When you think of Jeep, you can't
help but picture a large, rugged 4X4 covered
in dirt or mud. They are also often
featured in action-packed movies either
with the lead actor fleeing the baddies in
rough terrain, slamming up and down
ravines or with the villains pursuing the
hero and crashing into other innocent
traffic causing mayhem in the streets.
Whether you like the stereotyping or not,
it's sort of inevitable as the designers of
Jeep vehicles themselves have stuck
very close to the original style.
The 2008 Jeep Cherokee is supposedly
completely redesigned but one
glance at it and you will know it is distinctively
Jeep. In some angles, it even looks
like the Dodge Nitro probably because
they share the same platform. The Jeep
Cherokee, or the Jeep Liberty as it's
known in some markets, is very tough
and not many other 4WDs can compare
in this aspect. The good thing is the
2008 model is even sturdier than its
predecessors with its 3.7L 210 hp V6
engine. Although tougher than its
Japanese competitors, its fuel consumption
is far less economical than the
Nissan Xterra and the Mitsubishi Pajero
for example.
The test vehicle was the Cherokee
Sport with the traditional square-jawed
look and had a body-coloured grille
which, in my opinion, made the entire
appearance very handsome yet hardy.
You will find a chrome grille on the higher-
scale Limited instead.
Its interior is spacious enough to
seat 5 large adults comfortably and
carry all
their outdoor
equipment. There's also more room for
backseat passengers, thanks to a 2-inch
wheelbase stretch. The center console
and instrument panel were very basic
probably due to the “plastic” look but
uncomplicated which made it very easy
to interpret. Sometimes I wish all vehicles
were like that because nothing can
be more annoying than having to look at
the manual each time you want to do a
simple task like searching for a radio station
even.
On road the Jeep Cherokee is now
smoother, thanks to its new suspension
(independent front and multilink rear) and
steering systems. Standard on all models
is a full-time four-wheel-drive system with
low-range gearing. Off-road its strong
points are generous ground clearance,
departure angles and plenty of suspension
travel which helps it tackle most trails and
dunes with conviction and absolute ease.
There was a point when I was concerned
about attempting a 45-degree slope of fine
sand but the worry was certainly unwarranted
when the vehicle went through it in
the blink of an eye. Although my off-road
driving skills aren't ranked high up in the
professional level, the Jeep Cherokee gave
me a real confidence booster.
The plus point for the Jeep Cherokee
and also a very important point in many
consumers' deciding factor is its affordability.
The Basic model's pricing start at a
mere AED 94,500 while you pay about AED
109,800 for the Limited. Available features
are standard as with all the new vehicles
these days but options include a
trick roof that can open the full
length of the ceiling enabling a
panoramic view. Nice!
99,000 AED
49,500 AED
50,000 AED
