Jeep is not afraid to take risks, that’s for certain. This is officially the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which replaces the Liberty, except in foreign markets, where that car was called the Cherokee all along. Jeep has pulled the sheets off the Cherokee well in advance of its New York auto show debut. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee replaces the Liberty midsize SUV and, finally, the U.S.-spec version’s badges will match those of the European model.
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited – Front 3/4
Jeep has only released a handful of shots of the trucklet’s new nose, not showing off the profile or rear view (we note that today’s spy shots didn’t show the rear, either), but they do give the best look yet at what is likely to be one of the most polarizing designs to come out in 2014. The crimped-back seven-slot grille is a big enough design change that it will take some getting used to, but add in the Cherokee’s aggressive split-lens headlamp treatment and you’ve got the makings of a design revolution.
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited – In Motion
It also announced that the model will start to arrive in dealerships during the third quarter. In a previous report by Automotive News, we learned that powering the Cherokee is a 3.2-liter V-6 engine based on Chrysler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar engine. It also gets an all-new 9-speed front-wheel-drive automatic transmission that ZF Friedrichshafen designed. We won’t be surprised either when it is announced the Cherokee will also have the 2.4-liter TigerShark four-cylinder and possibly 3.0-liter diesel for Europe on the options list. Fuel economy improvement will be more than 45 percent versus the outgoing mid-size SUV model (aka Liberty).
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited – Interior
The all-new, “no-compromise” 2014 Jeep Cherokee sets a new standard with even more best-in-class capability, exemplary on-road driving dynamics, and fuel economy improvements of more than 45 percent versus the outgoing mid-size SUV model. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee will hit dealer showrooms in the third quarter of this year and production is expected to begin in May at the Chrysler Group’s Toledo, Ohio assembly plant.
Jeep has lifted the veil off of the redesigned 2014 Grand Cherokee at the North American International Auto Show when the doors were opened this morning in Detroit, Michigan. Still based on the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, the new Grand Cherokee gains a redesigned front end with a softer overall look. A revised bumper slopes upward towards the front corners of the ‘ute, and Jeep’s familiar seven-slot grille is surrounded by a new body panel that extends under the headlights. But really, that’s a minor point; this American icon takes a step away from compromise, thanks to new eight-speed automatic transmissions across the lineup, a new EcoDiesel V-6 that achieves up to 30 mpg on the highway, refreshed interior materials and trims, and new active-safety features and connectivity features.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Front 3/4
The new EcoDiesel makes 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, and it has a best-in-class towing capacity of 7,400 pounds (same as the V-8), while the V-6 models have gotten a boost to 6,200 pounds. Output for both the standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 remain the same (290 horsepower and 360 hp, respectively) although the new eight-speed automatic should yield better performance on the road, as well as higher mileage in both instances. Reported fuel consumptions numbers are promising with upwards of 25 mpg on the highway for the V-6 or 21 mpg highway for the V-8 being reported.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Side Profile
Inside, the new Grand Cherokee gets a little more fashion-forward, too. Interiors have been refreshed with all new materials and trims, like Natura leather and open-pore wood trim; cabin color palettes are new as well, with some of them inspired by nature scenes. Even the cargo bay is now sided with wood trim in some models. The steering wheel has a new three-spoke design, and a new ‘E-shifter’ (shift lever) is on the center console, just behind a center stack with new Uconnect screens.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee -Rear 3/4
The Grand Cherokee’s Uconnect center stack benefits from either a 5- or an 8.4-inch touch screen depending on the trim level. The SUV runs Chrysler’s third-generation Uconnect infotainment which features voice recognition, WiFi hotspot capability and 3D navigation. A new multimedia input includes a USB port, a SD card slot and an auxiliary jack, while a 12-volt outlet lets passengers charge mobile devices. Other tech highlights for the new Grand Cherokee include an much improved ford sync like, natural-language voice controls, and a back-seat Blu-Ray entertainment system, with 825-watt Harmon Kardon audio system.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Interior
The 2014 Grand Cherokee will go on sale across the North America in a matter of weeks. Pricing information will be available closer to its launch date as no Canadian figures have been announced.
The 2014 model year of the the Jeep Grand Cherokee is going to be a major on as the largest Jeep in the line up slated to receive a refresh of its rugged good looks in addition to some of its technical bits. Today we fortunately have stumbled upon some spy shots of the refreshed off-roader during a final on road shake down test.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Spy shots of the Front 3/4
Up front, new headlights with LED running lamps flow into a new front fascia design with a smaller seven-slat grille and some curvy bodywork that flows up underneath the headlamp clusters. At the back, subtle tweaks have been made to the taillamps (LEDs have been added – surprise, surprise), and the tailgate has been ever-so-slightly redesigned.
We have received confirmation that the Jeep Grand Cherokee will have an abbreviated model year in 2013 to make way for an ahead of scheduled comprehensive model update for 2014. The 2014 models will apparently be in Jeep showrooms by early 2013 with the estimates shelf life of the 2013 models only being 4-6 months.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Spy shots of the Rear 3/4
The cause for this shortened 2013 model run can be attributed to the Chrysler wanting to make a big splash with the announcement of the reintroduction of the CRD model, which will feature a Fiat sourced 3.0-liter turbo diesel V6 that we blogged about a couple months back. (You can read that article here: “Chrysler announces 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee will receive Diesel Engine“) In European Grand Cherokee the spark plug-less engine is rated at producing 240 horsepower and a whooping 405 lb-ft or torque, the latter of which is fully delivered between 1,800 and 2,800 rpm.
Drivers will be sacrificing some horsepower over the current 3.6-liter V6 with 290. It’s hard to imagine that will really be a big deal, though, given how much torque the oil burner offers and the promised increases in fuel mileage. We would expect that increase to be 50 percent or better on the highway, which would negate the price difference between the two fuel types.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Spy shots of the Side
The second big improvement will be the addition of the new ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission. Currently it is being included into the 2013 Ram 1500, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger models that are powered by the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The new transmission is expected to significantly increase the Grand Cherokee’s fuel economy ratings the way it did for the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans in which it was introduced earlier this year.
Expect the refreshed 2014 jeep Grand Cherokee to be introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January with it going on sale shortly after that debut.
We have received confirmation that the Jeep Grand Cherokee will have an abbreviated model year in 2013 to make way for an ahead of scheduled comprehensive model update for 2014. The 2014 models will apparently be in Jeep showrooms by early 2013 with the estimates shelf life of the 2013 models only being 4-6 months.
2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee – In its native environment, the woods
The cause for this shortened 2013 model run can be attributed to the Chrysler wanting to make a big splash with the announcement of the reintroduction of the CRD model, which will feature a Fiat sourced 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 that we blogged about a couple months back. (You can read that article here: “Chrysler announces 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee will receive Diesel Engine“) In European Grand Cherokee the spark plug-less engine is rated at producing 241 hp and a whooping 406 lb-ft or torque.
Drivers will be sacrificing some horsepower over the current 3.6-liter V6 with 290. It’s hard to imagine that will really be a big deal, though, given how much torque the oil burner offers and the promised increases in fuel mileage. We would expect that increase to be 50 percent or better on the highway, which would negate the price difference between the two fuel types.
The second big improvement will be the addition of the new ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission. Currently it is being included into the 2013 Ram 1500, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger models that are powered by the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The new transmission is expected to significantly increase the Grand Cherokee’s fuel economy ratings the way it did for the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans in which it was introduced earlier this year.
2013 Grand Cherokee CRD – Rear 3/4
Personally I get giddy when thinking about having a diesel engine sending its power through an a eight speed gear box, and we are hopeful that the ZF unit can handle all of the torque that the Fiat subsidiary VM Motori sourced engine can produce.
Expect the refreshed Grand Cherokee to be introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January with it going on sale shortly after that debut.
This is clearly not the final sheet metal for the 2014 Jeep Liberty however what this proto type is porting is the new engine/power train configuration. This Jeep in Alfa Romeo Giulietta clothing actually looks like a Dakar shaped race truck however don’t let the ride height and exhaust placement fool you. This prototype is testing engine and transmission configuration in addition to on road testing of the newest “Quadra drive” AWD system.
2014 Jeep Liberty -Spied Front 3/4
We had previously read reviews that the Jeep Liberty would be one of the first Chrysler vehicles to receive their currently in development 3.2-liter Pentastar V6. However this rolling mule has every indication that it’s sporting a turbocharged power plant. The fuel filler cap has a prominent sticker warning that premium gasoline must be used, while frontal photos appear to show a large intercooler.
Could this mean that the new Liberty will also use the Fiat 500 Arbath sourced 1.6-liter turbo I-4 that outputs 160 hp and can be found in the upcoming Dodge Dart? Or could either of the 2.0 or 2.4 liter tigershark engines also being used in the 2013 Dart be receiving a turbo upgrade? Time will tell but we would love to drive a Dodge Dart SRT model that uses a 2.4 turbo engine dialed up to close to 300 hp. Wouldn’t you?
2014 Jeep Liberty - Spied from the Rear 3/4
We are expecting Jeep to offer this new Liberty as a Front or All-wheel drive model and we are expecting it to also use the also in development 9-speed ZF automatic transmission. Could there be a manual transmission offered on the smaller displacement turbo engine? We would suggest that if it is sold in Europe then yes such a vehicle will be built.
One fact that we can confirm is that the 2014 Liberty will be built on Fiat’s new Compact U.S Wide Platform or CUSW for short. The CUSW will make its North American debut in the 2013 Dodge Dart this summer and is a variant of the European Alfa Romeo Giulietta Chassis, which explains why this Liberty test mule is wearing a crude Alfa Giulietta body. Will that make the Next Liberty model a soft roader? We think not but stay tuned for more future information.
In the non-shocking news department we are happy to confirm a rumor that we helped start back in mid April of last year. The story was finally confirmed last week so we thought that we should also follow up on our original story to let our reader know that the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee will have a Diesel power plant included in its list of options.
As we reported 9 months ago it will be the same 3.0-liter V6 CRD turbo diesel that is used to power the Grand Cherokee CRD model over in Europe. We can update our original story by reporting that there will be two variations of the engine sold here in North America that will boil down to how the engine is tuned. The entry diesel will feature 190hp and 325 lb-ft to torque with the top of the line diesel offering 241hp and 406lb-ft of torque.
2013 Grand Cherokee CRD - Rear 3/4
We were disappointed to read that the new diesel engine option will be paired only with the outdated 5-speed automatic transmission that was invented during the time of the dinosaurs in the land of the Intrepid and LHS. The only reasons that we could think of Jeep still using this old tranny would be because it can handle the all of the extra torque produced by the diesel engine. However we ruled this out because the 5.7-liter V8 HEMI is dialed up to 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque which is only 16 lb-ft behind the top ranking diesel and it will stop using that transmission any day now. So then we thought maybe that is the only transmission sold in Europe and they will be building these CRD Jeeps there and shipping them back home. However this isn’t true either as Chrysler has also announced that they will be adding 1100 jobs to their plant that builds the Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango.
2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee - In its native environment, the woods
So come on Chrysler let the cat out of the bag and let us know why you’re not offering your ne 8-speed ZF transmission with this very capable engine. Fuel economy for the Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine is rated at 10.3 L/100 km (22.8 mpg) while driving in the city and 7.2 L/100 km (32.7 mpg) on the highway. However we wonder if they could be increased by 2-3 mpg for both city and highway driving with the extra 3 gear ratios especially the tall cursing 8th gear for use on the highway.
Chrysler has yet to reveal the pricing of the new 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD, however if you are interested the last time they offered a diesel version they tacked on a premium price tag by adding a step price premium on the engine option. As a result it was not a huge sales hit, when we think it should be. We hope that with Fiats guidance the CRD model will become a more affordable option as we can’t wait to drive one!
Find out how the Range Rover Evoque was chosen as the 2012 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year with this behind the scenes look at the 2012 SUV of the Year test program.
FOR THE COMPLETE STORY on why we picked the Evoque as our 2012 Sport/Utility of the year, click the links below: Story #1, Story #2
This is an interesting video for me as I couldn’t shake the idea that it was broken up in to two parts; Pre Fiat takeover bid of the Chrysler Group and Post. As it starts off with Maserati totting its history and passion for racing which they rightfully should as no one wants to remember the terrible cars that they were building in the 80’s and 90’s.
Then like on any good timeline we hit the present and see the Maserati Kubang concept which is really just a rebadged Jeep Grand Cherokee, not that they is anything wrong with that. The Grand Cherokee is a fantastic SUV and for the money it has the greatest bang for the buck. Let’s just say that if I have the money it would the be SUV that I would choose to have my family ride around in. The Kubang promises to be even better as it will feature a Ferrari sourced V8 instead of the all American 5.7-liter V8 Hemi that the Grand Cherokee can be orders with.
What a win win right? You take an amazing chassis; improve the styling because let’s just face it a Jeep will always have to look like a Jeep but Kubang could be anything. And if it is have a sexy as the rest of the Maserati Line up it will be trying to hump your leg faster than your Grand Parents dog. Now add in some left over pieces from the Ferrari parts bin for engine and suspension and presto magico you should have a sweet SUV.
It may be the anticipation of this magic that made me sad to see that in the second half of the press video the Kubang was only there in CGI form. I want so bad to see this Sportute being built it almost felt like a steep back. The real scary thing is that I think we have seen this movie before with Jeep and Diamlier and that send shivers up my spin because we all know how that relationship turned out.
Either way we have the video below, so that you can make up your own mind on the state of Maserati and the Kubang.
What do you get when you have three flatbed trailers hauling a car, 3 vehicles that can each hold 5 people, state of the art 4-wheel drive systems, a combined total of more than 1500 horsepower, and a rented race track???
The answer is simple; it’s Motor Trends ultimate SUV shootout. In this great video Motor Trend magazine has lined up 3 of the most potent SUVs ever created to see which one is the best. They have chosen all 2012 models and starting with the BMW X5 M, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. We could give you all of their stats and first impressions but that is what the video portion of this posting is for.
So without further ado sit back strap in and enjoy the sounds of large displacement V8’s powering all 4 wheels.
I have often wondered who Mercedes’ target demographic is, especially when it comes to their SUV’s. Thankfully Mercedes-Benz TV has put together a long commercial or a short movie that walks us through a day in the life of a Mercedes M-Class driver. I’ve watched the video a couple times now and I can’t really decide if it was created with the intention of entertaining or just over whelming us with images and features of the new 2012 M-Class.
If you were thinking of purchasing the new M-Class you should read the list below and if you have done, or experienced 2 of the 15 items on it you are and ideal candidate:
1) Purchase Lingerie in a dimly lit store for your Anniversary
2) Store two identical boxes wrapped with bows in the back of an SUV with the rear seats folded down
3) Recklessly drive around town and then randomly retrieve a pack out of the back of your SUV to be shipped
4) End up giving your wife an apron that was intended for your mom and have her be thrilled about getting it as an anniversary
5) Drive back downtown and not see one other car on the roads
6) Get out maneuvered by a 10 ton truck loaded with packages
7) Loose a race with that same truck to the Airport sorting center
8) Contemplate breaking into a secure Airport sorting center
9) Drive all night to go to your Mom’s house
10) Pay $64,000 for an SUV and decide not to pay $14 a month for Satellite Radio
11) Stop off at a road side dinner that is surrounded by a fence with barbwire to have a coffee and a nap
12) Allow an obvious fake Cop to case your new $64,000 SUV in a remote unfamiliar rest stop on the side of the road
13) Drink Coffee spiked with a hallucinogen, Trip Out and steal a danish on your way out the door
14) Fail to catch up with a delivery truck while driving on curvy mountainous roads
15) Move Heaven and Earth and to get a package back to then have it taken from you by an 80 year old lady
I’m not sure about you guys but I don’t think the New 2012 M-Class is for me. I think I’ll head down to my nearest Jeep dealership and pick up the New 2011 Grand Cherokee instead. It is cheaper even when fully loaded, just as refined on and off road, and I think that it is better looking. At least consider it I know I would.
