Grand Cherokee Will Be ‘All-New,’ According to FCA Leak
Without many details, FCA’s head of design confirms that the beloved Grand Cherokee will be redesigned for the next model year.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee, which we all know was introduced to the world back in 1993. It looked a lot like the normal Cherokee, just more, well, “Grand.” For some model years that meant gold accenting on the body and interior, for others it meant cooler wheels or exclusive colors, and for most it meant a fancier, leather clad interior. It was designed to be a Cherokee for those more dignified and elegant. In 1998, the goal was to make it a quick but elegant grocery-getter by fitting it with a 5.9-liter V8. It made 245 horsepower and 345 lbs.-ft of torque. Which, Jeep claims for the time, made it the fastest SUV. We’ll let you decide whether that made it “fast.”
Point being, as also pointed out by Will Courtney for Gear Patrol, the Grand Cherokee is no stranger to an overhaul in design, features, and purpose. After all, the Trackhawk, which makes about as much common sense as a motor oil flavored lollipop, is an actual thing. It’s the same Grand Cherokee we all know and love, except for the fact that it packs the mind blowing 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 that perches underneath the hoods of Charger Hellcats. And, some of the Trackhawks can even make up to 1000 HP in the right hands. Imagine soccer moms pulling up to schools in those things. Maybe kids wouldn’t be embarrassed to be picked up by their parents anymore.
That aside, Ralph Gilles, the head of design for FCA, during a Facebook Live video let slip that the Grand Cherokee will be getting more than just a perm. The G.C. will become a “new” Jeep, either later this year or early next. After all, as Courtney says, the design for the current Grand Cherokee is over 10 years old.
“I love the Grand Cherokee, it has survived so beautifully,” said Gilles. “It’s getting on now, and we’re about to replace it later this year.”
With that in mind, it’s not surprising that the Grand Cherokee is getting an overhaul. What is surprising about this, Courtney says, is the fact that Jeep didn’t say anything about it until now. Mainly because FCA has made so many headlines across outlets for several other new, and exciting stuff. However, even Gilles mentions that the G.C. is one of the most popular cars FCA sells, even across FCA’s other brands. So, why stay so silent about it?
“If you go by what makes money for the company, it’s hard to ignore the Ram and the Grand Cherokee,” says Gilles during the Facebook Live video. “They are our prized profit vehicles. I have to respect what it has done for [FCA] as a company, and the fact that it has found so many driveways.”
As far at what’s to be featured on the new and improved G.C., Gilles kept his lips sealed. So, there’s the surprise. To mention the Trackhawk once more, that’s a G.C. we did not see coming. Whatever FCA has planned for the Grand Cherokee must be good. Or, surprising at the very least. FCA is very good about surprises. Maybe we’ll see an all-electric model, or an even faster Trackhawk. Only time will tell.
Images: FCA Media
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