A Tale of Two Jeeps: 2017 Grand Cherokee Summit 4×4 and 2017 Compass Limited 4×4 – Review and Test Drive
DRIVING THE 2017 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SUMMIT 4X4
The Ivory Grand Cherokee showed up at our offices in the top-of-the-line Summit guise (the 2017 range goes from the entry-level Laredo to the Summit with the off-road ready Trailhawk in between). Ours was the Southern California Edition, which came with body-colored sills, front and rear fascia, 20” Platinum-specific wheels and, of course, Platinum badging. It also came with the Signature Leather-Wrapped Interior, which includes leather seats and leather-wrapped everything, and the powerful 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine paired with Jeep’s QuadraDrive four-wheel-drive system.
The Grand Cherokee’s platform was developed by Chrysler in the DaimlerChrysler period and was also used for the Mercedes-Benz ML-Class (now GLE-Class). For 2017 it’s been the beneficiary of some small but noticeable styling tweaks that lend a more contemporary look despite its age.
The cavernous Jeep always felt extremely secure and well-mannered on the road. The interior is plush. While you might not take it off road, it’s comforting to know it can go almost anywhere you take it.
The only complaint we have is the Grand Cherokee’s weight and fuel economy. In town, it’s rated at 14 mpg (16.8 l/100 km) by the EPA. On the highway, it’s rated at 22 mpg (10.7 l/100), and we saw an average with mostly highway driving of 19 mpg (12.4 l/100).
DRIVING THE 2017 JEEP COMPASS LIMITED 4X4
The Jazz-Blue Compass Limited followed the ensuing week, in plush Limited form (there are a mere four variants of the Compass, ranging from Sport to Limited to Trailhawk). The Compass came with black leather perforated bucket seats and multiple optional safety features including front collision warning, automatic high-beams, rear park assist, blind-spot detection, and rear cross-traffic alert.
Also fitted to the Compass were heated front and outboard rear seats, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a very functional 7” LCD information cluster, and a 5” Uconnect central information display with Apple CarPlay support.
Click here to continue to Page 3 – Driving the Jeep Compass
