Jeep’s stylish new SUV will be the company’s fourth locally assembled model after the Grand Cherokee Wrangler, Compass and the upcoming Meridian.
Jeep confirmed the launch of the new Grand Cherokee in India and also announced that the SUV will be locally assembled. Following in the footsteps of the Wrangler, Compass and the upcoming Meridian three-row SUV, the Grand Cherokee will be the company’s fourth locally assembled model.
The new Grand Cherokee is available in two sizes – a standard 5-seater and a larger three-row L model, with the former coming to India. This will be the first time that the Grand Cherokee will be locally assembled here with Jeep, saying India will be the first market outside North America where the SUV will be locally assembled.
Compared to the previous model, the new Grand Cherokee follows an evolutionary design, sharing styling traits with its more premium sibling, the Wagoneer. The Grand Cherokee gets multiple screens on the dashboard, including a large 10.1-inch central touchscreen, a digital instrument screen and a dedicated touchscreen at the front of the co-driver.
Jeep confirmed that the India-spec car will get this third dashboard mounted display along with other equipment such as panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, heads-up display and powered tailgate. More details about the variants and equipment are expected to be released closer to the launch of the SUV later this year.
While the previous Grand Cherokee was available in petrol and diesel, the new SUV will be a petrol model only. Jeep hasn’t revealed the engine output, but has confirmed that the SUV will use a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine paired with an 8-speed automatic gearbox as standard. It remains to be seen whether a diesel option can be made available at a later stage. The Grand Cherokee 4WD will come packed with select terrain modes – Auto, Sport, Mud/Sand and Snow.
The Grand Cherokee will compete with luxury SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz GLE, BMW X5 and Land Rover Discovery in India.
Due to its local assembly, the Grand Cherokee is expected to be priced competitively against its rivals.
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