Jeep Cherokee 3.7 V6 : TWO POTS SHORT OF A FORGE?

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Theres still a fair body of car buyers who dont consider an American car complete without a V8 engine. After sampling the Jeep Cherokee 3.7 V6, Andy Enright questions their judgement..

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"Buy anything American without a V8 engine and youre sorely missing the point." Discuss. Until the Chrysler Viper arrived with its V10 powerplant, the last US car of genuine note without a V8 was probably the Ford Model T. What would the film Bullitt have been without Steve McQueens Mustang and its V8 drum track? Remember Miami Vice? Their replica Ferrari Daytona Spider boasted a V8 Chevrolet engine which fell victim to over-zealous dubbing editors. As you click the key on the latest Jeep Cherokee and listen to the turbine smooth V6, are you being sold slightly short?

Traditions are all very well when someone else is footing the bill but in a country where fuel prices have been ratcheted through the roof, a slightly more pragmatic view will, quite literally, pay dividends. Thats perhaps more relevant than any notion of heritage and may well explain why even the £22,535 3.7-litre V6 Cherokee featured here plays second fiddle to the 2.8 CRD diesel version thats sold alongside it, despite the fact that it has a more sophisticated 4WD system on board.

Nevertheless, the Cherokee brand has an enormous amount of goodwill behind it. The latest Cherokee models feature an advanced ESP (Electronic Stability Program) system thats designed to maximise on-road traction. The ERM (Electronic Roll Mitigation) function uses the ESP sensors to anticipate if the vehicle is entering a potential roll situation and goes to work in order to counter this threat. The ESP system fitted to the latest Cherokee has been developed in conjunction with industry leaders Bosch and continuously compares the actual behaviour of the vehicle with pre-programmed reference values.

The moment the car deviates from a normal pattern of behaviour, the ESP system intervenes with a combination of braking and engine power reduction, counteracting the critical rotational movements that occur in the very first moments of a spin. The set-up works particularly well on the wet, snow-covered or gravel roads that owners will routinely encounter.

"The average fuel consumption figure of just over 19mpg isnt going to make you a Friends of The Earth mascot"

Viewed from the front, the Cherokee could only ever be a Jeep product, the trademark slatted grille and beady headlamps using styling cues from the Wrangler, the car we all imagine being driven by cigar-chomping GIs. The styling is now far more rounded, whilst retaining an angular appearance. Its as if the setsquare mentality of the old model was initially retained before a team of stylists chamfered, bevelled and smoothed all the edges off the thing. The engine is muscular, capable of generating 211bhp, although the average fuel consumption figure of just over 19mpg isnt going to make you a Friends of The Earth mascot, nor is the emissions figure of 347g/km.

Thats a worse showing than a monster six-litre Mercedes S600 limousine! The performance figures go some way to exonerating the Cherokee as its able to shift its hardly inconsequential 1867kg bulk to 60mph in 10.5 seconds although top speed is blunted by that vertiginous frontage at 112mph. The architecture of the engine is similar to the big 4.7-litre V8 in the Grand Cherokee, and the engineers at Mack Avenue in Detroit certainly made a good fist of refinement.

The engine is quiet at low speeds but gives a decent roar if you accelerate hard. Given the fuel economy this may be an action you save for occasionally impressing new passengers. Ride quality has been improved enormously, due in no small part to a revised suspension system that replaces the antediluvian solid rear axle setup that the old model employed. Independent front suspension is a first for a Cherokee, as is a unibody construction, ditching the traditional separate ladder-framed chassis.

Rack and pinion steering sharpens things up, and should you wish to venture off road, youll find authentic low Range gearing. Off road performance in fact remains superb, helped by a Selec-Trac system that uses a sophisticated centre differential to divert drive to whichever wheels most need it. This is a good deal more sophisticated than the Command-Trac system youd be saddled with if you went for the CRD diesel-engined version. The main difference is that in normal road conditions in the diesel, youre stuck in 2WD.

The V6 in contrast, offers all-wheel traction all of the time. American interiors have usually been the aspect where the whole story falls apart, but the Cherokee V6 comes up trumps. The interior is at the same time rugged but thoughtfully styled. The balance between form and function has been nicely struck and its certainly a better place to sit than many of its competitors - but how many British buyers will give it a chance? The diesel version looks a winner but the 3.

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Facts At A Glance
CAR: Jeep Cherokee 3.7-litre V6
PRICES: £22,535 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 347g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 10.5s/ Max Speed 112mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 19.5mpg (combined)
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4240/1790/1623mm