2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee review, test drive

There was a time when the United States, unquestionably, made some of the finest cars in the world. Beautifully engineered, flamboyantly designed and full of character, these were cars that tugged at your heart strings. Today, however, much of the mystique and romance with American cars has faded. This downward spiral commenced in the late 60s and the OPEC fabricate oil crisis of 1973 only made things worse. We don't really think very much of American-engineered cars that are built for the US market. So, it was quite a shock to find that the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, headed here sometime later this year, is really quite impressive. 

It looks stunning in the flesh with its bold, sharp lines, square-shaped jaw and that characteristic Jeep toothy grin. It has what it takes to get you plenty of attention. The hardware is even more impressive. The chassis is taken from the 2012 Mercedes M-class and powering it is a 240bhp diesel made by VM Motori of Italy. An eight-speed automatic chops up the power and distributes it to the rear wheels.