Will the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland live up to its name?

Two optional packs were fitted to our car, one with an emphasis on luxury, the other to further improve off-road driving (more underbody protection, an electronic limited slip diff at the rear, and 18-inch wheels rather than the road-biased 20s fitted as standard). These packs and the dark metallic Rocky Mountain exterior hue increased the price by $9000.

Even the base car cops a big price jump over the superseded model, though the maker points to more equipment and refinement across the range. There is certainly a much classier and quieter interior. Our test car had nicely done dark wood veneers on dash and doors, and perforated black leather seating with contrast stitching. The cabin was roomy, comfortable and lacked very little in terms of comfort and convenience items.

Telematics and controls have a lot in common with the Fiat 500e electric car tested recently, both using variations on the Stellantis Group architecture. These include little buttons on the back of the steering wheel that allow you to adjust sound-system volume, and to fast-forward and rewind tracks. They are handy, except when you accidentally tap the adjacent (and tiny) manual gear-shift paddles.

The Jeep’s Uconnect operating system links with an app, allowing various remote functions (locking and unlocking, sending navigation instructions to the car, etc). The wireless phone mirroring works well, as does the adaptive cruise control, though the lane-keeping seemed rather random in its beeping. There are plenty of cabin storage spaces and power outlets (USB-A and C, 12-volt and even a 230-volt powerpoint) and a wireless charging pad.

The engine output is nothing special for a vehicle weighing nearly 2.2 tonnes. The max figures are 210 kW and 344 Nm and peak torque comes at a high 4000 rpm. Performance is fine in normal driving though it might be different in hilly terrain with the vehicle packed to the gunwales – or while hopping over boulders. Around town the excellent eight-speed auto kicks down quickly and seems always to know the best gear.

We didn’t test the car’s off-road abilities, this time around. Whether most owners will, is always a question; they bring the penalty of increased noise and reduced handling from those big off-road tyres, and higher fuel consumption. Cruising between cities we averaged just below 9 l/100 km, a great deal better than the V8 would have achieved, but still quite high for constant-speed highway running. Around town, the figure was into the teens.

While the handling has improved enormously over the previous model, the Italian cars cited above have very much an on-road bias. This may mean the Grand Cherokee is not as good off-road as its predecessor. What we can confirm is that the towing capacity has been reduced in the model changeover (from 3500 kg braked, to 2813 kg).

You can’t have everything.