SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our archived road tests, just select from the alphabetical menu of manufacturers' names on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu that appears.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
Posted: 15 June 2014
Über-pricey luxmobiles loaded with extras costing more money than 67-percent of South African new-car buyers can spend on complete vehicles may fulfil fantasies for a while, but it's refreshing to be handed a base model for review again.
It was a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Longitude that still escapes the reach of most locals at R480 000, but it was at least basic-spec without any added gadgets. As we foretold in recent Jeep reviews, this one has been Italianised to a degree, in that styling is now smoother and rounder, while some equipment has been updated.
Further, the GEMA engine shared by Chrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi was given a Fiat-style MultiAir cylinder head that adds 5 kW and 9 Nm to the mix and an uprated oil pump to work the new valve gear. Its new Chrysler name is Tigershark. A nine-ratio ZF case, fitted to all new Jeeps, replaces the old six-cog Hyundai automatic transmission.
What Jeep also did was to revive the traditional Cherokee name plate that had been shelved while wannabe Compasses and Patriots roamed the earth. The faithful will be pleased.
Models available here include the basic Longitude with 2.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine in 4x2 format only; Limited, with all the gadgets you could possibly need, in choice of 4x2 or intelligent awd with Selec-Terrain traction control; and Trailhawk with intelligent awd, 4-Low, Selec-Terrain with an added Rock mode and differential lock. Both Limited and Trailhawk models use the new, smaller, Chrysler 3.2-litre Pentastar V6.
“Basic” the Longitude might be, but it’s still a useful parcel of kit offering LED tail lights, roof rails, front fog lamps with cornering beams, automatic Bi-Xenon head lamps, powered and folding outside mirrors, 17” alloy wheels with realistic 60-profile tyres, fabric seats, dual zone air, a fold-flat front passenger seat with a storage box, ambient lighting, automatic wipers, UConnect multimedia command centre with 8.4” touch screen and an Alpine audio system with nine speakers and all the plugs including auxiliary, two USBs and SD, plus Bluetooth with voice command.
A neat feature is the remote starting button on the key fob. This lets you pre- cool or warm the car when weather is less than comfortable. For safety, it locks the transmission in Park so the ungodly or inquisitive cannot drive it away. You have to switch off completely and restart in order to get mobile.
Safety is taken care of with seven airbags, ABS, ESC with electronic roll mitigation and hill start assist, tyre pressure monitoring, and trailer sway control. The electric parking brake can be set for either auto-on or manual operation. Five options packages, covering a wide variety of added kit, are available.
Being a street car rather than an off-roader, ride height is only 185 mm empty or 142 mm fully loaded while approach, departure and breakover angles are less extreme than on the all-wheel drives. That doesn’t prevent it from being a comfortable and competent dirt road warrior however. On both washboard and harsh, stony surfaces it remained comfortable with good directional stability and the off-road ABS worked well.
In city and freeway driving we liked the commanding viewpoint, good outward visibility, easy handling and competent, if not racy performance. A side benefit of not having awd is that its turning circle is tighter; 11 metres vs 11.6 and 12 on the others.
We were less contented with the new nine-speed automatic. The company’s literature says the purpose of that many ratios is to provide optimum gearing under all circumstances and almost-imperceptible shifting – sort of like a CVT; but with teeth. We found it smooth enough but it has to be driven gently at all times. It kicks down as it should under tender persuasion but flares badly when called upon for instant acceleration in the case of a freeway emergency.
We also hated having to flick through so many gears when driving in manual mode. Further, it hunted badly while driving up gentle hills at city speeds when cold, but this did improve as fluids warmed up. Our suggestion is that ratios be cut back to five or six and lock-up improved.
The luggage area loads at about dining room table height, has no lip and is fitted with four bag hooks, four lashing rings, a pair of lights and a 12-Volt socket. It is nicely wide and long, but a little shallow unless the cover is removed. A fully sized steel spare is in the usual place under the floor board. Two pull down handles are provided.
Rear seats, with decent under-thigh length, adjust fore and aft by about 100 mm and the back rests recline through a few degrees for comfort. Head room and foot space score 8/10 on the tall passenger’s personal scale, while knee room is either a solid “10” or a cramped 6/10 if the seat is moved forward. A pair of cup holders in the fold-down armrest and a full set of belts and head restraints complete the picture.
Priced at the upper end of average for 4x2 SUVs and Crossovers, this new Cherokee is nonetheless a solid, spacious and comfortable alternative.
Test car from Jeep SA press fleet
The numbers
Price: R479 990
Engine: 2360 cc, SOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder
Power: 130 kW at 6400 rpm
Torque: 229 Nm at 2900 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10,5 seconds
Maximum speed: 196 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 10,0 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Luggage: 412 – 500/1267 litres
Ground clearance: 142 – 185 mm
Approach/departure/breakover angles: 16,9/24,5/17,8 degrees
Towing capacity (braked): 2200 kg
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km
Maintenance plan: 6 years/100 000 km
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8