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2005 Jeep Cherokee 2.8 CRD Renegade review. Image by James Jenkins.

2005 Jeep Cherokee 2.8 CRD Renegade review
There are few brands that the whole genre of product becomes known as; you don't buy Cola, you buy a Coke; you don't buy a vacuum cleaner, you buy a Hoover. A four-wheel drive off roader? Commonly referred to as a Jeep.

   



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There are few brands that the whole genre of product becomes known as; you don't buy Cola, you buy a Coke; you don't buy a vacuum cleaner, you buy a Hoover. A four-wheel drive off roader? Commonly referred to as a Jeep. And so here it is, the car that a market sector is named after, a slice of Americana synonymous with rugged off roaders. To some extent DaimlerChrysler could sit back and relax at this point, as many people just want a Jeep regardless of its talents, but to be fair the American-German company has not.

The previous generation of Cherokee arrived with a bang; hugely spacious with gutsy engines and decent levels of equipment priced as keenly as vehicles made in huge volumes can be. It was a hit here in the UK. The market has moved on now though and the previous Cherokee's on-road manners lag far behind contemporaries. Jeep has risen to the challenge with a new range consisting of two versions of Cherokee: Grand being the larger range topping machine and the more diminutive Cherokee as tested here.

I use the word diminutive with some reservation, as it is all relative. Make no mistake; the Cherokee is an imposing vehicle. Behind that big slatted grille the Cherokee stretches out for almost 4.5 metres and it weighs in at 2.25 tonnes; it's a big chunk of metal. The looks of the Renegade version accentuate the size with hulking wheel arches, spotlights on bumper and roof and various body addenda adding up to give the Jeep real road presence. Those anthracite alloys work well too. Errors of styling judgement, such as the fake plastic rivets in the wheel arch aside it stands out and looks like a Jeep should, cool and purposeful.

Interior space is generous, that high roofline adds to the impression of space and occupants up front enjoy lots of room. Rear legroom is a little limited for people 6 feet plus tall, but not tight enough to be an issue. Load space is also decent with the useful split tailgate offering easy access in tighter situations. Our only reservations with the interior were the low rent appearance thanks to the bland colours and materials; extrovert on the outside, the Cherokee is something of a reserved character internally. Grey would sum it up, although on the positive side it looks like it would take the stick such vehicles are likely to see and should be easy to clean.

Equipment levels are generous with frostbite-inducing air conditioning, a decent stereo with CD player and steering wheel mounted controls taking care of essentials for occupants' comfort and entertainment. The security of four-wheel drive, airbags and anti-lock brakes look after the safety aspect. The switchgear is clunky and solid, whilst lacking a little finesse, and I found the roof-mounted aircraft style switches and trip computer a welcome novelty.

Driving the beast is an improvement over the last Cherokee but it needed to be; the world has moved on significantly as far as SUVs are concerned, as manufacturers develop them to suit their most likely purpose i.e. on-road driving. The switchable four-wheel drive is a real boon from this point of view. In two-wheel drive mode the Cherokee is more refined with no steering corruption from the extra driven wheels. We found that the four-wheel drive led to good old-fashioned low speed shunt when you applied lock as well.

The auto 'box isn't a paragon of subtlety and refinement but it does a reasonable job, it's biggest issue is handling the thumping torque from the new 2.8-litre CRD engine. This common rail diesel (with variable geometry turbocharger) is a muscular unit with 295lb.ft of torque on tap at only 1800rpm. When combined with the automatic gearbox as fitted to our car the Cherokee has a towing capacity of over 3.3 tons. At first this can cause some slightly more aggressive departures from junctions than intended as that torque rushes in and a low first gear combines with it to launch the car off the line. There's plenty of grunt to spin the wheels in the wet in two-wheel drive mode, so some restraint needs to be applied! Diesel pays dividends at the pumps as well with an average of 24mpg, clearly better than a petrol equivalent. The 80-litre tank gives the Cherokee a cruising range of over 400 miles.

The steering is slightly over assisted but is as good as most other SUVs and generally the on road manners are quite good. The ride quality is decent and cornering isn't the roll induced stomach-churning event it used to be. A motorway cruise is a fairly hushed lope with a distant drone from the diesel in the background and wind noise well suppressed. It was no hardship racking up miles in two-hour stints with that elevated SUV driving position offering a commanding view of the road ahead.

This Jeep is more than just a brand name. The Cherokee's range of talents is broad enough to make it a viable alternative to the Land Rover Freelander, Mitsubishi Shogun Sport and other usual suspects. The low list price is a welcome continuation of the Jeep brand's value for money and puts it right in the thick of the action as far as the sales battle is concerned. If it's a Jeep you want, then the original should be on your shortlist.

Dave Jenkins - 1 Aug 2005



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2005 Jeep Cherokee specifications: (2.8 CRD Renegade automatic)
Price: £22,235 on-the-road.
0-62mph: 12.2 seconds
Top speed: 108mph
Combined economy: 28.5mpg
Emissions: 262g/km
Kerb weight: 2140kg

2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.

2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.



2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Jeep Cherokee Renagade. Image by James Jenkins.
 






 

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