2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT review, test drive

Jeep isn’t on sale in India yet, but we’ve already gotten our hands on one of the nuttiest examples headed here, the mental SRT.

Published on Apr 19, 2016 11:50:00 AM

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2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT review, test drive

SRT edition of handsome Grand Cherokee gets bespoke nostrils on top of bonnet, flashes of chrome and LED.

Track mode, though, is so stiff it causes the SRT to hop over any less-than-perfect roads. And Sport is quite similar too. Auto, which is the comfort setting, is quite good as it manages to round off most sharp bumps well. There’s enough compliance to allow you to make the most of the conditions and deploy all the power. And it will even switch to Eco mode if it finds you ambling; which is sure to save you a bit.

On the inside, the SRT is extremely comfortable. The big leather thrones have a wide seat base, massive shoulder and thigh support, and the quality of the leather seats is fantastic. And there’s plenty of equipment here too; everything you expect on a luxury SUV. You get a great audio system, a large central touchscreen, screens for both passengers in the rear that can be hidden smartly, and you even get cooled and heated seats for the driver and passenger. Quality levels, in fact, are more executive car than luxury car, with mid-size cars having many similarly built bits on the inside, and that takes some of the sheen off.

Interiors are very comfortable, equipment levels are impressive and the leather-covered dash looks and feels great; but the quality of plastics isn’t up to luxury car levels.

What potential suitors can look forward to is a true-blue performance SUV that is likely to come at an estimated price of around Rs 1.18 crore; a big step down on the X5M and Range Rover Sport SVR that cost Rs 1.57 crore and Rs 2.03 crore, respectively. It may not quite have the agility of the BMW and interior quality is clearly down on this pair, but you do get that monster of a naturally aspirated V8, loads and loads of attitude and high levels of comfort. And, of course, it’s a Jeep, so you can expect it to be really good off-road; it even has a mode selector for various terrain. Yes, the Jeep Grand Cherokee isn’t for everyone and it has some shortcomings you need to ignore if you buy it, but it also has something the competition is sorely lacking in; loads and loads of character. And that’s something that’s getting more and more difficult to get a hold of today.