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 probably 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.
Published in Witness Wheels on Thursday November 14, 2013
Most of us know how Jeep was born and that Willys-Overland was one of the companies that built the originals, thus explaining the historical background to the Overland model name. It also defines quite neatly what this one does, so that was a rather clever piece of branding too.
Of the six Jeep Grand Cherokees presently available in South Africa, three are mid-range Overlands, two are lower-spec Limited models and the top dog, 6.4 litre, hemi-head V8 is labelled SRT. Between them, they use four different engines and a range of all-wheel drive and traction management systems. The 3.6-litre Chrysler Pentastar engine on our test car was a petrol-fuelled, naturally aspirated, all-aluminium V6 with dual overhead chain-driven camshafts operating 24 valves with variable timing.
Power is transferred via a new electronically controlled, eight-speed automatic transmission that adjusts its shift mapping as you drive. Apart from moving the change points closer together than on the old six-speeder, it’s more efficient; improving fuel economy by about nine percent.
All versions of Limited and Overland are fitted with Quadra-Lift air suspension offering four manually selectable operating heights; normal, off-road1 that raises the body by about 30 mm, off-road2 for a further 30 mm, and park mode for use while stationary to make it easier for passengers to board or disembark. A fifth, aero mode, engages automatically when the Eco function is selected, dropping the suspension by 13 mm when travelling at 100 km/h or faster.
Overland and Limited models using the Pentastar engine are fitted with Quadra-Trac ll, a full time awd system with two-speed transfer case and all manner of electronic wizardry. In 4WD High, torque is distributed seamlessly between front and rear as needed. Four-wheel drive Low locks torque equally between the axles and steps down gearing by a factor of 2,72:1.
All Grand Cherokees, excepting SRT, are equipped with Selec-Terrain that allows users to choose from five driving programs; sand, mud, auto, snow and rock. The titles are self-explanatory, but auto is especially attractive because it adjusts to prevailing conditions as you drive. That included lifting the body slightly as the going got tougher while rambling up that mountain pass into Lesotho one recent Sunday. A dozen of us, travelling in four vehicles; an ancient Cruiser, an elderly Land Rover V8, a modern Hi Lux twin cab and your scribe with three others in the Jeep, had decided to pop up the hill for lunch.
Opinions vary as to the scariness or otherwise of Sani. One of our group told of terrified overseas-based relatives, whimpering and trying to crawl under seats, on an earlier trip. On the other hand some 25 000 locals and tourists, and 13 500 Lesotho use the rutted and rocky pass each year. Let’s just say that donkey power or 4x4 is recommended; especially for the upward journey.
On the day of our trip, the maximum temperature forecast for Pietermaritzburg was ten degrees, meaning it was around zero at the top and the weather varied from drizzle, to fog with ten metres of visibility, and light snow. The total climb from base to summit is 1332 metres, peaking at 2876 m or 9400 feet. Aircraft use pressurisation upwards of 10 000 feet to prevent you from getting ill. Just thought I’d mention that. While the average gradient on the pass is 1:20, the steep part nearer the top is one in six, so I stopped for a moment to engage 4WD low.
Those infamous hairpin bends have been widened, but the Landy still needed to make three-point turns a couple of times. For the Grand Cherokee it was just another gentle Sunday drive, although it was useful to have the twin-cab as a reference point in the fog. When it suddenly appeared sideways on, I knew it was time to swing wide for a turn. Arriving at the border post at the top, it was snowing lightly and visibility was down to almost nothing. Despite this, we found about twenty other adventurers’ vehicles in the restaurant parking lot.
Luckily the fog lifted slightly after lunch so we could enjoy some scenery on the downward journey and breathe more freely again. Knowing it was a review vehicle, the passengers understood that they weren’t obliged to be polite, but still declared the ride extremely comfortable and accommodations in the back more than sufficient. I would have liked a bit more power, back on asphalt on the return journey, but this engine would probably serve its target market well. Thankfully other choices of interior trim are available, because I found this one’s chocolate brown dash top, dark wood centre strip and black lower dash a bit jarring. The standard of fit and finish wasn’t as nice as on previous models either.
Apart from that, these new Grand Cherokees are highly sophisticated, well equipped, comfortable and extremely capable. Prices are competitive too.
Test car from Chrysler/Fiat SA press fleet
The numbers
Price: R661 990
Engine: 3604 cc, DOHC, V6
Power: 210 kW at 6350 rpm
Torque: 347 Nm at 4300 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8,3 seconds
Maximum speed: 206 km/h
Real life fuel economy: About 11,9 l/100 km
Tank: 93,5 litres
Ground clearance (maximum): 280mm
Approach/departure/rampover angles (maximum): 35,8/29,5/23,5 degrees
Cargo volume (to roof): 782/1554 litres
Warranty and maintenance: 3 years/100 000 km
Our technical review of the 2014 Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD (diesel) is here
Donkies grow up tough on the Roof of Africa (that's ice on their fur)
Stopped for a scenery break on the way back down
The Oldtimers: Land Rover V8 and Toyota Land Cruiser
The Youngsters: Grand Cherokee and Hi Lux
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.
My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police.
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
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