Spy Shots: 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee grows grander
Jeep was one of the pioneers in the sport-utility segment before it exploded, yet when the train left the station, the iconic rough-and-tumble brand seemed to have been left behind. But now even while the band plays on the sinking deck of the SS Chrysler, Jeep is trying to catch up and stay afloat with this new offering lining up for the privilege.According to the latest spy shots and reports, the next Jeep Grand Cherokee looks prone to grow a bit grander. Once considered the sportscar of the SUV segment, the 2010 Grand Cherokee will have a noticeably longer wheelbase, longer rear overhang and likely third-row seating. As the project was likely started while under Daimler's wing, the new Grand Cherokee is anticipated to borrow architecture from Mercedes SUVs like the ML and GL. Although Chrysler apparently killed off the diesel option on the current model for the new year, it may return for the new model, joining the same range of V6 and HEMI V8 engines that may expand to include a HEMI hybrid (Hymi, anyone?), though don't expect a successor to the hot-rod Grand Cherokee SRT8 any time soon. The design, meanwhile, will still include such trademark styling cues as the seven-slat grille, four round headlights and squared-off wheel arches, but expect the overall shape to borrow from the Trailhawk concept from the Detroit Auto Show of two years ago. The new Grand Cherokee may make its debut later this year at either the Chicago or New York show, so stay tuned.
[Source: Car and Driver]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
ASEVENSEE4 11:10AM (1/14/2009)
This thing has been nothing but a disappointment since the 99'-04' MY. Lets hope they get it right this time.
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D 11:24AM (1/14/2009)
Umm, why are they making a larger SUV? How well did the Commander do? I know many Grand Cherokee buyers who liked the previous generation a lot and their only gripe was interior quality...Then they released the current gen and turned off a lot of folks. If they can improve the styling this time around, maybe they can lure those folks back. Not sure the increased size fits what those previous gen buyers are looking for.
MemphisNET 12:01PM (1/14/2009)
The size is most likely so it can accomodate the Dodge Durango (possibly the Aspen if it's not killed) on the same platform. The new V6's are getting close to the 4.7 V8's output with much better fuel-econ.
The diesel sells well in Canada, so hopefully it's not gone for long.
The Luigiian 2:13PM (1/14/2009)
The only thing that's a disappointment about the Grand Cherokee is that there's not a base Cherokee anymore to do real off road work.
My family owned a Cherokee. The Liberty never was and never will be a great replacement. It's a good vehicle in many respects and it's got the off road capabilities, but it's just not the same. Especially in the styling, the Cherokee looked more simple.
But, of course, at least they've got the Patriot. It's not as off road capable but at least it's fuel-efficient and small enough to feel like it's not a tank.
I think a three-row Grand Cherokee is good. Now we just need a regular Cherokee so we know why the Grand Cherokee is so... well, grand.
firstplace 3:44PM (1/14/2009)
Its incredible how shortsighted Chrysler is. Simply amazing. The titanic.
Travis 11:16AM (1/14/2009)
due to the unbridled success of the Jeep Commander, Chrysler is making its current Grand Cherokee Bigger, heavier, less efficient, etc.
awesome.
this is getting ridiculous. I don't care how long these monstrosities have been "in development", a full year ago the recession was here, gas prices were skyrocketing, and people were cutting back on large SUVs. the fact that this project wasn't at the VERY LEAST put on hold shows that Chrysler really doesn't have a clue. it doesn't matter how much money you've sunk into development costs, or tooling, when you see that the market (for the most part) has drastically, drastically shifted you have to reevaluate the project. like it or not, this is the kind of crap that a "car czar" would prohibit, and if Chrysler's too dumb to do it themselves, then as a taxpayer I demand that the gov't step in and f'ing DO SOMETHING. Kill or delay new projects that aren't relevant to the market anymore. If you really, really think that the US public is going to be buying $35,000 SUVs in another year or two, delay the project until you see that the market has improved.
/rant
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Frank 12:35PM (1/14/2009)
Well, Travis I'm glad you are not the "Car Czar". We would all be driving clown cars with 1 liter engines while gas is a buck eighty a gallon. You would prolly kill the Mustang (see the earlier post on Mullaly) too. This vehicle will come in two versions: 2 row and 3 row. One platform (this one) will replace two old ones (GC/Commander and the Durango/Aspen). It will be unibody, so it will get better mileage than the Durango/Aspen does. Sounds like sound planning to me. They also reduce two assembly plants to one saving on overhead and labor. You don't know what is relevant to the market anymore than I do, expecially the market for the next 5 years. You can all read about the new GC here http://www.allpar.com/trucks/jeep/2011-cherokee.html
akboss 12:46PM (1/14/2009)
Frank, your response to a loaded comment was level headed and professional, it seems you know a lot about this project. And I agree that five years from now, who knows where the markets will be? That's why planning vehicles and platforms around flexibility is key, which it sounds like this new Jeep will be - gas and diesel options, as well as wheelbase choices. I'm not one to condone everybody driving larger or high consumption vehicles, but the fact is that small cars don't suit everybody's lifestyle - all sizes of vehicles should be environmentally responsible. The buyer shouldn't be penalized or just plain neglected for wanting something larger, its the manufacturer's responsibility to make both big and small vehicles environmentally adept.
AZMike 12:50PM (1/14/2009)
Travis,
where did you get your calendar?
the issue with fuel prices began in May, 2008; the credit meltdown (with accompanying recession) occured in September and October OF 2008!!
loved your "taxpayer demands", exactly what is a "relevant" vehicle? in case you didn't know, the relevant vehicles right now that ARE selling are pickups and SUVs, not some little teeny cars. by the way, the money that was given to Chrysler and GM are LOANS, not a "bailout" as many say.
you might want to drive by your favorite Japanese car dealer, and ask how those teeny cars are selling. in my area, Prius are selling for $100 over invoice, along with Yaris and Corolla models. what ever happened to those Prius waiting lists? the only place there are lists is at the ports, where they sit in endless rows, with no dealers wanting to take them. perhaps they have lost their relevance.
if vehicles like the Grand Cherokee are not "relevant", and Chrysler is out of touch, how do you feel about Toyota bringing out a redesigned Sequoia for 2008? is this not "relevant", or is that "different" because it's a Japanese company?
perhaps they could kick Press and Nardelli out at Chrysler, and move you to the helm. sounds like you have all the answers.
AZMike
Travis 1:19PM (1/14/2009)
So AZMike, by "May 2008" you mean sales were peachy in March, or February of last year?
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/04/by-the-numbers-february-2008/
http://seekingalpha.com/article/67203-february-auto-sales-hit-another-pothole
(GM SUV sales down 19%)
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/03/03/079467.html
In February Grand Cherokee sales were down 27%, and Commander sales were down 43%
And even in December, when SUV sales are supposed to be up, it's only due to the large discounts that automakers are draping on their windshields:
"I can get about $10,000 off a large SUV," he said. "There's probably not going to be a better time."
or $11k off a Hummer
If you *really* think that this is an optimal time to bring this out, lets hear it. Because I think it's going to flop and flop hard. But hey, I'm no fortune teller. All I do know is that gas prices went up, Detroit got caught with their pants down trying to push bigger and bigger SUVs, and they (flew) came crying to the US Gov't for help. So what do they do? Try to modify the huge SUVs slightly (hybrid Aspen/Tahoe) or come out with a bigger SUV like the "new and improved" Grand Cherokee.
And no, this isn't like Ford not wanting any product-direction from the US Gov't, last I checked they were coming out with a new world-wide Focus, a new Fiesta, smaller turbo engines for better fuel economy, etc. I didn't hear anything about Ford coming out with a new, bigger Explorer at the show this weekend...
Frank 6:13PM (1/14/2009)
akboss, remember when gas pries spiked and everyone blamed Detroit for not having the foresight to planned for that? Can you imagine what these same "finger snap" armchair CEO's would say if in 2011 gas was low the economy going gangbusters and consumers wanting SUV's, CUV's, and pickups, but Chrysler had not introduced a new Ram in '09 and a new GC/Durango in '10, but soldiered on with what they have now? These same people would say that Chrysler didn't have any foresight and should have planned for product like this and so they deserve to go out of business. You can't win.
montoym 8:51PM (1/14/2009)
quote from Travis: -
"And no, this isn't like Ford not wanting any product-direction from the US Gov't, last I checked they were coming out with a new world-wide Focus, a new Fiesta, smaller turbo engines for better fuel economy, etc. I didn't hear anything about Ford coming out with a new, bigger Explorer at the show this weekend..." -
Yeah, I'm sure the new F-150 just happened to slip your mind(the one that Ford sells more copies of than anyone else, a.k.a. the best-selling vehicle in the US for 20 some odd years straight).
Sure, it does get slightly better mileage than the old model(1 or 2mpg I think), but you're assuming that the next GC won't be more efficient than the current one.
Fact is, the GC is next in line to be redesigned. Everything else in the Jeep lineup is new or has been redesigned since the GC last was introduced(in '05).
Additionally, the GC is one of Jeep's best-selling models. It currently sells about the same copies as Jeep sells Wranglers, within a few thousand YTD in Sept. '08, the most recent data I found. That's also considering that the GC is near the end of its life cycle and the Wrangler is new.
So, does it make sense to redesign that vehicle to keep up with the competition? Especially when more and more of the competition has a competitive 7-seat version of their SUV available?
Like it or not, SUV's are still selling and probably always will regardless of fuel prices.
Dan 11:19AM (1/14/2009)
What's so terrible about the 05+ other than the tiny rear seat? They ride well, the V8s have plenty of power, they aren't too expensive (except to fill up)...
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thomas 11:42AM (1/14/2009)
the commander didnt do well. thats why jeep is making the grand cherokee a little bigger to capture the 3-row-seat segment that the commander failed to. the Grand Cherokee, believe it or not, has to compete with the likes of the GMC acadia and Chevy Traverse. The Grand Cherokee finds itself in a class by itself (in a bad way) as everyone else has moved on to other shapes and sizes for their SUVs and crossovers.
chrysler can either make jeep fanatics happy or offer a vehicle that is more widely acceptable. guess which they're gonna do. besides, if you want a REAL jeep, get a wrangler, i hear those have 4 doors now. Chrysler cant survive if every SUV in the jeep segment is a hard-core off-roader.
Kumar 11:50AM (1/14/2009)
It's not a bad car at all. Sitting next to my '98 Durango though, it shares many of the same proportions.
Too bad the only diesel option for it was that giant blutec, not a sensible smaller diesel for those looking for efficiency instead of stump pulling.
That cherokee would look pretty good if they squashed it a bit into wagon form...same thing for the dead in the water commander.
dan spalinger 11:25AM (1/14/2009)
Right....just what Jeep needed...a LARGER Grand Cherokee...it was a FAIL when it was called the Commander and its a FAIL now...
Come on Chrysler...sell Jeep to Nissan so they can do it right...
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thomas 11:44AM (1/14/2009)
as i fail at REPLYing.
the above message was meant as a reply to you not... the other dan.
*face palm*
Toledo Guy 3:28PM (1/14/2009)
The Commander wasn't necessarily a "fail". It enabled Chrysler to see what the market was for a 3 row GC. Since GC sales fell almost in tandem with the number of Commanders sold, they could see that there was a market. The new model will address it. Our '05 GC was replaced by an '07 Commander. I preferred the GC. It was more fun to drive. We went to a Wrangler Unlimited last month when the Commander lease was up. The Commander was always too thirsty for my tastes.
Rick 10:16AM (1/15/2009)
So Chrylser finally gets it now. The US consumer will absolutely run out and immediately fork over tens of thousands of dollars to buy LARGE SUVS!! wow
Matt1214 11:27AM (1/14/2009)
The current model isn't that bad, but not the most reliable. I've had several times the problems with my '07 than I ever had in 3 years with my '04. I don't know if I'd even consider the new 2010 because of the reliability issues I've had with my '07.
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