MotorMouths

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a lot of Mercedes M-class DNA. The difference, in a couple nutshells, is that the Jeep version is far more capable off-road than the ML and costs a lot less. That’s a pretty good deal.

A long drive on the highway showed the new Grand Cherokee is equally quiet and calm, with a ride befitting a luxury car. But when the going gets rough, the Grand Cherokee will literally rise to the occasion and step its way where cars and crossovers fear to tread.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the American Range Rover for those who can neither afford a Range Rover nor want to buy a foreign product. The new Grand Cherokee is really that good — at about half the price.

The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is capable of out-autocrossing German competitors costing 60 percent more. It might not be on the top of your need-to-have list, but it will be on the top of your want-to-have list.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s newfound ride comfort and larger passenger package make its off-road ability more appealing to us. It redefines Jeep as a company that’s further away from a hobby brand and closer to Land Rover.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is classy and expensive feeling, especially the Overland model, which makes one wonder why attention to detail in the last generation Grand Cherokee was so poor.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee does a fine job balancing confident on-road dynamics with off-road tenacity. Attractive, comfortable interiors, tidy exterior dimensions, and a wide range of options are other strong suits. It’s a very strong entry in its class.

The Grand Cherokee further extends Jeep’s marriage of comfort with authentic off-road capability. And now drivers’ minds will be unburdened by reliability concerns and dissatisfaction with unsightly materials and thirsty, unrefined engines.

Chrysler really has done something impressive with the 2011 Grand Cherokee. They are plainly operating with a dearth of resources compared to both Ford and GM, but has managed to turn out a product capable of keeping pace, if not besting its competitors.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is an entirely different vehicle from those that came before it: more luxurious, more refined, and more efficient. Yet it still retains Jeep’s proven off-road ability despite improving its on-road and day-to-day manners.

Like the Range Rover, the Grand Cherokee Overland is all kinds of crazy, it’s big, brash and heavy but coddles the driver in a leather cocoon. Like the Range Rover, nobody “needs” an Overland, yet I secretly want one.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the first Chrysler product since the 300 that deserves your attention. No matter your destination, there’s a Grand Cherokee to suit your needs on road, and the competition doesn’t even come close to matching its abilities off road.