Jeep's GI joy

ALASTAIR SLOANE finds the new Jeep Cherokee is as strong, agile and faithful as the model that helped to win the war.

Jeep likes to tell the story of the American soldier in Germany in 1945 who stopped three Germans from escaping behind Allied lines.

The Germans were dressed in American Army uniforms and riding in an American Jeep - two regular soldiers in the front and a colonel sitting in the back.

As the Jeep approached a checkpoint, the GI figured something was wrong with the seating arrangement.

American colonels don't sit in the back seat, he told himself. American colonels drive the vehicle.

He stopped the Jeep, told the occupants they sure as hell didn't belong to Uncle Sam's Army and marched them at gunpoint off to the guardhouse.

Jeep can tell these stories because it's 60 years old and, unlike every other four-wheel-drive maker in the world today, was there when Hitler tried to turn the world on its ear.

It was there before Land-Rover, the Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol and Mitsubishi Pajero ... before the concept of four-wheel-drives had been fully explored.

The Allied Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower - later to become US President - said the Allies would not have won the Second World War without the Jeep.

The GIs loved it. US Army official Ernie Pyle said in the early 1940s: "I don't think we could continue the war without the Jeep.

"It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule and as agile as a goat.

"It carries twice what it was designed for, and keeps on going. It doesn't even ride so badly after you get used to it."

The flat Jeep bonnets became altars for Army chaplains and poker tables for GIs. The fold-down windscreen allowed the use of stretchers for the wounded.

"It does everything except bake a cake," said one officer. It even powered a fridge to make ice cream for GIs hungry for a taste of Stateside.

The latest Jeep doesn't make ice cream, not without some help, anyway. But it shares its strong, faithful and agile heritage with the original - along with the round headlights and trademark seven-slot vertical grille.

It's the new Cherokee, built at a new facility in Toledo, Ohio - Jeep's first truly international model, on sale in 90 countries.

It went from concept car to production model inside two-and-a-half years and cost more than $4 billion to develop. (It's called the Liberty in America and Canada because Jeep wanted to retire the Cherokee name from the North American market).

The new Cherokee is bigger all round - about 250mm longer and 90mm wider - and considerably heavier than the vehicle it replaces, which was old even before it arrived in New Zealand in the mid-90s.

Head and leg room has been increased, but the vehicle remains reasonably compact in appearance, mostly because of its more rounded exterior. The previous Cherokee was hard-edged and agricultural in comparison.

The new model is far more modern, refined and user-friendly inside and out.

Jeep wanted it that way, realising that most four-wheel-drive owners stay away from the bush-bashing rough stuff.

But as a compromise for off-road enthusiasts, the live rear axle has been retained, along with 20cm of suspension travel. A new independent front suspension improves the vehicle's on-road manners.

Three Limited and Sport Cherokee models will be available in New Zealand, two powered by a 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine and one by a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel. The diesel won't be available until next year.

The V6 is based on the architecture of the Grand Cherokee V8, with three valves for each cylinder and a single overhead cam.

It produces 155kW at 5200 rpm and 312Nm of torque at 3800 rpm and is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission from the Grand Cherokee.

The automatic box is linked to Jeep's sophisticated Selec-Trac four-wheel-drive system, a shift-on-the-fly unit which automatically distributes drive to the wheels with less grip.

The four-cylinder turbo-diesel develops 105kW at 3800 rpm and 343Nm of torque at 2000 rpm, and uses a five-speed manual gearbox linked to Command-Trac - an on-demand 4WD system.

The Cherokee comes well equipped, although ABS anti-lock brakes add $1500 to the price of the base model Sport, a curious option these days, certainly in a vehicle whose owners, Jeep research shows, like to tow boats.

Safety credentials are otherwise strong, with the availability of curtain airbags to protect the head and upper body of front and rear passengers.

The rear seats split 65/35, a welcome improvement over the old model's bench chair, and the rear tailgate window can be opened by remote control.

A couple of niggling left-hand-drive aspects remain after the conversion.

The low-ratio gear lever is mounted, as in other Jeeps, away from the driver on the front passenger's side of the centre console, and the tailgate is hinged on the left side of the vehicle, meaning it opens from the traffic side.

The V6 Sport costs $57,400, the leather-lined and better-equipped Limited $62,900.

These prices are based on an exchange rate with the US dollar of about 41c. Wonder what they would have been had the kiwi been worth US72c, as it was four years ago?