other end, the tyre-smoking SRT-8 high-performance version will come in at $100,000 (the outgoing model was $96,900) but is only due in February.

The upgraded interior of the Overland - the name harks back to when Jeep was owned by Willys-Overland - transforms the Grand Cherokee from a nicely decorated American wagon to a genuine rival for the likes of Range Rover. The special Nappa leather seats with contrasting piping are comfortable, supportive, and look superb. Cabin fit and finish are outstanding.

Other quality touches include a leather dash and a wood-and-leather steering wheel.

The package also includes adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitors that set off warning triangles in the side mirrors if another vehicle is close but possibly out of the mirrors' field of view.

The Overland leaves only two options to consider. One is an off-road pack with underbody skidplates, 18-inch rims and "meatier" tyres replacing the 20-inch alloys; the other is a panoramic sunroof, considerably larger than the standard "ordinary" sunroof.

Driven tried the Overland with the new turbo-diesel engine - VM Motori's 3.0-litre RA 630 twincam - with four valves per cylinder and common rail fuel injection. It replaces a Mercedes 3.0-litre V6, well regarded in the previous Grand Cherokee.

VM is now part of the Fiat group, which owns Chrysler and thus Jeep. However, work on the engine is said to have started in the US when the Penske Corporation owned a large part of VM.

The new engine is more powerful than its Mercedes predecessor. It is also quieter, smoother and gets better fuel economy at 8.3 litres per 100km overall. It produces 177kW and, more importantly, 520Nm of torque at 1800rpm.

By comparison, the 5.7-litre Hemi V8, which is actually built in Mexico, produces 262kW and 550Nm way up at 4200rpm. Both the diesel and the V8 are rated to tow 3500kg, braked.

On the road, Driven had to look for the RUC window sticker to confirm that it was indeed a diesel; it's so smooth and quiet, its level of performance not dissimilar to the Hemi's.

Off-road the Overland's a weapon, with height-adjustable air suspension, a dial that sets it up for different types of terrain and one of the best traction control systems going.

The diesel-with-Overland package costs $96,990, $5000 more than the V8. Which begs the question, why would you want to take your almost-six-figure SUV into rocks, ruts and other off-road hazards? Well, it's nice to know you could if you wanted to. Meanwhile, you can enjoy luxury SUV transport that ranks with the best.