Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD 250CV test, engine, driving and consumption (with video)

With a little jump we enter the Jeep Grand Cherokee. After reviewing how his exterior design and what its cabin offers us, it's time to check how this car behaves on the road. We are facing the most powerful diesel engine, equipped with a 3.0 V6 250CV, manufactured by VM Motori. It is the same block used by the diesel Maserati and below it there is a decaffeinated variant of 190CV, in addition to three gasoline engines, one V6 and two V8. All models incorporate the new eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Pressing the start button brings the engine to life as the electric steering column and seat adjust to driving position. From the outset we noticed that the motor is quite quiet and devoid of vibrations, although circulating in an urban environment we will always hear it, especially in acceleration phases. It must be said that accustomed to four-cylinder diesel engines, this V6 even sounds nice. will always circulate under turns, thanks to the eight-speed automatic gearbox, which will engage the gears quickly to keep consumption at bay.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee offers three driving modes: Normal, Eco and Sport. The efficient mode puts gears quickly, turning low revs and with a less reactive throttle response, while the normal mode is somewhat less "clumsy". On the other hand, there is the Sport mode, which gives us greater acceleration, speeds up the gears more and varies the feel of the steering and the firmness of the suspension. The Overland finish, one of the highest, is equipped with a traction system and a specific pneumatic suspension.

La four-wheel air suspension It has four selectable height modes. The first one is for when we are parked and we want to get in or out of the car, because the truth is that it is a tall vehicle and some people may have difficulty getting into it. Then we have the Aero mode, with which we will circulate most of the time and the most comfortable. The offroad1 and offroad2 modes will allow us to increase the height even more, so that when we go out into the field we will have better angles and more clearance, although comfort decreases, as do suspension travel.

The comfort on board is maximum and the suspension is key together with a excellent soundproofing. That yes, the curves are not friends of this car, with a setting of soft suspensions, which gives rise to extensive movements of the bodywork. We also have a very reduced address, to make arms at roundabouts. Notably in Sport mode the suspension is raised a bit and stiffens, minimizing body roll and giving this SUV of more than 2.400 kilos a more dynamic behavior, within its possibilities.

For power with these 250CV and 570Nm is enough, being able to do the 0-100 in 8,2 seconds. The 190CV diesel engine is not as lively and I have not had the opportunity to test it either. Regarding consumptions, the truth is that we assume that the homologation is a lie, being impossible to approach these data. Going down from 8.0 liters will be complicated and would imply a very relaxed and favorable driving. On the motorway, it is normal to walk on 8.0 and 9.0, depending on the conditions, but it will be in the city where the figures skyrocket, reaching mixed consumption of around 10 liters. It's not much in absolute terms for its segment.

One of the problems when driving with the Grand Cherokee is its dimensions. In areas of some cities the car can be too big for us and finding parking is sometimes difficult. Fortunately the rear camera and sensors guide us in the manoeuvres, without the danger of ending up in another car. The height of the driving position is a joy, we can see the traffic from a bird's eye view.

Commitment

Commitment, that would be the word to define the behavior of this car. It offers commendable comfort on the highways, like a true sedan to travel and go for miles and miles, but unlike other SUVs, which the Grand Cherokee is not, it offers good offroad capabilities. Fewer and fewer cars in its segment offer a reduction gear and other elements that improve their offroad abilities, and those that approach these characteristics do not reach the same levels of comfort. A BMW X5 is more dynamic, but it does not go beyond a dirt track and a Toyota Land Cruiser is a machine in the field, although it does not reach it in comfort.

Being a Jeep, and as we already did in the wrangler moab test, we could not resist taking it off the asphalt, to check how this off-road behaves. We also had a very appropriate unit, an Overland, with the air suspension and the traction system. Quadra Drive.

4×4 driving

To put ourselves in a situation, we are facing a permanent all-wheel drive SUV, eight-speed automatic transmission and reducer, with a 250CV diesel engine. The rear differential is self-locking and the pneumatic suspension in its normal position leaves us with approach and departure angles of 26,3 and 26,5º respectively, while the ventral is 18,8º, clearly improvable figures. By pressing a button, we get the entry and exit angles become 35,8 and 29,5º, while the ventral improves to a reasonable 23,5º. It is close to the Jeep Wrangler, although the suspension travel is notably less.

And raising the suspension has a problem in terms of comfort, and that is that when the air springs expand, the routes are very small and we will continually be making stops, listening to a loud "clock". On the other hand, by lifting the body we go from a ground clearance of 21,8 centimeters to almost 30 centimeters, which provides security by having less fear of hitting the basses.

The Quadra-Drive system offers the driving modes car, snow, sand, mud and rocks. The latter only works with the reduction gear connected and all of them offer better traction in their corresponding conditions, allowing us to move forward more easily thanks to intelligent traction control.

In our off-road test we were circulating through some trialeras and through slopes up to 25º with loose pebbles and vegetation. At no point did the Grand Cherokee show any signs of failing the challenges, even without the low gear. The descent control It works well, lowering the car at a speed perhaps too slow but without jerks or noisy brake actions. The car goes down at a nailed speed of about 2km/h, with constant pressure on the brake, unlike other systems, which let the car launch and then brake it, and so on.

La reducer in manual mode has a strange operation, since it starts in second speed, having to go down manually with the cams to first if we want more retention or more torque. On descents, it happened to me three or four times, letting the car slow down with the first gear in reduced gear and without touching the brake, the car went into third gear on some occasions, racing. It is incomprehensible behavior.

In front of the trialeras we have good angles, the exit being the most critical, as it has a longer overhang. The traction control works properly, together with the rear anti-slippery, helping to move forward when the wheels are in the air or the grip is not the most appropriate. The tires are some M+S, in search of that commitment we were talking about. Obviously with more appropriate tires the Jeep Grand Cherokee would have higher levels of traction in difficult situations, although we would sacrifice ride comfort, noise and consumption.

On rough roads we will see that the Grand Cherokee also offers high levels of comfort. The suspension does not mistreat us and the reduced steering avoids violent movements of the steering wheel.

Tomorrow, after removing the mud, it will be time to know the range and prices of this Grand cherokee overlandWe will also draw the final conclusions.