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nelson mandela bay's family lifestyle
author:
duncan mcdonald
the perfect blend
photography:
zuko, lifegate photography
issue:
7, spring 2008
Jeep has very recently released the All New Jeep Cherokee onto the South African market. Vaughan Robertson from Maritime Motors made a vehicle available to people talk magazine, so that we could put it to the test. To truly appreciate the New All Jeep Cherokee, one simply has to look at it. This vehicle has a presence, all of its own, permeating a feeling of total road authority, radiated through hard angled, rugged lines. From the grill to the 18inch Echelon Cast Alloy rims, everything about this vehicle shouts strength and throughout my test of this manly machine, I was impressed by the power and solidness of a vehicle re-born. Jeep has come a long way since the first Cherokee rolled off the lines, but the perception hasn't changed: It is still the dominant up market brand for on/off road excellence. This new Cherokee, is the perfect blend of off-road competency and on-road luxury. Many “soft off-roaders” today boast their off-road potential, but do not deliver exactly what would have been expected. The All New Jeep Cherokee is really a stand alone “pretty” 4x4. It invites you to try any daring obstacle and exceeds your every expectation, be it in the city center or out in the bush. Comparing the 4x4 capability of this vehicle to its stable partner, it holds its own against the mighty Jeep Wrangler, being able to do almost everything the Wrangler could achieve. On road, the Cherokee rivals luxury sedans in comfort and refinement. The prominent word to describe the driving experience is cruise. The 2.8-litre, common-rail diesel engine is hard to fault. The advantage of the diesel being its superb mid-range flexibility, thanks to 460Nm of torque. Fuel consumption on this vehicle is quite respectable too. We loaded the Cherokee with four adults and a weekend's worth of supplies, for camping in the Addo-region. On the trip we averaged 11 litres/100km, cruising at legal speeds. Passenger space is ample and the ride is more than comfortable – it is luxurious in terms of SUV expectations and very practical. The rear backrests can fold flat, in a 60/40 split, to free a lot more cargo space. The rear backrests can also recline which, together with a fair amount of legroom, provides very comfortable travel for adult rear-seat passengers. The boot has boot cargo tie-down loops and a very convenient 10cm-deep waterproof storage bin for items such as muddy boots. The spare wheel is now slung under the vehicle, freeing up even more loading space. The All New Jeep Cherokee comes with the usual nice-to-have gadgets, including an Infinity sound System, with nine speakers, a 165mm sub-woofer and an eight-channel amplifier, up there with the best in terms of ease of use and sound quality. A R14 900 optional extra – but well worth it – is a MyGIG multimedia infotainment system, incorporating satnav, audio, entertainment and communication, all of which can be operated through a touch screen or by voice. This system has a 20-gigabyte hard drive to store music (about 1600 songs!) and photos. The Sky Slider (R12 900 extra) is a canvas roof, similar to a convertible soft top, that can be shifted either fully back or forwards, depending on which seats you want to expose to open sky. On sunny days or out in nature, this is a lot of fun. Leather on the seats, the four-spoked steering wheel and gearshifter, gave a very pleasant feel. Instrumentation is clear and legible: it's a four-gauge cluster with clear white-on-black graphics and orange needles. With the arrival of the New All Jeep Cherokee, the Cherokee returned to its rugged roots, which will appeal to old-school Jeep fans and new generation SUV lovers, alike. It has above-average off-road ability and all-round comfort and space, making for a versatile SUV, at a reasonably competitive price.
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