For many years, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been one of the most popular SUVs on the market. People have enjoyed its styling and functionality.
For the 2014 model year, the venerable ride gets a refresh that includes adding a diesel engine model, some alterations to interior and exterior styling and a new transmission.
Most notable under the hood is a switch to an eight-speed automatic transmission, replacing the five and six speeds. This improves fuel economy.
The engine is a 3.6-liter V-6 that makes 290 horsepower and 260 pounds-feet of torque. There is also a 5.7-liter V-8 that makes 360 horsepower and 390 pounds-feet. It comes with a cylinder deactivation feature for better fuel economy.
Speaking of which, the V-6 gets 17 mpg city, 25 highway and the V-8 gets 14 and 22. Both sets of figures are for rear wheel drive models.
New this year is a 3.0-liter V-6 turbo diesel engine that makes 240 ponies and 420 pounds-feet.
It gets 22 and 30 as a RWD.
If you want to go off-road, you can choose from three four-wheel-drive systems.
The exterior styling changes are subtle. The front grille is a bit less prominent and the fog lights have gotten bigger. The view from the rear cargo area is a little better thanks to a redesigned back window.
Interior changes are mainly found on the dash, with an LCD instrument panel and the touch screen system that controls the Uconnect features for audio, climate and other functions.
The Grand Cherokee starts at around $31,000 and ranges as high as $64,000.
Jeep has had a somewhat spotty reputation when it comes to the reliability of its Grand Cherokee and other vehicles. But when you get out on the road and see so many of them, and you hear how their drivers seem to so often love their rides, you have to think that Jeep must be doing something right.
So if you've loved the Grand Cherokee before, you'll probably love it just as much or more now.
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