From the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, Cars.com's Kelsey Mays takes a look at the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Transcript
(upbeat music) Hi I'm Kelsey Mays for cars.com and we're here at the 2013 Detroit auto show, checking out the updated Jeep Grand Cherokee.
It's been a lot of updates from the 2014 model year on this vehicle, which now comes with an available diesel V6 that Jeep says, is good for around an EPA 30 miles per gallon highway. On the other end is the 470 horsepower SRT Grand Cherokee, whose mileage you didn't really care about in the first place. Let's check them out. The big styling changes up front include redesigned headlights with LED accents here. They're kind of squintier than before. Part of that's just 'cause they added some black plastic around the housing. Kind of doesn't look great there. Get around back, there's restyled tail lights. A lot more on the inside. Let's check it out. Big news on the inside, is right at the center of the dashboard, where there's been redesigned center controls here, redesigned cluster of both instruments and a center screen here. This is Chrysler's 8.4 inch Uconnect touchscreen. It works very quickly, which we like compared to some other competing touchscreens on the market. There's also a seven inch display here in the center between two analog gauges. It can show things like steering angle and wheel articulation. Pretty cool stuff for a vehicle that's meant for a lot of off-roading. Don't find too many cars with real leather wrapped dashboards these days, a lot of cars have kind of imitation leather, or simulated stitching up here. "The real deal in the Grand Cherokee." Jeep says. Which is a nice thing. One thing we don't like so much as the new shifter, this is an electronic shifter. It's kind of the same style as you get in a Jeep parent. Chrysler's a full-size cars, a 300, the Dodge Charger. You just kind of pull it electronically into gear. It doesn't have a very good tactile feel to it. In the large sedans Chrysler says it did improve packaging. It was a smaller thing to place in here, helped out with some of the spacing. Maybe it does the same thing here. The backseat has reasonable room. It doesn't go forward and backward, but it does recline 24 degrees in total, Jeep says. Put it all the way back and it's a pretty good angle for falling asleep back here. But I can't do that 'cause I gotta show you the rest of this video. It's still pretty strong capabilities for this vehicle. Up to 11.3 inches of maximum ground clearance and 7,400 pounds of towing capacity. Pretty good figures there. Gas mileage improves thanks to a new eight speed automatic transmission in the gasoline V6 that raises highway mileage up to 25 miles per gallon in EPA highway ratings, Jeep estimates. Pretty competitive with other midsize SUV's. So it doesn't leap frog anyone. If you really want better mileage, that's what the diesel is for. Check it out when the Grand Cherokee goes on sale later on this year. (motor revving)
