Before the United States Military had the Hummer H1 as its vehicle of choice, there was the Willys Jeep. That brand remains iconic in America, having proven itself in World War II and earning a reputation for excellent off-road prowess. Of course, ownership of the Jeep name has changed hands multiple times. Previously, you have Willys-Overland, Kaiser-Jeep, AMC (American Motors Corporation), and its current owner, Chrysler. There was that sleazy affair that Jeep’s parent company had with Daimler in the late '90s to 2000s that introduced us to the poorly-conceived Compass. But that's an era we'd rather scrub from our memories. Fortunately, Chrysler’s Italian sugar-daddy is doing a great job turning the company around and revamping its product line-up.
And that brings us to the focus of today's article: the latest and greatest 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4. We drove the Grand Cherokee during NWAPA Mudfest 2013 (Mudfest 2013: Tom's Hardware Helps Test 23 SUVs) and decided that the SUV (along with its Uconnect Access system) deserved a closer look. We booked it for a week of on-pavement and light off-roading antics.
The 2014 Grand Cherokee offers a host of styling changes that soften its exterior to look more luxurious. The headlights are smaller and feature LED running lights, the front and rear fascia receive several subtle tweaks, there’s added chrome on the tail lights, and you'll find a paint-matched seven-slot grille with chrome inserts. I’m usually not a fan of chrome work, but our test platform pulls it off deftly. 
The fresh styling pays homage to Jeep’s history, too. Each headlight has a little detail that recognizes the company’s roots and history. The driver's side lamp states matter-of-factly “Since 1941,” a tribute to the first year Jeeps were manufactured. Look closely on the passenger-side light and you'll find a silhouette of the original Willys Jeep. If you're not an enthusiast, you'll probably overlook those subtleties. But they remind us that Jeep's Grand Cherokee still has the spirit of its predecessors, despite refinements make it more comfortable for grocery trips, rather than running recon on the battlefield.
Our previous encounters with the Uconnect infotainment system were disappointing, to say the least. Chrysler's 430N (RHB) radio with Uconnect in our base 2011 VW Routan is a poorly thought-out solution when it comes to both navigation and Bluetooth connectivity. But the latest implementation does away with the double-DIN form factor and replaces it with a better-integrated display.
Chrysler eschews the common 16:9 display for a 4:3-ratio, 8.4-inch touchscreen LCD. It's mounted high and center, sporting a resolution of 640x480. That sounds somewhat low, but we didn't notice any text clarity issues. In fact, everything looked great from the driver’s seat. There is just a bit of glare with the sunroof open.
You probably wouldn't think it, but the 4:3 aspect ratio is a remarkable upgrade over typical 16:9 screens. It gives you more intuitive real estate for direct access to the Radio, Media, Controls (seat and steering wheel heat), Climate, Nav, Phone, and App sub-menus.
Although it sports a primarily touch-driven infotainment system tied in with the rest of the SUV's functions, the Grand Cherokee does maintain physical buttons and knobs for climate control and the stereo. As you've probably learned by now, we appreciate mechanical input for a lot of basic functionality. It cuts down on the amount of time we have to spend navigating menus and, over time, we can turn down the air conditioning or crank the volume without taking our eyes off the road. You do need to use the touchscreen for activating the seat heaters, ventilators, or triggering the heated steering wheel, however. On the bright side, the Uconnect Access system facilitates direct access to comfort amenities while the system boots, so you can warm your buns that much more quickly on a cold day.
New to Uconnect Access is integrated cellular connectivity through Sprint’s 3G network. The main reason you'd want this is for telematics services like 911 emergency calling, roadside assistance, vehicle theft assistance, theft alarm, and remote lock/unlock functionality. Cooler still, Uconnect Access also has integrated hot-spot capabilities for in-car mobile device usage. Turning the Jeep into a moving hot-spot will cost you, though. Chrysler thinks it's reasonable to charge $10 a day, $20 a week, or $35 a month for the service. We weren't able to test the in-vehicle hot-spot feature during our week with the Grand Cherokee, but we'd just as soon use the 4G functionality on our cell phones anyway.
The Uconnect Access system lets you adjust driving aids, set remote start options, change the headlight turn-off delay time, and control the auto door lock/unlock, among other settings. We applaud Chrysler for making these settings configurable, rather than forcing you to visit the dealership to alter its default programming.
Uconnect Access relies on Texas Instruments' OMAP-DM3730 SoC, which an evolution of the OMAP 3530 in Hyundai's current-generation Genesis Coupe. TI shrank the manufacturing process from 65 to 45 nm and ratcheted up the clock rates of its memory controller, 2D/3D graphics, and IVA 2.2 advanced imaging, video, and audio engine. The same PowerVR SGX530 graphics core remains. The frequency increases are actually pretty substantial, representing a 50-percent speed-up to the IVA 2.2 subsystem, an 80-percent increase to the PowerVR SGX530 engine, and a 20-percent boost to the memory controller.
There's a single Cortex-A8 core at the heart of TI's DM3730, sporting a couple of errata fixes. Maximum clock rate jumps 39%, from the OMAP3530's 720 MHz up to 1 GHz. We aren't sure if Jeep's implementation takes full advantage of the SoC's peak frequency though, or if it's scaled back for heat and power reasons.
Although the hardware at the heart of Uconnect Access seems ancient compared to the latest smartphone and tablet platforms, it's plenty adequate to run an infotainment system. Remember that these embedded systems undergo long development times, and they employ SoCs with long-life support. This allows manufacturers to maintain an inventory of repair parts for up to a decade after the last vehicle rolls off of the assembly line. Thus, a mature product like the DM3730 makes more sense in the automotive world than Qualcomm's or Samsung's latest.
The DM3730 is complemented by 512 MB of memory, which we have to imagine is sufficient for the closed platform. That capacity isn't surprising; it's the same amount of RAM that Parrot used in its Asteroid Smart double-DUN head unit (see Parrot Asteroid Smart Review: Android In Your Car's Dash? for more detail). You do get plenty of on-board storage, though. Uconnect Access features 16 GB of eMMC flash for the operating system, maps, and apps. There weren’t any downloads available during our week with the Grand Cherokee, but Chrysler promises that Pandora, Aha, iHeartRadio, and Slacker Radio are coming soon.
Powering the Uconnect Access system is QNX Neutrino RTOS 6.5.0. It’s not as sexy as the latest QNX CAR Platform, but it does the job well. All of this is connected by Harman, in cooperation with Chrysler. Yes, that’s the same Harman as Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon, and Mark Levinson. Interestingly enough, Harman also develops infotainment systems for virtually every other automotive manufacturer as well, including the Toyota Display Audio 6.1 with Entune system we evaluated in 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE: Technology In A Mid-Size Sedan.
Uconnect Access enables fairly standard music features. You get playback through USB flash drives and iOS devices, auxiliary input, SiriusXM, and HD Radio. Jeep exposes an SD memory card slot in the cluster of connectors as well.
Knowing that the slot was available, it worked out really well to load music onto a dedicated SD card during our week with the Grand Cherokee. The card doesn't stick out as far as a flash drive, and it kept the USB port open for my phone charger. Regardless of whether you go the USB drive or SD card route, navigating attached storage is easy. Simply browse by folder, artist, or album, and select the track you want to listen to. If album art is available, that gets displayed.
SiriusXM is also easy to move around and through, thanks to direct station tuning and category displays. Uconnect Access also supports radio time-shifting, so you can replay your favorite Nickelback song to your heart’s content. HD Radio is even simpler by virtue of standard radio controls and support for sub-stations. There is no iTunes tagging with Uconnect Access’ HD Radio feature, but this isn't something we really miss anyway. Rarely, if ever, have we wanted to tag a song and then go home to buy it.
Each music playback mode gives you the option of displaying the navigation map without switching completely over to the navigation menu. It’s a small touch, but we do appreciate the freedom to look over at the map and our radio presets at the same time.
If for some reason you still enjoy buying CDs, jumping in the car, and throwing them into a disc changer, you're going to be disappointed to find out that the Grand Cherokee doesn't have a CD or DVD player. You'll need to go home and rip your music onto a USB flash drive or SD card first. Not a big deal, as far as we're concerned. Still, it's interesting to see compact discs going the way of the cassette tape.
Fans of Internet radio have to wait for proper integration. Again, Chrysler is claiming support for Pandora, iHeartRadio, Aha, and Slacker, but they're still coming soon. Once they're ready, each app will connect through your mobile device, and not the integrated Sprint connection.
Rear Seat Amenities
Rear passengers are presented with two USB ports, a 115 V outlet, and heated seats. No, you can't hijack the sound system by plugging your own flash drive into one of the USB ports; they're for charging only. Still, that's a nice addition if your guests find their phones or tablets running low on charge. Jeep even adds lighting to the ports, making them easier to see at night. The integrated inverter delivers up to 150 W, which is plenty for even the heaviest-duty notebooks.
Phone
Standard stuff when it comes to connecting your phone: simply use Bluetooth for hands-free dialing and messaging. We didn’t have any trouble getting Uconnect Access to download our phone book or make calls. Messaging was an issue, however. We weren't able to take advantage of the built-in texting support with a reference Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Cyanogen mod. Unfortunately, this is pretty typical with most phones, we've found. Unless you have a BlackBerry, messaging functionality is hit or miss.
Voice quality is pretty good, though. We tried out the phone book voice recognition support a couple of times, but preferred using the touchscreen at a stop instead. It’s not that the voice recognition is inaccurate. Rather, we found that navigating the display was faster than using voice commands and then listening to the prompts back. That interaction doesn't work really well with a screaming child in the back seat, either.
Navigation
Chrysler taps Garmin for its navigation functionality. The maps look like what you'd find on your typical Garmin portable navigation product, which isn’t a bad thing. Rather than attempting to develop navigation software in-house, the third-party approach works to Chrysler's favor. It provides a familiar interface for anyone accustomed to aftermarket systems.
Actually using the Garmin software is a pain, though. When you’re at a stop, all is good and well. You have full access to all of the platform's capabilities. But as soon as the SUV starts moving, certain features get locked out to keep you from inputting directions or searching for POIs by name. While we understand Chrysler’s desire to curb distracted driving, we prefer Hyundai’s approach, forcing you to press "Agree" every time the system is turned out. Sure beats getting shut-out mid-command. You're thinking, "Tuan, they're just trying to keep you safe!" I usually have my wife in the passenger seat, though. She shouldn't be stopped from using the system, should she? Chrysler does counter this weakness with one-step voice recognition, but again, using it gets super-annoying once you start involving residential streets and their mix of numbers, cardinal points, quadrants, and street type designations.
SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link are integrated with Uconnect Access and the Garmin navigation system. However, as with all of the traffic-reporting systems we've used, relying on those technologies is a dice roll. We simply don't understand the allure of SiriusXM Travel Link. Weather forecasts, sports results, and gas prices are free from your smartphone, and I'm going to assume you already have one of those.
Bing
Chrysler integrates a Bing app for extended POI search with reviews. You can look for restaurants, nightlife, hotels, entertainment, shopping, and so on, right from the touchscreen.
The restaurant reviews are a nice touch to help narrow down meal decisions. There are even voice commands and Bing search, too. But there is one very big problem with the Bing app: it's oh-so-slow. We're not sure if development is to blame, or Sprint's spotty network coverage. Either way, something so simple shouldn't be so cumbersome. As with SiriusXM Traffic, it's faster to whip out your phone and peruse Yelp or Urbanspoon.
Our previous encounters with LCD-based gauge clusters were not very positive. Usually, the graphics are badly aliased. Or, they try to mimic analog gauges and fail miserably. The Grand Cherokee gets us thinking otherwise, though. Instead of just swapping the conventional gauge cluster for a large display, Jeep features a seven-inch LCD that can convey vehicle information or simply operate as a speedometer. The LCD is accompanied by traditional gauges, creating a cluster that's familiar to the less tech-inclined, while introducing new features, too.
There are two main display templates for the Grand Cherokee’s LCD gauge cluster. One emulates an analog dial speedometer, while the other is a digital readout of your speed. As computer enthusiasts, the faux analog speedometer is pretty disappointing. The graphics are noticeably jaggy, and can use some anti-aliasing. Switching over to the digital readout yields much smooth graphics. That became our preferred display output during our time with the Grand Cherokee.
The LCD cluster can tell you far more than just your speed, though. It's also an excellent off-road driving aid, displaying power distribution to each wheel in any given situation, transmission temperature, engine oil temperature, oil pressure, and 4WD terrain mode. There’s also a very cool mode that shows the wheel articulation angles, which we found useful during our off-road adventure with the Jeep.
When you're on-road, the display conveys music playback information, turn-by-turn directions, and adaptive cruise control status. There’s even a fuel economy readout, which is mildly depressing, given the 5.7 L V8 under the hood. Jeep is to be commended for not going overboard with LCD gauge. It's a nice balance between old-school analog and the usefulness of a configurable digital output.
System Settings
Once upon a time, programming simple functions like automatic door locks required a trip to the dealership. But through Uconnect Access, Jeep gives you access to driving aid warnings, lights, comfort, and door lock settings from the infotainment touchscreen. Beats the heck out of paying ridiculous dealer labor charges just to program something simple, like locking the doors when the vehicle is in motion.
The Grand Cherokee that we tested came with the Advanced Technology Group package. The $1700 option includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with mitigation, advanced brake assist, and blind spot and rear cross path detection systems to help avoid collisions. For its class, this is a pretty typical suite of driving aids. As always, while they're there to help you, by all means, focus on the road and don't rely on these technologies to protect you from distracted driving.
Once a flagship feature only available on luxury cars, adaptive cruise control is now a checklist option on a great many cars. Bear in mind that there a couple of implementations, though. There's the standard adaptive cruise control and the full-speed range (some companies call it low-speed follow) system. The Grand Cherokee, unfortunately, sports the former.
Jeep deploys a radar-based system developed by Bosch. The sensor is right in the middle of the lower grille. This somewhat camouflages it, though it's still very noticeable up close. At least the placement is symmetrical with the front of the car. Here's the thing: the Grand Cherokee's system only works at speeds above 20 MPH. This is fine in regular traffic, but won't help you if you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper gridlock.
Actually using the system is a little odd, too. The Grand Cherokee's steering wheel exposes a separate set of controls dedicated to adaptive cruise, while retaining the standard cruise control system's buttons. We're not entirely sure why Jeep doesn't just enable adaptive cruise using the standard cruise control's buttons, adding one for distance. Nor do we understand why anyone would want to use standard cruise after shelling out cash for the adaptive technology.
Overall, the system does its job well. It speeds up smoothly and predictably. Slowing down is smooth as well, though to achieve this the Grand Cherokee can only apply up to 25-percent of its braking power, or simply coast. Thus, throughout testing, the SUV never jerked our necks. We were consequently pleased with its performance.
Jeep also leverages the front-mounted radar for its forward collision warning with crash mitigation system. This sounds off audible alerts and flashes a warning in the gauge cluster to grab your attention when the vehicle in front of you abruptly stops. Forward collision warning also engages the brakes if it detects an imminent crash. We were able to trigger the system's warning a couple of times, though we understandably were none too eager to test automatic braking.
It used to be that anti-lock brakes were a big selling feature. Nowadays, this is standard functionality, and since most cars have brake-by-wire systems, the computer exerts a lot more influence over the braking system. Advanced Brake Assist is one such feature made possible by these advancements. Naturally, during typical driving, the Grand Cherokee’s brakes function normally. Should you panic-brake, the system applies maximum braking power, regardless of how far in the pedal is pushed in order to stop the car as quickly as possible. Coupled with ABS, Brake Assist can theoretically stop the car faster than a human.
Blind spot detection is fairly typical; you get a visual warning on each side mirror when another vehicle is in your blind spot. If another car is detected while your signal is on, the Grand Cherokee sounds off an audible warning to get your attention. This is a particularly appreciated feature in an SUV as tall as the Grand Cherokee because it helps pick up lowered cars hidden below the belt line. Rear cross detection works similarly, though it's designed to detect objects approaching from the rear. That capability is useful in busy parking lots, though you should still turn around to look before backing out of your spot.
Jeep offers a variety of engines with its Grand Cherokee, including the 3.6-liter “Pentastar” V6 and a 3.0-liter diesel. Our test vehicle came with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8, rated for 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. Chrysler made some changes to the Hemi in 2008 that added variable camshaft timing (in essence, variable valve timing for a push-rod motor). Although it isn't as fancy as the latest direct-injected or dual-overhead cam motors, the Hemi does what Chrysler needs it to.
New to the 2014 Grand Cherokee is an eight-speed automatic transmission sourced from ZF. The extra gears are there to improve fuel economy and acceleration. Although we thoroughly enjoyed the SUV's spirited acceleration, its fuel economy deserves some discussion. There’s a "gas-conscious" Eco mode that alters the shift points and enables cylinder deactivation technology to make your tank last a little longer. Eco mode also lowers the Grand Cherokee at highway speeds (above 55 MPH) on vehicles equipped with the Quadra-lift air suspension, again in the name of fuel economy.
Unfortunately, Eco mode is annoying to drive with. The transmission shifts lazily, and the SUV feels lethargic when it’s engaged. Tossing the shifter into Sport mode livens the experience up, but you pay for it with fuel economy. The EPA rates our sample at 14, 20, and 16 MPG in the city, highway, and combined. We observed an average of about 15 MPG combining city and highway driving with Eco mode on. That dropped to about 13 MPG in Sport mode. Yeah, that's only a 2 MPG difference. Given how few miles per gallon the Grand Cherokee gets, switching from Eco to Sport translates to a 13% loss in fuel economy. This made me cry a little when I filled up the 20-gallon gas tank.
With that said, Jeep's powertrain is enjoyable. The ZF 8HP70 transmission is very refined, which is no surprise since BMW and Range Rover employ the same transmission in some of their vehicles. My wallet doesn't love the fuel consumption, but if you're buying an SUV with a V8, you certainly can't be surprised. Other engine options are available if you want to trade in some of that power.
Quadra-Lift Air Suspension
Jeep equips our Grand Cherokee Overland with an air suspension system dubbed Quadra-Lift. What you'll immediately like about Quadra-Lift is the ability to lower the SUV when you park it for an easy exit, the fact that it automatically hunkers down at highway speeds for better efficiency, and most important, achieving lots of lift for off-roading fun.
You get 4.2 inches of travel from the lowest to the highest setting of Quadra-Lift. The video above illustrates the differences between each height setting, including Parking, Normal, Off-road 1, and Off-road 2.
Selec-Terrain System
Since the Grand Cherokee has an air suspension system, it can dynamically alter the SUV's driving characteristics. Selec-Terrain involves a control knob that lets you manually select the optimal setup for snow, sand, mud, or rock. There’s an automatic option that lets the computer decide, also. We left the Grand Cherokee in Auto during our on-road testing, since we didn't encounter any of those conditions.
This isn't a true Jeep unless it can flex its off-road prowess straight from the showroom, right? Our Grand Cherokee came with the Off-Road Adventure II package that adds 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, all-season on/off-road tires, Selec-Speed Control, a more capable Quadra-Drive II 4WD system, an electronic limited-slip rear differential (with a 3.09 final drive), and skid plates to protect the front suspension, fuel tank, and transfer case. Since we try to test every feature possible, we loaded up the Grand Cherokee into a convoy consisting of Toyota 4Runners and this SUV's predecessor, a WK Grand Cherokee (2005-2010), and headed to Wilkeson, WA to play on the forest service road.
The Quadra-Drive II 4WD system takes the standard Quadra-Trac II 4WD and adds an electronic rear-limited slip differential. Jeep’s Quadra-Trac II 4WD is a pretty standard full-time 4WD setup with a 4-low mode. There is no way to force it into rear-wheel drive mode. However, the transfer case does not engage the front wheels unless the rears are slipping.
In terms of the Off-Road Adventure II's electronics features, there’s only Selec-Speed Control. While most manufacturers tout hill-descent control features that let you maintain a vehicle's speed going down a hill, Selec-Speed Control does the opposite, allowing you to define a speed for ascending a hill and maintaining it, no matter how hard you mash the gas. We played with the feature a bit and found it neat, but found ourselves modulating the throttle manually most of the time.
A quick aside about our journey to Wilkeson, WA. The first obstacle we encountered was a technical off-road hill. We were third in the convoy, sending the fourth-gen 4Runner and WK Grand Cherokee, both with mild lifts and beefy tires, through first. Exercising a bit of caution, both made it through easily. When it came our turn, we left the Selec-Terrain system in Auto, enabled 4-low, and raised the Quadra-Lift air suspension to its Off-road 2 setting for maximum ground clearance. Likewise, we made it through with ease, escaping without a scratch.
As we drove up the service road, we found some remnant snow to play with. We sent off the first-gen 4Runner to scout it out, since he was the lightest vehicle of the bunch. He got stuck a couple times and we had to help him out. He made his way back down, making room for the Jeeps to play. The WK Grand Cherokee and its beefier off-road tires went up first, while we followed in our show room-fresh model with 5000 miles on the odometer. With the Selec-Terrain system dialed in for snow, we traversed the snow-covered incline in Off-road 1 mode. The snow got a bit high, and started scraping the bottom of the SUV, so we raised it to Off-road 2. With one press of a button, we were on our merry way again.
The Off-Road Adventure II package, combined with the fantastic Quadra-Lift suspension, really delivers. During our off-road expedition, my friends in their lifted 4Runner and Grand Cherokee were equally impressed with the stock Grand Cherokee's utility. I consider the added off-road features in this package worth the $995 you're asked to pay.
So much of what we do at Tom's Hardware centers on benchmark results. As such, we've developed a test suite that covers some of the tasks and processes that are important to a driver using his car's technology package. The tasks we measure include: boot-up time, time to connect to a paired phone, the time it takes to start music playback after booting the infotainment system, and lastly, how long it takes to actually add a phone to the system. We chose these measurements because they affect everyday use.
We perform the tests by recording video of each action and reviewing the footage in an editor to establish the exact point the system was turned on, and when the tasks are completed. The result is accurate; these aren't stop watch-timed tests. Our results from previous car reviews are included as well.

Uconnect Access doesn't cold-boot very quickly. It trails every competing infotainment system we’ve tested in the past, including Parrot's Asteroid Smart. The system takes two times longer than Chrysler's 430N (RHB), which is found in lower-end vehicles. At least Uconnect Access gives you access to the heated seats and steering wheel controls as it's starting up.
Despite the slow result we generated, the process isn't as jarring as you might think. There's a pre-boot sequence that warms the system up before you even start the SUV. In my case, loading a two-year- and four-month-old, the system comes on almost instantly by the time I'm in the driver's seat.

Music playback is affected by the system boot time, which is why it takes more than 23 seconds, again making Uconnect Access the slowest solution we've tested. We're not surprised; the system has a lot to load, even tying in with the Grand Cherokee's LCD gauge cluster.

Uconnect Access takes its sweet time pairing up with your phone as well. We measured more than 51 seconds to link up with our phone, barely outperforming Parrot's Asteroid Smart by six seconds. In reality, though, unless you’re trying to call someone as you start the car, waiting a bit shouldn't be too debilitating.

The back-up camera delay time is once again second-slowest. Sure, it takes almost three times as long to fire up as the camera in Kia's 2012 Soul, but you should find it ready to go once you get seated, start the car, and sip on your beverage of choice.
Jeep's 2014 Grand Cherokee is comfortable on-road and highly capable off-road, driven straight from the showroom. The software component of Uconnect Access is very good. We like the usability of its interface, and really dig the 4:3 touchscreen compared to the wide displays more typical of infotainment systems. It's slow to boot, unfortunately. Though, once Uconnect Access was up, responsiveness was good.
We’re glad Jeep didn’t transition to capacitive buttons, unlike Ford and Cadillac. We can’t say this often enough, but we love those physical controls. Touchscreen displays are nice for secondary input, but they simply cannot match the feedback that buttons and knobs give you. Kudos to Jeep for maintaining a good balance between modern technology and the old-school stuff we don't want to see go away.
As far as driving aids go, we were disappointed by the adaptive cruise control system. It’s a nice option to have, but as the technology goes mainstream, luxury vehicles should all have a low-speed follow function. There’s no reason why a Subaru boasts full-speed-range cruise, while this $52,000+ Jeep requires manual driver input at speeds under 20 MPH. The rest of the Advanced Technology Group is nice though, and the $1700 addition isn't bad compared to what other manufacturers are charging for similar functionality.
Jeep's top-end powertrain is quite a bit of fun. If you can afford the Hemi V8's gas bill, you're rewarded with great acceleration, too. Given a choice, we'd either step down to the 3.0-liter V6 diesel or go for broke with the 6.4-liter Hemi in the SRT8. I'm personally a big fan of the Quadra-Lift air suspension as well. I was never fond of air suspension systems before, but having the flexibility and convenience of raising and lowering the SUV with the press of a button changed my mind.
Growing up, I had a Fisher-Price Power Wheels Jeep. The plain red one, back before they got cheap with the plastic and replaced the faux lights with stickers. As a result, I've always had a soft spot for Jeep's Wrangler. However, after driving the Wrangler during NWAPA Mudfest 2013, I decided that wasn't the SUV for me. I still like the idea of a four-door off-road vehicle, but the lack of amenities doesn't suit my adult tastes.
After spending a week with Jeep's 2014 Grand Cherokee, this is the type of SUV I could see myself daily driving. It’s not extravagant or audacious like a Range Rover, but it stays true to the Jeep heritage while adding a number of technological niceties. It’s a vehicle my wife could take the kids to a play date in during the week, while I take them to the mountains on the weekend. Crossovers from BMW, Audi, VW, and even Lexus offer smoother, more car-like rides. However, the Jeep does double-duty as soccer mom-mobile and off-road champion. And that's why we like it so much; it's the Swiss Army knife of SUVs.













