America’s answer to upper middleclass family transport

The Jeep Cherokee 2.4 Longitude

 

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The first impression

 

Half a million Rand- these days that will still get you a pretty decent car. And so it should, but to be honest it isn’t going to be a top of the range vehicle. It’s a lot of money in anyone’s language. So like you, I would be looking for as much vehicle as possible: value, looks, performance, quality, practicality and driver enjoyment.

Now more than ever, we have an abundance of choice in which to spend our half a bar. A popular choice would be to spend it on a compact or medium sized SUV.

America’s top of mind SUV brand, Jeep, has five of their models available in South Africa. The list begins with their Compass, Patriot, Wrangler, Cherokee and then tops out with their premium Grand Cherokee. Owning a Jeep would cost you between R351 990 for the entry level Compass and levels out at about one million rand, for the flagship model Grand Cherokee SRT8.

Midway, albeit on the premium side of the halfway mark, will get you an entry-level Cherokee 2.4 Longitude.

The fourth generation Cherokee is substantially different from the car it replaces, yet reflects back to past designs in creating the new one. Key elements of the front of the new Jeep Cherokee are the 'waterfall' bonnet with the iconic peak and the seven slotted grille which includes a crisp, horizontal snap- a feature found in many classic Jeep vehicles. The sides of the Cherokee feature the signature Jeep trapezoidal wheel arches. The rear is highlighted by the contemporary full LED tail lamps, which are an integral part of the rear backlight graphic making the vehicle look stronger yet harmonious. This mid-sized SUV looks unique and stands out from the crowd of other “same-old-same-old” hill climbers it competes with.

Open up the Cherokee and the contemporary yet iconic lines can be seen within the cabin. The dark ‘leather look’ clad dash features light contrasting stitching which highlights the same trapezoidal shape that can be seen on the wheel arches. The cabin is generously spacious, comfortably capable of transporting five large sized adults in the quality cloth upholstered seats, including all their cups and weekend away luggage too.

 

On the road

The Cherokee is fitted with the second incarnation of the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine (code named Tigershark MultiAir L4). It has been designed to be efficient and refined, as well as powerful and has been mated to a 9-speed automatic gear.

On paper it sounds pretty exciting, on the road it doesn’t translates as well as one would expect. So, I said it was a little more complex- let me unpack that. Initially, the Cherokee seems highly strung, like the characters Woody Allen portrays in his iconic films. The engine offers a good spread of power throughout its rev range, it is eager to accelerate and does so to legal road limits with aplomb. The gearbox happily splices though its gears effortlessly, with occasional shudder when dropping down more than just one gear. The problem arises when the driver is unfamiliar with how to operate or modulate the sensitive accelerator pedal, which can cause less than smooth results. It is something that needs to be broached with kid-gloves. Gentle movements bring out the best in the car’s character. Aggressive or sporty type activity just confuses the auto box, making for an unpleasant driving experience (with the gearbox holding onto lower gears), leaving the Cherokee over revving unnecessarily and coming across over eager or highly strung- depending on how you view life.

The ride of the Cherokee is set to the firmer side- in an attempt to give the car a sporty drive. Steering is nicely weighted and feedback from the road fair. Dynamically, the Cherokee is a pleasure to drive with some other SUV’s being sportier and others being softer, and as a result, offering greater comfort. But on the whole, it strikes a good balance between the two.

What I liked:

  • The unique and bold styling.
  • The quality of the interior.
  • The sprightly nature of the 2.4L engine.
  • I love the infotainment centre.

What I’m not mad about:

  • The Cherokee is thirsty- fuel efficiency isn’t its best quality.
  • It takes practice getting to know the nine characters of the cars gearbox.
  • There isn’t a diesel engine on offer.

 

The figures

 

The extra stuff

All new Cherokee’s come standard with a 6 year/100 000km maintenance plan as standard.

 

The Cherokee has the ‘best in class’ safety score with the Euro NCAP. The five star achiever also hangs the accolade of safest SUV in its category for 2013 on its head, thanks to more than 70 safety and security systems.

 

The verdict

 

Back to my opening comment: consumers are looking for value, looks, performance, quality, practicality and driver enjoyment.

How does the Cherokee fare in these categories?

 

With that said, the Jeep nameplate is cool. It represents the brand’s core values of freedom, authenticity, adventure, passion and the fresh interpretation of “go anywhere, do anything” attitude of the legendary American brand.

 

The styling gets a thumps up, though there are those who don’t like its futuristic approach. I believe in time their views will adapt.

 

If space isn’t an issue, the Q3 is fun to drive and offers loads of grip. The X3 is the premium car in this competitive lineup, as a result it is the most costly. The Subaru is the underdog and not to be underestimated.

 

If it were my money, I’d splurge and spend R36 900 and get the 3.2 Cherokee, I preferred it!

Jeep South Africa

 

 

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