Jeep Reviews

It would be easy to say that the new Grand Cherokee is better than we expected, but then we expected a significant improvement over the outgoing model.  Significantly, the model charged with leading Chrysler out of the wilderness of bankruptcy delivers the goods both on road and off.  This new model is the fourth generation of the Grand Cherokee and should land Down Under before the end of this year.Pricing is likely to start around the $55,000 mark, making the big Jeep a very competitive contender.  Two variants — Laredo and Limited — have been confirmed for Australia with a fully loaded third one — Overland — also a possibility.  For the US market, the Overland model features a leather-trimmed dash and steering wheel, full-length sunroof, and 20-in wheels.What started as a joint project with previous parent company Daimler has been finalised by Fiat under the new ownership platform. That means the mechanical underpinnings are basically those of the Mercedes ML, which is no bad thing.From the outset, better on road performance and dynamics were targeted, improved quality and refinement, but no diluting of Jeep's legendary off road ability. Chrysler has the BMW X5 and Range Rover/Land Rover marques in its sights with the new Grand Cherokee.The new V6 engine is the main story here, and it generates an impressive 210kW of power and 347Nm of torque. Displacing 3.6 litres, it’s also an efficient powerplant, allowing for a cruising range of up to 850km from one tank.The V6 engine is a willing performer but it won't live up to the ultimate power of the Hemi V8. It needs to work harder to achieve the same result on road, but off road the V6 worked well in really tough terrain and low speed work where torque delivery is key.The first thing you notice when you take your place behind the wheel is the feeling of quality in the cabin. There's a level of fit and finish not previously seen on a Chrysler product. There's almost no road noise transmitted through the cabin.We sampled both the fully-loaded Overland and the entry-level models and all delivered a sense of quality befitting a more expensive vehicle, which is exactly what Chrysler is aiming for.All switchgear is simple to negotiate, where it should be placed and easy to operate. The hill descent control and terrain selection controls could not be any easier to use.  In short, the interior is simple, elegant, well appointed and free of any annoying rattles, squeaks or evidence of poor fit and finish.Chrysler claims a serious improvement — up to 140 percent — in rigidity through the body and you can certainly feel that increased torsional stiffness on road. Select `Sport' on the driving dynamics dial and the Grand Cherokee can be pushed through tight corners at a rapid rate.There's no scuttling or tram-lining over broken or bumpy surfaces.  Handling is safe and assured and the Grand Cherokee always feels planted.  It might not be quite as taut as the class leading BMW X5, but if you don't want to drive your 4WD like a racecar — you'll be impressed.Steering feel is excellent. Turn in is impressive even at licence-endangering speeds and the brakes feel strong.  The most significant story off the beaten track is an improvement to the already legendary Jeep offroad performance.The Selec-Terrain system — similar to that already fitted in Land Rover models — is a winner. It's easy to understand and easy to operate. And it works.The Quadra-Lift air suspension available on some models makes an enormous difference offroad. There's one level of lift for all off road modes, then another higher level of lift in `Rock Crawl' mode that will see you clambering over even the nastiest obstacles without bottoming out.Off road you can also remove the lower front valance with a few simple clips to give better approach angles and reduce damage from rocks. This saves expensive repair bills and means once back on road, you're Grand Cherokee won't look like a scarred bush basher.Low range is genuinely impressive, as is the hill descent control system, which saw the big Jeep negotiate a fearsomely steep descent over powdery dirt without raising a sweat. 

The all-new Grand Cherokee from Jeep is the first visible sign of the massive shift at the American maker since it emerged from bankruptcy in the USA.

Unlike the magazine's 4WD Of The Year award, which only looks at vehicles that are new or significantly revised in that year, these annual accolades look at all the 4WDs on the market. In fact long-time champions dominate these awards but sometimes even long-time champs are forced to step aside. Best Value for Money

The XJ Cherokee was welcomed with a wave of derision when it arrived here in 1994. It was an old design with shoddy American build quality cried its critics back then, but time has shown their criticisms to have been shortsighted.With the earliest cars now on the road here for up to eight years the XJ Cherokee has won plenty of supporters for its ruggedness and reliability, attributes now increasingly attractive to used car buyers.The Cherokee was first launched in America in 1984, and was one of the first off-roaders to feature unitary body construction which gave it tight car-like on-road manners while retaining much of the off-road capability of the more traditional rugged four wheel-drive wagons with the then more familiar construction of separate body on a ladder chassis.It was an instant hit in its homeland and can claim much of the responsibility for kicking off the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) stampede that has seen thousands of buyers abandon cars for the perceived safety of the four-wheel drives.The XJ was more than a decade old when it was launched here, which was why it was so widely derided by motoring writers who were eager to write it off as being a basic design and poorly built with a cramped interior and dated dash layout.Despite its ageing design it quickly became a popular choice with Australians, particularly because it was very competitively priced.Like Americans local buyers took to the compact Jeep as an alternative to regular sedans as a round town family vehicle rather than as an off-roader, so most of them have been used in supermarket service or delivering the kids to school and few of them have done any serious off-road work even though they are eminently qualified to survive in the bush.Development of the ride-hand drive version of the XJ was done locally in 1987 well before the Cherokee was launched here through Astre Automotive, then the distributors for Jeep before Chrysler returned to Australia.MODEL WATCHTwo models were available from launch. The basic Sport which came standard with cloth trim, central locking, power mirrors, power windows, power steering, air-conditioning and limited-slip diff.The upmarket Limited model was a smarter vehicle with alloy wheels, power front seats, leather trim, tele-tilt steering column and ABS brakes.Classic upgrade packs were available as a dealer-fit item at the beginning and these essentially consisted of a front nudge bar, colour-coded bumpers, grille and flares.Power came from a fairly basic, but well proven 4.0-litre push-rod six-cylinder engine with fuel-injection and electronic ignition.It was only available with a four-speed Aisan-Sieki automatic transmission, and had a viscous coupling and Trac-Lock four-wheel drive system.While being of a basic design with little refinement and with cast iron block and cylinder head, the Jeep six was a tough torquey performer, which made it ideal in an off-road situation and perfect for towing. Power was 135 kW at 4700 rpm and torque was 299 Nm at 3200 rpm.A year after the initial launch a 2.5-litre four cylinder intercooled turbo-diesel was added to the range, and this was available only with a five-speed manual gearbox. Power was 85 kW at 3900 rpm, torque 300 Nm at 2000 rpm, and it was a fuel miser.Underneath it had solid axles at the front and rear, with coil springing at the front and leaf springs at the rear. The Sport had a heavier duty Upcountry suspension set-up as standard while the Limited came with a European Touring suspension, but each could also be had with the alternative.An update in 1997 saw some revised cosmetics, the front vent widows deleted, and a new dash along with a stiffer body and a steel rear door in place of the composite door of the preceding vehicles.IN THE SHOPDespite the dire predictions of the motoring media the XJ Cherokee has stood up well to Australian conditions.The interior plastics that were written off as cheap and nasty are holding up well. None of the cars checked showed signs of cracking in the dash or warping of other components exposed to the sun. Interior trim material, whether cloth or leather, is durable and wearing well.Mechanically the engines aren’t showing any pattern of regular failure. The problems reported are the odd hose or water pump failure, but the reports are few and far between. Petrol engine will happily live on a diet of LPG without requiring any rework of the head or valves.Drivelines likewise are essentially troublefree, but it’s important to check for a reliable service record to ensure that drive shaft joints have been regularly serviced. Inadequate servicing can result in seized or partly seized joints, which typically show up as a vibration at 80-90km/h.There was an early recall when the bolts attaching the steering box to the chassis were coming loose and in some cases causing a hairline crack in the side rail, but all vehicles were checked and repaired at the time. Those vehicles that exhibited the problem were those used off-road, while those used mostly on road haven’t shown the problem to the same extent.Signs of hard use, particularly off-road or heavy towing, are sagging rear suspension so check for a lower than usual ride height or rear leaf springs that have lost their original shape.Bodies generally stand up well, with little looseness showing up even after the car reaches a relatively high mileage. Scratches in the paint along the sides of the body can be a give-away to regular off-road use.LOOK FOR• cramped interior with little room in the rear for adults• old-fashioned dash design• simple and reliable engine and driveline• telltale signs of off-road use like scratches down sides of body and bumps and scrapes underneath• seized driveshaft joints a sign of poor servicing

Jeep made a grand entry into the Australian four-wheel drive market with its rough and ready Cherokee wagon in 1994. With some sharp pricing and high equipment levels it quickly gained a following, until its shortcomings began to hit home.In essence its build quality was well below that of its Japanese rivals, the interior trim components fell apart, and it wasn’t very roomy inside. Its appeal lay in its ease of use in town coupled with its off road capability, in short it was perfect for town use with the capacity to go off road if its owner ever wanted to go bush.The reality was that the original Cherokee was quite a dated vehicle when it landed here, there was already a replacement waiting in the wings in its homeland and it was only a matter of time before it was replaced here.That came in 1996 in the form of the Grand Cherokee, a much improved wagon that was much better built than the vehicle it replaced and had a much more impressive list of standard features. it was also quite a step up in price.The Grand Cherokees that were sold here were built in Austria, the most probable reason for the lift in quality compared to the old Cherokee that came from North America.MODEL WATCHThere were two models of the Grand Cherokee, the entry level Laredo and the luxury Limited.The Grand Cherokee was larger outside, larger inside, looked more modern and was more refined than its predecessor. It had a lot going for it compared to the Cherokee, but it still had some deficiencies compared to its competitors.Comfort was commendable, particularly for those in the front seats with comfy buckets and plenty of leg and head room. It wasn’t quite the same story for those in the rear who had to share a bench. There was adequate head and leg room, but because the folding seat was so low to the floor adults had to sit with their knees elevated. Don’t look for a third row of seats because there wasn’t one.Load space was improved over the Cherokee, but it wasn’t great, and it had to accommodate the spare wheel, which took a sizeable chunk out of what was available.The effort Jeep had put in to make the Grand Cherokee more refined was evident in the lack of road and wind noise as you rolled down the road. There was little doubt that this was a great improvement over the old Cherokee.Power was provided by the same overhead valve fuel-injected straight six-cylinder engine that powered the Cherokee, but considerable work had been done to smooth some of the rough edges that made it less appealing in the old model. Capacity was 4.0 litres and it put out a respectable 130 kW and 301 Nm.A four-speed auto was standard and all four wheels were driven. Jeep’s full-time drive system drove the rear wheels, just like a rear wheel drive car, until they began to slip when it would begin to transfer drive to the front wheels via a viscous-coupled centre diff. As a result grip was exceptional giving the Grand Cherokee a sure footed feel.On the road the Grand Cherokee rolled quite a bit with its very long wheel travel and that made it a little less reassuring than some other four wheel drives. It also made it less precise and made the steering feel somewhat vague.The steering was power assisted and speed sensitive, which meant it had more assistance at lower speeds and for parking and less at higher speeds.The ride was a little harsh. With beam axles front and rear, the Grand Cherokee wasn’t quite as refined as many of the rivals from other car makers, which offered independent suspension.Tall gearing meant it was lazy, which helps explain the 10.6 litre/100km fuel consumption Chrysler claimed. It also helped explain why it needed a hefty stab on the gas pedal to get it going when you needed to overtake.Offroad the Grand Cherokee was rated quite highly. It wouldn’t keep up with the heavyweights, LandCruiser and Patrol, but compared favourably with the need breed of part time off-roaders.Standard features on the Laredo included dual airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, power steering, limited-slip rear diff, four-speed auto, air-conditioning, power windows, roof racks, alloy wheels, cruise, central locking, immobiliser. The Limited had even more with leather trim and power front seats with memory.IN THE SHOPGenerally the Grand Cherokee stands up quite well in normal use. Look for telltale signs of regular off road use and walk away from any car that has spent its life off the black top. Typical signs are scratches down the body sides which can be expensive to remove, underbody damage to suspension, chassis and driveline components.The engine, gearbox and drivelines are quite robust and don’t generally give trouble if they are well serviced so it’s important to sight a service record that can be verified. Driveline vibrations that show up in a road test should be investigated, could be associated with drive shaft joints.Interior trim isn’t normally a problem if the wagon has been on the normal round town duty, but can be subjected to harsh treatment out in the bush. Look for signs of dirt, dust and mud inside.LOOK FOR• Solid body which stands up in town or the bush.• Robust and reliable mechanical package• Less roomy than most rivals• Rear seat passengers have knees up around their ears• economical but lacks performance of most rivals• Plenty of standard features.

Seven years after it was launched, Jeep is looking to rectify the KJ model Cherokee's shortcomings with the almost all-new KK Cherokee.The KK has traditional Jeep styling that harks back to the XJ and looks like a scaled-down version of the current, unloved Commander model.The boxy styling not only looks the part, but allows designers to address interior space issues. Lengthening the wheelbase and moving the spare wheel under the cargo floor from off the back door also helped here.Cherokee continues to be built on a monocoque platform with a five-link, coil sprung live rear axle and a wishbone coil sprung independent front end (IFS) with sway bars front and rear. It was the move to IFS on the KJ that hurt its off-road ability, as IFS doesn't have the off-road travel of a live axle, but IFS is much better for on-road ride quality, stability and handling.The KK Cherokee rides and handles well without the bump steer of its Dodge Nitro sibling. It can feel under-damped on undulations at speed, but for the most part the suspension does a good job of general duties.Off-road, the rear end flexes nicely to keep the rear wheels on the track while electronic traction control (ETC) makes up somewhat when the front end runs out of drop and the wheels lose traction. The electronic traction control surprised us with its ability, pushing the KK up rocky ledges that would have left many other 4WDs spinning their cocked wheels.The standard electronic traction aids restore some of the Cherokee's off-road credentials.These include ETC and hill descent control (HDC) and the system incorporates the safety benefits of stability control (ESP).Jeep's ETC works with open differentials or what Jeep calls brake lock differentials (BLD). The diffs themselves have no locking function per se but, when a wheel slips on low traction surfaces, the anti-lock brake (ABS) hardware stops it spinning and torque is transmitted to the wheel at the other side through the differential.High-range 4WD is variable and can be used full time on all surfaces, making the KK the first Cherokee to offer full-time 4WD. The transfer case also offers two-wheel (rear) drive; there's no locked high-range 4WD option. A toggle switch replaces the awkward transfer lever that was always on the wrong side of the console for Australian drivers.HDC is nothing new in that it allows feet-off-the-pedals controlled descents at a set speed using the ABS. But Jeep's HDC is better than most in that it is speed adjustable and the lowest set speed is just 1.5km/h.KK Cherokee is available in two spec levels - Sport and Limited, with a choice of petrol V6 or turbo-diesel I4 engines. Both power plants are only available with an auto transmission; a four-speed behind the V6 or a five-speed behind the turbo-diesel.For this test, we sampled the Cherokee Sport with the diesel engine. This vehicle retails for $43,990.The engine is the 2.8-litre, DOHC mill also found in the Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro in various tunes. In the Cherokee it uses variable geometry turbocharging, intercooling and high pressure common rail fuel injection to achieve its 130kW and its 460Nm of torque at 2000rpm.The five-speed auto is familiar from other Jeep models such as the Grand Cherokee. It uses inputs to determine driving style and adapt the best shift pattern to suit that style, be it relaxed or sporting. It can also be shifted manually via a side-to-side self-centering gate on the shifter.This shifter is also easy to use for the HDC whereas in the petrol, with its four-speed auto, there is no sequential shift gate.On the road the CRD drive train offers great performance but, at low throttle driving around town, the Jeep's traditionally long travel accelerator pedal hampers the way the torque is delivered. It requires a lot of pedal movement and a driver will often depress it enough to give an unwanted surge of power from the punchy engine. The long travel pedal is a boon for off-road driving where it allows smooth throttle control, but it's a constant annoyance in the 'burbs, particularly for shorter drivers restricted by the non-reach adjustable steering column.This complaint isn't an issue on the open road, although you do have to press down a long way to get the most of the engine for overtaking. The CRD engine cruises quietly and smoothly at highway speeds with ample performance on tap when required. The transmission is equally as smooth, adapting a relaxed gait when cruising or becoming more aggressive the harsher you are with the throttle.In low range trail and rock hopping the punchy engine is better controlled for low-speed work with the BLDs sending the torque to the wheels that can use it. Engine braking is OK, not great, but the adjustable descent control does a very good, if noisy, job of controlling speed.KK's limiting factor off road is clearance, as you often scrape the underside and front control arms. Short front and rear overhangs compensate somewhat for the low height but the front bashplate and chassis rails cop a beating in rocky terrain. Thankfully any fragile components are tucked up out of harm's way, and it's the heavy-duty chassis rails that take the brunt of the terrain. Given some more clearance, the Cherokee would be a great little off-roader. As it is, it's competent on bush tracks but extra care must be taken with wheel placement on rocky ground.When you deal with Chrysler staff you don't have to look far to find old hot rodders and car enthusiasts. This is also evident at Jeep and is shown in the design of the 16-inch alloy wheels on the Cherokee Sport that are called “Keystone” and look similar to the mag wheels of that name from the 1970s. Alloy wheels wear 235/70R 16 tyres; on the Limited model, the wheels are 18s with 60-series rubber, so the Sport's 16s are the choice for off-road.The functional aspect of the new Cherokee's design continues through to its interior, which is a simple, well-equipped workspace. There's more space for passengers in both the front and back than in the old model, but the driver's footwell is still restricted by the transmission hump on the left. The rear seatback is split 60:40 and reclines for comfort.All seats bar the driver's fold flat for load space and the floor panel in the cargo area is reversible from carpeted to plastic for carrying wet or dirty cargo.The interior is well specified in both convenience and safety features. All the usual power functions are standard, as is climate-control air-conditioning. Notably missing is an extra 12-volt power outlet, the only one being the ciggie lighter.Safety starts with terrain-reading ABS, ESP and brake assist.Inside there are front and side curtain airbags and a tyre pressure monitor is standard and warned us of a low tyre while on this test.Unusual in this class but appreciated is the standard inclusion of rear parking sensors, making reverse parking easier.Cherokee gives buyers of small 4WDs a real off-road option when compared to most compact SUVs. Its limits are set by its rather low ride height, but it will do a better job of getting out there than anything else its size. The engine and transmission work well both on and off-road, while the size and equipment make it a handy day-to-day commuter. 

Statistically, however, that is no longer replicated in the sales leadership once enjoyed by Jeep.It's not as if dedicated four-wheel drivers have deserted the brand. They haven't. It's just that the competition has become more savvy at attracting a softer audience.Clawing back its iconic reputation is a new Jeep, the third-generation Cherokee dubbed KK that replaces the bug-eyed KJ.Bigger - as all things seem to be becoming - with more refinement and features, the KK's evolution hasn't come at the loss of any offroad prowess.In fact, going bush has been made safer, easier and more comfortable than the outgoing KJ model.Jeep is confident it has a solid future with the latest Cherokee and a lot of that has to do with styling.It sold 18,644 of its square-rigged XJ model that ran hard from 1994 to 2001. It's no-nonsense looks oozed a sense of offroad capability.Then came the KJ (2001-2008) that attracted 12,747 Australian buyers but though that's an impressive sales figure, the round-eyed and curvaceous Cherokee didn't quite hit the mark.Chrysler Australia managing director Gerry Jenkins said the new KK launched this week was reminiscent in styling to the macho XJ _ a feature that research found was lacking in the KJ.“Cherokee is the iconic Jeep and since 1984 is responsible for one-third of our business,” he said.“The KK brings back the look of this original model.”A lot of died-in-the-wool Jeep owners will love him for that.The KK arrives as a chunky, purposeful and imposing 4WD that is a big step forward from the cutesy look of its more female-oriented predecessor.It now sits on a Dodge Nitro platform, increasing its wheelbase over the KJ by 45mm.Yet the new model's length shrinks by 3mm, a product of moving the spare tyre from the back door to beneath the chassis.Meanwhile the interior room increases in length by 250mm to primarily benefit rear passengers and, to a lesser degree, boot space.The KK also has a wider track - up 26mm - for improved stability.Other good news includes a tighter turning circle that drops to 10.4m from 10.8m.A penalty is weight that grows by 106kg in the V6 petrol and 32kg in the turbo-diesel. Both now hover around the 2-tonne mark, quite portly for a medium-size 4WD.To compensate, the two engine choices move up in power and torque output thanks to some tweaking.The 3.7-litre V6 petrol adds a mere 1kW - barely quantifiable - to 151kW and has 7Nm more torque at 314Nm.Fuel economy improves by 0.5 litres/100km to a claimed 11.7 l/100km.Better news for the Wrangler-derived 2.8-litre turbo-diesel that gets 10kW more at 130kW. It adds a powerful 60Nm to 460Nm delivered at 2000rpm though 80 per cent of that is on tap at 1000rpm.The turbo-diesel gets a 0.6 l/100km improvement in economy to average 9.4.No Cherokee is available with a manual gearbox. Jeep said poor demand didn't justify its inclusion, though certainly the restricted driver footwell in right-hand drive form would have been a factor.The V6 petrol has a five-speed auto shared with the Chrysler 300C sedan and the bigger Grand Cherokee 4WD and the diesel continues with a six-speed auto unit.New for 2008 is the electronic transfer case that replaces the awkward manual-shift system in the KJ.The Cherokee is a 2WD vehicle though no can switch from 2WD to 4WD High at any speed. It still requires the vehicle to be stationary to engage 4WD Low that locks drive 50:50 front to rear.The 4WD High mode activates a multi-plate centre clutch to allocate 42 per cent of power to the front wheels and 58 per cent to the rear. There's a Neutral mode for towing the Jeep behind a mobile home - remarkably, quite a sought-after feature.On top of all this is an active traction control system that brakes a spinning wheel to transfer power to the wheel or wheels with traction.It's an aid for slippery on-road conditions though primarily benefits off-road activities.For going bush there's a switchable electronic stability control (ESC). But unlike many systems, this is dormant and will automatically engage ESC at speeds above 56km/h. Drop back under that speed and it will return to its dormant state.The KK gets hill start assist _ basically the brakes automatically engage for two seconds to minimise rollback in forward or reverse _ and hill descent control. Both are standard features.Clearly it's not a soft roader. Jeep claims a 38.2-degree approach angle when the small lip spoiler is unclipped, and a 30.3-degree departure angle. It will ford a stream up to 510mm deep and tow up to 2270kg.There are two models - Sport and Limited - with the petrol V6 or turbo-diesel and with prices that start at $39,990 and rising to the Limited diesel's $49,990.Standard equipment on the Sport includes a lift-up rear glass section within the hatch; a removable cargo floor panel that is a reversible waterproof tray; fold-down rear seat that actually folds flat; a flip-back front passenger seat to further increase cargo room; cruise control; climate airconditioning; rear park assist (a camera is under development for future models); 16-inch alloy wheels including the spare (18-inch on the Limited models); and options including Bluetooth and the 20-gig MYGig infotainment system.An appealing `Sky Slider' full-length fabric roof opens either forward or backwards and claims low wind noise. It costs $3000 but is only available on the Limited.Similarly, MYGig costs $3000 but only comes with the Limited model.As expected, the V6 petrol is smooth, responsive and quiet while the diesel is harsher, stronger in the low rev range and a little hesitant to abrupt throttle prods.Sweeping bitumen roads show competent handling though the steering jerks at mid-corner bumps.The ride, however, is supple and comfortable despite the rather simple live-axle rear suspension.Visibility is very good, mainly because of the KK's boxy shape.Despite the vehicle's size increase, the Cherokee's cabin isn't expansive. It suits four adults but entry to the rear is still a squeeze and legroom is only marginal. No complaints, however, with the generous headroom.In the dirt the diesel's relentless clatter produces impressive performance.It's naturally a more responsive unit when driving through the low-range system, able to pull unfussed from 800rpm and yet rev towards 4500rpm when needed.The diesel, when tested this week on Fraser Island, was almost unstoppable. It did, however, come to grief when the underbody sound deadening panel jagged itself on a tree root and cleanly ripped off. Four other diesels on test met the same fate.The V6 petrol's offroad manners were very similar, though there was no underbody panel to prise loose.The main difference was the petrol's wider operating rev range which gave it more flexibility.It also endeared itself with smoothness and quietness _ all strong arguments to override its thirstier fuel habit.The KK is an impressive unit but may find greater fortune with the more enthusiastic off-roader.It sits in a busy price segment that includes similarly off-road competent Prado, Pathfinder and Pajero though fights the established soft-roader group including Territory, Captiva, Kluger, Santa Fe and Sorento.

There's a new Wrangler in town, and things have changed — big time. And nowhere in the extensive range of new JK-Series Wranglers are the changes more deeply felt than in the four-door, turbo-diesel variant.Extra doors and diesel donk aside, the big change from old Wrangler to new Wrangler isone of refinement and civility.No longer does the Wrangler drive like a truck and handle like a horse cart. The latest version, at least in four-door CRD guise, is a pleasant place to be regardless of the task at hand.Although the JK Wrangler retains its predecessor's separate chassis/live-axle design,it is, in fact, new from the ground up.The old four-litre, straight-six petrol engine has also been consigned to history. The JK-Series sports either a 3.8-litre petrol V6 or the first turbocharged diesel to appear in a Wrangler.The turbo diesel we tested was backed by a six-speed manual; alternatively, there's an optional five-speed automatic.As well as its turbo-diesel engine and six-speed manual, the test vehicle was fitted with the Renegade Pack, a $2500 option that includes a hardtop (as well as the standard soft top), tinted glass, side steps and a premium audio system with seven Infinity speakers (including a sub-woofer), a 368-watt amp and an in-dash, six-CD/MP3/DVD player.If you're a little confused about Wrangler nomenclature, the Sport is the standard model, the Rubicon is the far more serious off-roader, while the Renegade Pack is the aforementioned hardtop-plus-extras package.The “Unlimited” moniker simply refers to thelong-wheelbase, four-door variants.The Wrangler's live axles may not do much toenhance on-road dynamics, but they're one of thesecrets behind its impressive off-road ability.Live axles, especially in conjunction with coilsprings, provide lots of wheel travel, thusmaximising the chances of the tyres remaining incontact with the ground.In what is an unusual combination, the Wrangler combines live axles with electronic aidsthat include stability control, and bothbrake- and throttle-activated traction control.The throttle-activated traction control cuts the power when the wheels lose traction, while the brake-activated traction (BLDs, or brake-lock differentials, in Jeep-speak) can brake any individual wheel that has lost traction and is spinning faster than its mate on the same axle.The Wrangler's system has three operating modes that allow the driver to dial in the degreeof electronic assistance appropriate forthe situation at hand.With the ESP system fully engaged, full stability and traction control is maintained. Thisisthe default mode.In “partial” mode, the throttle-activated traction control is switched off and the stability control operates at a higher threshold. The brake- lock differentials are still engaged, however.The third mode allows the driver to fully switch off the stability and throttle-activated traction control, but retain the full functioning ofthe BLDs.The Wrangler's off-road strengths also extend to excellent approach and departure angles, good ground clearance, and solid front and rearrecovery points.On the other side of the ledger, the ramp- overangle of the four-door model isn't nearly asgood as the two-door's, visibility from the driver's seat could be improved, and the part-time 4WD system lacks the convenience of a full-time one.The Wrangler isn't so much a 4WD as a lifestyle. Witness the fact the doors can beremoved, the windscreen can be droppeddown and, with the Renegade Pack, youhave the option of a soft or hard top.Half-doors are also an option, and even thehardtop can be configured a couple of ways.Two easily removed panels above the driver and front-seat passenger give the feel of open-air motoring without having to remove the rear section of the hardtop — a two-person job.The interior is also comfortable and roomy with surprisingly good legroom in the rear. Safety features include driver and passenger airbags. Front-side airbags are an option.But there are some drawbacks. The centre rear-seat cushion is poorly shaped; the hardtop generates some wind resonance at highway speeds; there's no electric adjustment for the side mirrors; and the tailgate badly needs a brace to hold it in the open position.Some aspects of the interior fit and finish arealso pretty ordinary by today's standards.But there's no doubt the JK-Series Wrangler is light-years ahead of its predecessor in all theareas that count.The turbo-diesel engine is right up at the pointy end of things in terms of performance, refinement and economy, while the four-door model brings day-to-day functionality that previous two-door models could never achieve.With its various body options, the vehicle can be configured — almost on a day-to-day basis — to suit one's mood, or the activities planned.This is a Wrangler you can use every day, goholiday touring in, or head off for some serious weekend fun. It will do it all.

We are rolling down the achingly beautiful Rocky River Rd in northern New South Wales and I'm wondering why more people don't head for the path less travelled. We're driving Jeep's first compact SUV, the strange-looking Compass, and it's an eminently suitable vehicle for the task.The compact SUV segment is growing rapidly, untroubled by the economical, environmental and ethically judgmental barriers that trouble large SUVs. Most people who buy compact SUVs do so for their luggage capacity, high driving stance in traffic and seemingly safe passenger cell.Few buy them for their off-road or dirt-road capability. Honda's new CR-V doesn't even make any pretensions in that area. Yet there are a few that are quite suitable out of the genteel suburbs and off the tarmac.Jeep, with its reputation for serious off-roading machines, would hardly jeopardise that with a soft compact. So we put the six-speed manual, two-litre diesel Compass Sport to the test with a weekend away in Tenterfield. Nothing too difficult, mind. No rock crawling, river wading, mudlarking and other activities. Just some craggy dirt roads and small creek crossings.Besides, any excuse to take a hike down Rocky River Rd is good enough for me. To get there, we drive down the tarmac to Boonah, the Compass loping along at ease in cruise control.While the VW-derived diesel engine clatters quite loudly at idle, it settles into a purr under steam. In fact, we can't hear it above the droning in the cabin from the tyre noise. Anyway, we drown that out with song and the reverie of a trip in its infancy.After breakfast at Flavours Cafe in Boonah we veer off on to the dirt road over the vividly named Wild Horse Mountain, along the tracks around the back of the receding Lake Maroon and on to White Swamp Rd.The Compass is now feeling at ease, its slightly jiggly back end working well over the corrugations.Settling into the cabin, we find this a typically Chrysler affair with too much hard plastic and a steering wheel which is not adjustable for reach. Still, the cloth seats are comfortable and there is a light and airy feeling with plenty of room up front and in the back.Mountains, valleys, gorges and heavily cattled fields disintegrate into dust behind us as we forge on down across the border. Several stops for photographs reveal that the powdery dust has found its way into the door wells so when we hop in and out, it is disturbed and settles in the cabin.Back on to the tar, we turn right on the Mt Lindesay Highway and when the road forks, we lurch left toward Urbenville. This stretch of bitumen is broken and lumpy as week-old porridge but the Jeep's plush suspension travel seems to cut right through without the vehicle becoming unsettled.Some 14km along the road we turn off on to Paddys Flat Rd which quickly disintegrates into narrow dirt that winds up and over several ridges, crossing creeks that eventually become the indolent Clarence River.The diesel pulls strongly over the ranges although there is a need to row the gears between second and third, not because of any lack of midrange engine grunt but because of a gap in the ratios and the subsequent drop in revs.With 200mm of clearance the Jeep easily straddles some of the bombers and branches strewn across the track. And when there is a creek crossing with an option of getting the tyres wet or using the old wooden bridge the choice is easy.Here we pull up on the little T-bar control next to the gearshift and lock the Freedom Drive into four-wheel drive to cope with moss-covered rocks in the creek.It's a breeze. Probably didn't need to lock in 4WD. Normally it runs 90 per cent of drive to the front switching to 4WD in low traction, so it could have coped.Back on bitumen and the glorious Bruxner Highway, we stop in at Drake for the pub's jaw-stopping steak sandwiches. Motoring fans will enjoy kicking back for a while here as the hotel has plenty of motorsport memorabilia on the walls, plus two Harleys and an old Honda race bike in the bar.We could easily wind 77km due west to Tenterfield on contented stomachs, but we double back along the Bruxner and deviate down Rocky River Rd.This is a picture postcard around every bend. Contented cows, drooping willows, babbling creeks frothing over granite rocks and campers idling away their Saturday afternoon. Makes you want to throw out the swag and join them.We stop several times for too-few photographs and press on into the blinding afternoon sun through a haze of bushfire smoke and dust toward Tenterfield.The home of Peter Allen's famous saddler is also home to Henry Parkes's famous federation speech and wide street after wide street of old stone cottages and churches, garnished with wisteria, willows, poplars, liquidambars and paddocks stocked with shetlands, goats, sheep and mushrooming granite boulders that look like purpose-built rock gardens.We shake the dust off our Jeep and our boots and settle into the Henry Parkes Comfort Inn for the night. Since there are few restaurants in town we dine in and hit the bed early after a long day in the car.Next morning there is still no need to fill up with the 51-litre fuel tank just over half full, so we head up the dirt road behind Bald Rock to Stanthorpe for breakfast and some wine tasting.We stock up at the Wine Centre and Heritage Estate with local produce, wine, some cheese and Italian sausage, then turn off the New England Highway at the road into Maryland. We get a little lost threading through farmland and across cattle grids, but somehow find our way through to Killarney, putting the last of the dirt and dust behind us.Back on tarmac we try to engage cruise control but it has stopped working. Could be dust-affected. Winding up the mountain toward Queen Mary Falls, the Jeep lurches around the corners that cut into the cliff and dangerously overhang the yawning canyon below.Compass comes with rollover mitigation, so we put our minds at rest and continue up and over, stopping for photographs at the top and gingerly pick our way down the narrow descent.With a quick detour to sample and buy some more wine at Kooroomba Winery near Mt Alford, we stop for lunch at the Dugandan Hotel; typical, wholesome pub fare.It's highway all the way back to Brisbane and we roll into our garage a little road weary from the droning cabin, but the Jeep still has enough fuel for Monday's commute. After about 700km with a variety of hard and easy driving styles, the frugal diesel Jeep has yielded about 7.5L/100km, compared with the claimed 6.5.Occasionally you have to take your compact SUV out of its city comfort zone and add some grime and dust to the exterior. Jeep Compass is just the vehicle for the task.

Whatever else may be said about Jeep the manufacturers of the iconic American rock-hoppers could never be accused of taking a soft option nor trailing behind the opposition.Jeep has, for more than half a century, built what it believes is the best for getting through whatever nature may care to throw in its path. It may not have been the most attractive car, it may not have been the most comfortable car, but it certainly did its job.That dogged determination to do things its own way made it all the more surprising when the company announced it was going to launch not one but two soft-roaders, the first models to wear the Jeep name and seven-slot grille without having to pass the Rubicon Trail test.Having launched the Compass earlier this year, Jeep is about to put its second soft-roader, the Patriot into the same burgeoning compact SUV market without embarrassment that the two are almost identical.“From inside you would be hard-pressed to pick which of the two cars you are in,” Jeep Australia's general manager for sales, Brad Fitzsimmons concedes. “In equipment, platform and interior styling they are very similar... but, we believe the two (exterior) stylings appeal to different people. The Compass is a softer-looking car promoted with city ideals while all the Patriot images will feature an outdoor theme.”Even the pricing is similar with Compass carrying a $2500 premium for equivalent models. The Patriot Sport will set a new entry-level price for Jeep vehicles with a sticker price of $29,990 for the 2.4-litre petrol coupled to the five-speed manual. The CVT automatic will add $2000 while the 2.0-litre turbo diesel, in six-speed manual only, will be $33,990.The Limited model range with the same engine/gearbox combinations will cost $4000 more than the equivalent Sport models.Standard issue for both includes twin front airbags, side-curtain airbags, switchable traction control, electronic stability control, including rollover mitigation and dual calibration ABS with off-road and on-road calibration and electronic rear differential lock. The Limited will offer a $600 package of side airbags.Comfort features in the Sport include airconditioning, cabin air filtering, a removable and washable cargo floor, power locking, remote keyless entry, cloth seats, 17-inch alloys with full-size steel spare, security alarm, tilt-adjustable steering wheel and four-speaker stereo with CD.The Limited adds cruise control, body-colour side mouldings, fog lamps, leather interior, including trimmed steering wheel, heated front seats, six-disc CD changer and deep tinted sunscreen glass.The interior of the Patriot draws its inspiration from a granite block — square, grey and very purposeful. Strangely, the hard plastics and sizeable flat surfaces are not offensive but neither are they inspiring.Interior space is good and there are some nice touches such as the flexibility of the seating, which allows all but the driver's seat to fold flat, and the placing of the gear-shift lever raised part-way up the centre console where it falls easily to hand.On the highway the Patriot is a good all-rounder. Ride quality is better than average for an SUV. Balance and stability of the MacPherson front-end and five-link independent rear suspension is good, the steering particularly so. The Patriot is happy to take on tarmac — within the capabilities of its 2.4-litre petrol (125kW and 220Nm) or VW-sourced 2.0-litre turbo diesel (103kW and 310Nm). Where the Patriot really surprises is off the beaten track, well off the beaten track.“The car was always planned to be a 4X4 product,” Jeep's senior manager for international markets Kevin Tourneur says. “Things such as the 178mm suspension travel, the alternator set high on the engine to give a fording ability, the fuel and brake lines bundled out of harms way to protect them from rock damage, electronic diff lock ... they all go towards improved off-road ability.”The Patriot's Freedom-Drive 1 all-wheel-drive system is an active system with a heavy front-wheel-drive bias but complemented by torque split software that doesn't need to detect wheel slip before feeding additional torque to the rear wheels.There is no argument that the diesel with its easily controlled low-down torque is the better engine for anyone contemplating using their Patriot for regular off-road excursions, but the petrol did, with a little more encouragement and patience, keep its oil-burning sibling honest over a New Zealand experience that featured mud, snow, rocks, washed-out tracks and steep inclines far beyond what 99.9 per cent of SUV buyers would ever contemplate for the vehicles.