2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Grand Cherokee, and includes Jeep Grand Cherokee safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

The SUV-buying public has an all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee to check out, and the sleek styling, the vastly improved interior design and the top-caliber quality might genuinely surprise buyers. There’s also a new, more powerful, flex-fuel V6 engine shared with many other models in the Chrysler family. Greeting the world with a wider and longer stance, the new Grand Cherokee features improved four-wheel-drive capability, a UConnect communications system with on-the-road Internet access, added safety technologies such as Blind-spot Warning and Rear Cross-path Detection, and a lineup that has been expanded with the addition of Overland and Overland Summit variants.

Those of you chomping at the bit for a tire-shredding Grand Cherokee SRT8 will need to hold your horses until the 2012 model hits the streets.

For 2011, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is once again available with an entry-level Laredo model, though it’s been broken down into the Laredo E and the Laredo X. The E version is equipped with the kinds of features you expect on an upscale SUV, plus dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry and ignition, Sirius satellite radio, an auxiliary audio input jack, an eight-way power driver’s seat, and a fold-flat front passenger’s seat. Fog lights, heated mirrors, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and 17-inch alloy wheels are also standard, along with four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, six airbags, and an electronic stability and traction control system.

The all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo X moves the feature meter up a bit with the addition of leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power front passenger’s seat, a premium hard disc drive sound system, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera. Additional upgrades include a cargo cover, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a 115-volt power outlet, a USB port, remote engine starting, and a HomeLink universal remote. Uconnect Bluetooth hands-free calling is also included on the Laredo X, and you can monitor the tire pressure at each individual 18-inch alloy wheel. A special 75th Anniversary model based on the Laredo X is also offered, with unique exterior and interior trim, and big 20-inch wheels.

That brings us to the Grand Cherokee Limited. Using the Laredo X as a base, Jeep has tricked out the Limited with upgraded trim inside and out, automatic-leveling HID headlights with SmartBeam auto-dimming technology, rain-sensing wipers, heated rear seats, memory for the driver’s settings, and Sirius real-time traffic information. This variant of Jeep’s popular SUV also features a Garmin navigation system, a panoramic sunroof, polished alloy wheels, and in the case of four-wheel-drive models, a two-speed transfer case instead of the single-speed unit used on the Laredos.

Making its return to the Grand Cherokee lineup is the rather luxurious Overland. Jeep dropped this version for 2010, but it’s back for 2011 with standard features including genuine wood trim, premium leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, a heated power tilt and telescopic steering wheel, and 20-inch alloy wheels. An advanced four-wheel-drive package and an air suspension system come standard on four-wheel-drive versions of the Overland.

Accompanying the Overland is the new-for-2011 Overland Summit, which is now the Grand Cherokee’s top dog. Jeep has made this model distinct with a chrome mesh grille, a two-tone interior with embroidered leather seats, its own set of unique 20-inch wheels, and standard safety-related features like a Blind-spot Warning and Rear Cross Path Detection system, and an Adaptive Speed Control system with Forward Collision Warning technology.

A significant component of the redesigned Grand Cherokee is its standard 3.6-liter V6 engine. Dubbed “Pentastar” and bolted into several models under parent-company Chrysler’s corporate umbrella, this flex-fuel six-cylinder features variable valve timing and cranks out 290 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque in the Grand Cherokee. What’s impressive about this new V6 is that 90 percent of peak torque is made between 1,600 and 6,400 rpm, giving the SUV a power deliver character not unlike that of a turbocharged engine. Every 2011 Grand Cherokee is fitted with a five-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is better than the old 3.7-liter V6, with ratings of 16 mpg around town and 23 mpg on the highway (22-mpg highway with 4WD).

The larger of the 2011 Grand Cherokee’s available engines is the familiar 5.7-liter Hemi V8, now rated at 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. This impressive eight-cylinder features variable valve timing and a cylinder deactivation system designed to increase efficiency, which the EPA says is up to 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway with 2WD and 13-city/19-highway with 4WD.

Speaking of 4WD, Jeep offers three different systems on the 2011 Grand Cherokee. Quadra-Trac I uses a simple single-speed transfer case to provide full-time four-wheel-drive capability. Quadra-Trac II employs a two-speed transfer case and constantly monitors wheel slip to send as much as 100 percent of the engines power to the wheels with the best grip. Quadra-Drive II uses a rear electronic limited slip differential to detect slip and redistribute power to the individual wheels with the best traction.

Another feature offered on Grand Cherokees with 4WD is new Selec-Terrain technology, which adjusts drivetrain calibration and response based on the driver’s selection of five different settings: Auto, Snow, Sport, Mud/Sand, and Rock. Grand Cherokee Overland models also have a Quadra-Lift air suspension system with Normal, Off-Road I, Off-Road II, Park, and Aero modes.

Improved safety scores are among the accolades doled upon the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has named the redesigned SUV a Top Safety Pick, and despite tougher testing methods and scoring, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) rating continues to be favorable with a 4-Star frontal impact rating, a 5-Star side impact rating, a 3-Star rollover resistance rating with 2WD, and a 4-Star rollover resistance rating with 4WD. The Grand Cherokee’s body structure certainly deserves much of the credit for these results, but there are also a number of noteworthy contributors, such as electronic stability control, ABS with a rough-road detection system, trailer-sway control, front-side and side-curtain airbags, and front active head restraints.

Reliability would be our next topic of discussion, but only J.D. Power and Associates had made a prediction when this article was published, giving the new SUV a predicted reliability rating of average. Given the low-to-mediocre ratings we’ve seen for the past several years, it will be interesting to see if Jeep’s renewed focus on quality will be reflected in higher marks for overall dependability.

If you’ve read any of our previous reviews, you know that we’ve knocked the Grand Cherokee’s poor reliability scores for years. We’re cautiously optimistic that the 2011 model will turn things around, a perspective based on this Jeep’s improved interior materials and refinement. The modern styling is equally impressive, as is the overall driving experience. By all indications, this is the Jeep Grand Cherokee we’ve been waiting for. Let’s hope it proves durable over time.

By Thom Blackett