Preview: Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Venkat Desirazu

The Jeep brand is coming to India finally. It was announced in late 2012 but did not materialise till the 2016 Auto Expo. Here the American automaker displayed the Grand Cherokee alongside the legendary Wrangler. The details are now, however, out and it has been revealed the Cherokee will be brought to the Indian market in three variants and across two engine options.

The standard models will be the Limited and the Summit variants while there will also be a top-of-the-line performance variant which will get the legendary SRT badging. Firstly, the Limited and Summit models will be offered with a 3.0-litre V6 diesel mill that produces 240bhp and 570Nm of torque. Both variants only get the option of an eight-speed AT and a very capable AWD system.

There is also an SRT version for those who want a lot of go and show. This gets a massive 6.4-litre Hemi V8 that produces 469bhp and a whopping 630Nm of torque. This engine too gets an eight-speed automatic and AWD system.

All the three variants of the Cherokee get leather upholstery, climate control, electrically adjustable and heated front seats. The Summit and the SRT trim levels get a 19-speaker Harman Kardon music system, 8.4-inch touchscreen display, GPS navigation, rear seat screens and Jeep’s proprietary UConnect software. On the safety front, all three models get over 10 airbags, ESP, limited slip differential, hill descent and start assist and active headrests.

Finally, on the outside, noticeable elements include the slatted grille, muscular stance and LED wrap around tail lamps that add character to the overall design of the car. It gets a squat stance thanks to the heavily flared wheel arches and high ground clearance. The pillars have been blacked out for the floating roof effect while there is also a chrome outline for the pillar section.

The Grand Cherokee will be brought to the Indian market via the CBU route and will compete with the likes of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. It is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 70 lakh for the standard models while the top-of-the-line SRT model is expected to be priced closer to Rs 1 crore.

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