Jeep Grand Cherokee 75th Anniversary Edition 2016 new car review

To celebrate 75 years of being an iconic American brand, since 1941, Jeep has created three anniversary edition vehicles, one of them being the five-year old WK2 series Grand Cherokee.

To celebrate 75 years of being an iconic American brand, since 1941, Jeep has created three anniversary edition vehicles, one of them being the five-year old WK2 series Grand Cherokee.

The WK2 series Grand Cherokee has an interesting pedigree. Its platform - which is shared by the current W166 series Mercedes-Benz GLE - which was developed under the Daimler-Chrysler Group, before the two brands separated in 2006.

It was launched in 2010/2011 under the Chrysler brand which had multiple shareholders including the US and Canadian Governments, the United Auto Workers pension fund and Fiat before the iconic Jeep brand then became an important part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate in 2014.

Multiple brand owners notwithstanding, this particular series of Grand Cherokee has aged very well in its life, and there have been numerous updates and improvements to keep its market fresh and appealing to a wide demographic across the globe, in both left and right-hand drive markets.

The WK2 Grand Cherokee launched with the 3.6-Litre Pentastar V6 and the 5.7-litre V8 Hemi engines, both with five-speed automatic transmissions. A 3-litre V6 VM Motori diesel followed later that year, as did the high performance 6.1-litre, and then 6.4-litre Hemi V8 engines, in the high performance SRT models.

There’s also a new - and unique to this vehicle - gloss black treatment that runs the entire length of the 75th anniversary edition, from the lower front valance grille, up and around the wheel arch lips, and along the lower sills, finishing at the lower rear valance with cut outs for the twin rear exhaust pipes.

The gloss treatment on the lower extremities of the 75th anniversary edition is nicely complemented by the black trim around the window glass, and the twin roof rails, also finished in black.

Inside the 75th anniversary sees the bronze accents continue, with the satin bronze finish continuing around the air vents, door handle pulls, centre console, transmission selector, touchscreen, and steering wheel boss.

Leather trim in Morocco black with tangerine monotone accent stitching on seats, centre console, and door armrests, is standard on the Grand Cherokee 75th anniversary edition.

The front seats are also embossed with the 75th anniversary edition logo, which mirrors a bronze badge found underneath the Grand Cherokee logos on the lower flanks of the driver and passenger doors.

Having three more forward gears might not sound like a lot, but having a greater spread of gears across the V6 torque curve has made for a much more responsive Grand Cherokee, so much so that you wonder why you’d want the V8 engine.

Although my personal preference would actually be for the 3-litre V6 turbodiesel Grand Cherokee, the petrol fuelled 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 now really shines in this application.

For the 2016 model year, the Pentastar engine was upgraded substantially, with higher torque below 3000 rpm - it puts out three more kilowatts of power than before - as well as having stop-start, lower friction, variable valve lift, a new valve timing system, revised manifold, and lighter weight.

It used to be a bit rough and visceral, with a lot of noise and not a lot of performance, but the recent engineering changes, plus the addition of the new transmission, has changed this markedly.

The electric power steering also works nicely, unlike some systems which are totally devoid of any feeling.

I particularly liked the bronze and gloss black detailing unique to the 75th Anniversary Grand Cherokee because they enhance the cars squared off design which has aged well, where some of its small Jeep siblings have not.

As the Grand Cherokee heads into mid-life, its popularity remains undiminished and no doubt the limited run of 75th anniversary edition models will enhance this.

Price: $84,990