First Drive: Jeep Cherokee

When the new generation Jeep Cherokee comes to Ireland in September, it will likely change a lot of perceptions about the brand, and the model, writes Brian Byrne.

Even when tweaked for European tastes and needs, the previous Cherokee never managed the ride and dynamics handling preferred on this side of the Atlantic. The car was fine for long straight American roads, driven by people who go slower and brake easier than the average citizen driver in the EU. it did have strengths, the decent lugging power which the fairly basic diesel offered. It was a good towcar, and farm vehicle.

The new one has all the visual cues of American Jeep, brought very modern. But underneath, it is all European. The platform is Alfa-developed, and the diesel engine is from Italy's MV Motori, brought fully into Fiat's ownership earlier this year.

Though the Jeep heritage is the great outdoors, go anywhere in the wilderness, most owners buy into that as an ethos rather than actual experience. Certainly in Europe. So the brand acknowledges that the new Cherokee is primarily a road car. And that the 2WD versions will be the predominant choice. AWD in this instance is as much 'All Weather Drive' as an indication of off-road capability.

But don't write it off the rugged terrain map. Even the most basic of the AWD versions can comfortably manage the hills and dales of Gloucestershire farmlands, and ford the small rivers that run through them to finally merge as the headwaters of the mighty River Thames. And several 'Active Drive' variants coming a little later will offer much more aggressive offroad capability.

In a short visit this week, I got a chance to experience that in advance of the car's arrival to this market. In the winding roads around and in between those same hills and dales, it also showed its European DNA, with a sophisticated poise and elegant way of progress.

No prices have been set yet for Ireland, but in the UK it sits in a 'basket' of competitors such as Honda's CR-V, the BMW X3, Audi's Q5, and Volvo's XC60. The Irish price will probably reflect that.

Power is from a 2.0 diesel, with 140hp or 170hp options. Transmissions are a 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic, the latter based on the ZF unit recently introduced to the Range Rover Evoque, but licenced for Jeep to build to its own specification.

Having driven both over a couple of hundred kilometres, I certainly was impressed by the auto, perfectly suitable for the short rev-bands response of a diesel. It's available in all of the three grades on offer, Latitude, Latitude+ and Limited.

The short first impressions summary: the new Cherokee is a real good looker, with high quality interior finish and responsive handling far beyond the American tradition. Jeep has a lot of new stuff coming into play which has the potential to make it a much more interesting brand for us Euros.

As always, more when I get it for a home test.