Jeep Grand Cherokee (94-99) - Review

Review by Parkers on
Grand Cherokee is a hardcore off-roader, showing the luxury soft-roaders how to get their tyres dirty, and it’s competent on-road, too. After following its smaller brother on to the British market in 1994 - early V8s were all left-hand drive - the right-hand drive 4.0-litre came along in 1996, and the Grand took off as a dearer and more exclusive choice in the family 4x4 market. It’s roomier than the old Cherokee and equally rugged, but it’s even thirstier with the V8 engines and the heavy depreciation can blunt its appeal.
2.5 out of 5

Other Jeep reviews

4 out of 5

Performance

The powerful Grand Cherokee is surprisingly agile and quick off the mark for such a large off-roader, with the mightiest engine capable of a 7.9 second 0-60mph sprint and 124mph top speed. However, frugality is a big issue as although the petrol units have plenty of go, you pay for the extra performance at the pumps, with the special edition brutish 5.9 left hand-drive only returning 15mpg. The later CRD diesel is more economical to run and smooth, with plenty of low-down punch when needed. Confident motorway overtaking is rarely a problem and it's a great caravan hauler, too.

3 out of 5

Handling

Although Grand is quite car-like to drive, the steering lacks precision and there is too much body roll on twisty rural roads, which isn’t ideal for an off-roader. Motorway driving can be choppy and disconcerting, and coarse road surfaces aren’t muffled particularly well by the suspension. Nevertheless, it’s more capable in the rough stuff than luxury soft-roaders such as BMW X5 and Lexus RX300 and the four-wheel drive system should help keep you out of trouble. The sheer body size could make parking a little tricky, but the large rear window helps rearward visibility.