SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


We try the less extreme option: Jeep’s 2015 Cherokee 3.2 AWD Limited

Limited? Not really

Posted: 2 February 2015

We have driven the other three nine-speed Cherokees already:
2.4 FWD Longitude,
3.2 FWD Limited, and
3.2 AWD Trailhawk

Please feel free to follow the links for driving impressions and equipment details. We won’t repeat everything that’s been said already, but will go into what’s different between Trailhawk and this one and give you a couple of items of incidental feedback.

Beginning with the all-wheel drive system, the main differences are that Limited is fitted with Active Drive 1 rather than Trailhawk’s Active Drive Lock. Active Drive 1 is a single, fully automatic, power transfer unit that switches seamlessly in and out of four-wheel drive at any speed. It does not require driver intervention, provides yaw correction during spirited driving and counters under- and over-steering behaviours.

Further, it provides balanced torque distribution with brake traction control. Four-wheel drive action is courtesy of a variable wet clutch housed in the rear drive module. Said clutch distributes torque as needed for all common driving situations including slippery conditions, aggressive starts and dynamic driving. Sophisticated algorithms enable enhanced dynamics by interacting with the ESC system when approaching traction limits.

By contrast, Active Drive Lock’s two-speed power transfer unit with 2.92:1 gear reduction and locking rear differential provides superior low-speed performance for rock crawling or severe off-road conditions. In four-low mode, front and rear drive shafts are locked to ensure more lugging power at low speeds and greater towing capability.

Although the rear differential is always user-lockable in low range, it does so automatically in certain modes, such as Rock, to maximise tractive effort. The system also features crawl speed control with hill-ascent and hill-descent functions. Unlike Limited, Trailhawk boasts off-road suspension and underbody skid plates.

Because Limited is a bit more city car than boondock basher, it has certain equipment that costs extra on Trailhawk, but there are a few structural differences too. Because it has a slightly shorter wheelbase and is a touch narrower, Limited turns in 11.6 metres rather than the extreme version’s 12.0 metres. Ground clearance is also 24 millimetres less, so its off-road specs aren’t as impressive either. Compare the “numbers” charts.

Kit that is standard on Limited but not on Trailhawk: Turning function for the front fog lights, powered lift gate, reversing camera, folding mirrors, 18-inch aluminium wheels, heated Nappa leather seats with eight-way power adjustment and lumbar support for the driver (six-way mechanical adjusters for the passenger), and an automatically dipping rearview mirror.

Driving impressions: The test car had almost 15 000 kilometres on the dial, so it had been in service twice as long as most press vehicles. As a result, it was noticeably looser and brisker than either of our previous 3.2s. The gearbox behaved a lot better too; no hunting, for instance. We tried hard to catch it out but, while it isn’t quite a match for a decent twin-clutch, it had become a good regular automatic. Perhaps it had been to the workshop for attention. Or maybe the folks in Toledo, Ohio, took note of criticisms and began setting them up properly. Whatever happened, it worked.
 
Basically you have four options; pure 4x2 city car with choice of two engines, competent soft-roader with city flash, or full-on off-roader. Provided the R63 000 price premium isn’t an issue, we’d suggest the Trailhawk every time.

Test car from Jeep SA press fleet

The numbers
Price: R592 990
Engine: 3239 cc, all-aluminium, chain driven DOHC, 24 valve, 60-degree V6
Power: 200 kW at 6500 rpm
Torque: 315 Nm at 4300 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 209 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 11.7 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Luggage: 412 – 1267 litres
Ground clearance: 157 mm (min), 200 mm (max)
Approach/departure/breakover angles: 18.2/24.0/19.5 degrees
Wading depth: 482 mm
Max. towable mass (braked): 2200 kg
Warranty and maintenance: 6 years/100 000 km


What We Do

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.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? If you have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.