The last time I drove a Jeep it scared the living daylights out of me.
It was at the launch of the 2007 Jeep Wrangler in the Eastern Cape when racing legend Sarel van der Merwe, who was leading us in convoy through some pretty rugged terrain, decided to take us up a river bed.
I hesitated, then succumbed to peer pressure and tackled the rock-strewn route in the Wrangler, crawling over the most inhospitable terrain I've ever negotiated. And the Wrangler just kept on going...
So, when we received the new Jeep Cherokee, I was quite keen to see how the Wrangler's more luxurious sister would fare over the rough stuff - I wasn't disappointed although there were one or two moments when it belly scraped on boulders during an hour of clambering over off-road terrain at the Gerotek test facility west of Pretoria.
It might not have coped with the terrain to which we subjected the hardcore Wranglers to but the Cherokee is still a very capable off-roader, thanks to Selec-Trac all-wheel drive with gradient control that changes from two to all-wheel drive and to low range at the twist of a knob on the console.
We simply popped the 2.8-litre auto Cherokee into low, engaged gradient control, and eased up and down the worst the Gerotek off-road track could offer. Be honest, not many people who fork out R369 900 for this Cherokee will want to get this extreme.
The new Cherokee, launched here in June, has gone back to its roots in the sense that the angular, chunky body has returned, replacing the more rounded and softer lines of the previous model.
I quite liked the box shape but it didn't find favour with everybody. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder...
The 2.8-litre, common-rail diesel engine is hard to fault although we felt turbo lag at Gauteng altitude. The real advantage of the diesel is its superb mid-range flexibility thanks to 460Nm of torque.
Fuel consumption was quite respectable. We loaded the Cherokee with three adults and a weekend's gear for a trip from Johanesburg to the Lowveld and averaged 10.2 litres/100km cruising at legal speeds.
Comfortable travelling
Passenger space was ample but luggage space was a bit limited. The rear backrests can fold flat in a 60/40 split, however, to free a lot more cargo space.
The rear backrests can also recline which, together with a fair amount of legroom, provides comfortable travel for rear-seat passengers.
The driver's footwell is narrow and there's no left footrest for the driver.
The boot has boot cargo tie-down loops and a 10cm-deep waterproof storage bin for items such as muddy boots. The spare is now slung under the vehicle.
Nice-to-have gadgets
The Jeep comes with the usual nice-to-have gadgets including an Infinity sound system with nine speakers, a 165mm sub-woofer and an eight-channel amplifier up there with the best in terms of ease of use and sound quality.
A R14 900 optional extra - but well worth it - is a MyGIG multimedia infotainment system incorporating satnav, audio, entertainment and communication, all of which can be operated through a touch screen or by voice.
It has a 20-gigabyte hard drive to store music and photos - and if you're not sure how big a deal that is, it'll store about 1600 songs!
The Sky Slider (R12 900 extra) is a canvas roof similar to a convertible soft top that can be shifted either fully back or forwards depending on which seats you want to expose to the sky.
Leather on the seats, four-spoked steering wheel and gearshifter gave some pleasant tactile feel but the preponderance of hard plastic in the cabin doesn't create a feel-good ambience - particularly at the price.
Instrumentation is clear and legible: its a four-gauge cluster with clear white-on-black graphics and cool orange needles.
Summary
The Cherokee has gone back to its rugged roots, which will appeal to old-school Jeep fans. It has above-average off-road ability and all-round comfort and space, making for a versatile SUV at a reasonably competitive price. - Star Motoring
Warranty:
Three years or 100 000km with service plan.
Fuel Consumption:
10.2 litres/100km.
Service Intervals:
20 000km.
Price:
R369 900.
Rivals:
BMW X3 2.0d Steptronic (125kW & 340Nm) R419 100; Dodge Nitro 2.8 CRD SXT auto (130kW and 460Nm) R354 900; Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi 4x4 auto (110kW and 335Nm) R379 900;Kia Sorento 2.5 CRDi 4x4 auto (104 kW & 350Nm) R349 995; Land Rover Freelander.2 2TD4 SE Commandshift (118kW & 400Nm) R398 000; Ssgangyong Kyron 270 XDi T-Tronic (121kW and 340Nm) R349 995; Toyota Fortuner 3.0 D-4D 4x4 (120kW & 343Nm) R348 800.
Test car from Chrysler SA