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The 40 mpg Cars of 2013

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Curious about the newer model? Check out the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Overview

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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review

By KBB.com Editors

KBB Expert Rating: 7.4

For the 2011 model year, Jeep ushers in its fourth-generation Grand Cherokee; one of the last products conceived during Chrysler's now defunct partnership with Daimler. The latest Grand Cherokee rides on an all-new platform that shares certain key components with the next-generation Mercedes-Benz ML, lengthening its wheelbase by more than five inches, but only slightly expanding overall exterior dimensions. As a result, the vehicle remains a dedicated five-seater unlike many of its competitors, which have added third row seating in recent years. Regardless of its modest commonality with the ML-Class, the Grand Cherokee feels like a distinctly Jeep product, offering improved levels of refinement and sophistication while retaining the key Grand Cherokee attributes of formidable off-road capabilities, rugged style and on-road competence.

You'll Like This Car If...

If you want a traditional SUV that offers good outward visibility, a roomy and functional interior, and solid off-road chops, you'll like the Jeep Grand Cherokee. That said, buyers who never make use of its robust character will still find the Grand Cherokee impressively comfortable on road.

You May Not Like This Car If...

You may not like the Jeep Grand Cherokee if you need to carry more than five occupants – unlike many of its competitors, the Jeep doesn't offer a third-row option. Also, if you have no intentions of taking your vehicle off the road well traveled, you might prefer the enhanced comfort and fuel economy offered by the latest breed of on-road focused crossover utility vehicles.

What's New for 2011

Big changes for 2011 on the Jeep Grand Cherokee include improved interior space, an all-new V6 engine, an updated V8 engine and enhanced four-wheel drive systems. Jeep has also added a host of optional features not previously seen on the Grand Cherokee, including adaptive cruise control, a power rear lift gate and a blind-spot warning system.

Driving the Grand Cherokee

Driving Impressions When driven off of paved roads, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee impresses with its sure-footedness and abundance of traction. In addition to a trio of four-wheel drive systems, each offering...

an increasing level of capability and sophistication, the Jeep's relatively compact dimensions allows it to squeeze through narrow passages that would stop other larger off-roaders. It is worth noting that the fourth-generation Grand Cherokee features an independent rear suspension instead of a live axle, resulting in more moments with a rear wheel in the air while off-roading; a less than ideal situation when rock crawling. With all that said, most drivers will never venture off road, and during normal driving on paved roads, the Grand Cherokee impresses with a comfortable ride, surprising levels of grip when cornering, decent steering feel and a quiet interior, even at freeway speeds. Our only real complaints are an excess of body lean during abrupt maneuvers and substantial dive under hard braking.

Favorite Features

Quadra-Lift
The optional Quadra-Lift air suspension is an excellent supplement to the Grand Cherokee's four-wheel drive systems. When raised to maximum height, the system creates 10.7 inches of ground clearance and improves approach and departure angles along with break-over height. The system can also lower the vehicle, easing entry and egress as well as improving aerodynamics at higher speeds, enhancing fuel economy.

Selec-Terrain
Similar to a system already offered by Land Rover, Selec-Terrain lets the driver quickly adjust vehicle behavior for a variety of driving environments. With a twist of a single knob, the system tweaks torque distribution, as well as transmission and throttle behavior along with the stability control and the air suspension – if equipped – to maximize performance on snow, rocks, mud, sand or tarmac.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Details

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Dashboard, center console, gear shifter view photo

Interior

The cabin of the Grand Cherokee has always offered a premium experience, especially compared to other more stripped-down Jeep products, but the latest version takes that notion to a new level. Expanded use of soft materials, real wood trim and tasteful but attractive interior themes add an upscale persona to the otherwise simple and functional cabin. Passenger space is good in all seating positions, with rear seat passengers enjoying an extra four inches of leg room compared to the previous model. Cargo volume has also expanded, with 35.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats and nearly twice that amount available with the 60/40 split rear seats folded.

Exterior

There's no mistaking the 2011 model as anything other than a Grand Cherokee, yet the newest iteration represents a far more sophisticated and modern interpretation of the vehicle's now familiar shape. Standard Jeep cues including a seven-slot grille, hexagonal wheel arches and minimal front and rear overhangs are enhanced with taut new body panels, creating a masculine chiseled look. In back, for the first time on a Grand Cherokee, buyers can select a power rear lift gate. Another new exterior add-on is a panoramic sunroof that bathes the interior with natural light but creates quite a bit of wind noise when open.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

In its most basic form, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee features cloth seats, rear-wheel drive, an eight-way power driver's seat, automatic headlights, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and a six-speaker audio system with auxiliary input. Standard safety features include stability control, traction control, electronic roll mitigation, trailer sway control, six-airbags and active head restraints.

Optional Equipment

The base Jeep Grand Cherokee can be up-fitted with a wide variety of features in including leather seats, a power passenger seat, ventilated front seats, heat front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel and HID headlights. In terms of in-vehicle entertainment and communications, buyers can add a premium nine-speaker audio system, USB audio port, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, navigation and the UConnect hands-free communications system. Among the more high-tech options now available are rear parking sensors with a backup camera, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot alert and rear cross-traffic detection.

Under the Hood

Engine choices include a 3.6-liter V6 and a 5.7-liter V8 engine, each equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission. V6 buyers enjoy decent acceleration along with a 5,000-pound tow rating, while those who opt for the V8 benefit from an increased tow rating of 7,400 pounds along with more spirited performance. Rear-wheel drive is standard, but the Grand Cherokee can be equipped with three different four-wheel drive systems, ranging from the simple full-time Quadra-Trac I system to the highly capable Quadra-Drive II system featuring a two-speed transfer case and an electronic limited slip rear differential.

3.6-liter V6
290 horsepower @ 6400 rpm
260 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/23 (2WD), 16/22 (4WD)

5.7-liter V8
360 horsepower @ 5150 rpm
390 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4250 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 14/20 (2WD), 13/19 (4WD)

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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

8.9

Out of 10

Based on 175 Ratings for the 2011 - 2014 models.

Review this car

Value

9.0/10

Quality

9.0/10
Reliability

9.1/10

Performance

9.0/10
Comfort

9.2/10

Styling

9.3/10

Fair value, don't buy first year

By Doublediamond43 (FL) on Thursday, July 25, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 4,300

10 7.0

overall rating 7 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 9/10
Quality: 9/10
Performance: 7/10
Styling: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10

Pros: "Quiet for a SUV"

Cons: "rear seat USB ports only for power"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"Why has my original review been removed? Why mix the review's of 2014 GC with the other years? its a completely different animal. I think the 1st gear is too low for normal driving, normal start in 2nd would be better, without having to select it with the paddles, use only 1st for towing. Had problems with UCONNECT intermittently freezing up and losing the radio presets, also the voice activation is very poor. Had problems with the memory seats, not resetting correctly."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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This is a DO NOT BUY!

By A-man (AL) on Thursday, July 25, 2013

I owned and sold this car
Reason: Kept going back to dealership - My approximate mileage is 6,000

10 1.0

overall rating 1 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 1/10
Value: 1/10
Reliability: 1/10
Quality: 1/10
Performance: 1/10
Styling: 1/10
Comfort: 1/10

Pros: "Inside looks nice"

Cons: "Reliability, gas mileage, quality"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"My GC has had electrical problems since the week after I bought it. The touchscreen shut off, steering wheel locked up, and Jeep has refused to fix it even though I hear about other complaints of the same issue. This is my first AND LAST Jeep."

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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Dont like the new 8 speed tranny

By Robs review (NY) on Thursday, July 18, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 4,000

10 7.0

overall rating 7 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Reliability: 7/10
Quality: 7/10
Performance: 4/10
Styling: 8/10
Comfort: 8/10

Pros: "Nice features, good ride, nice layout inside and o"

Cons: "The 8 speed tranny has problems"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 5

"Overall this is a very good vehicle. It has a lot of good features. The gas mileage is excellent. I just got rid of my Ram 1500 with the Hemi due to bad gas mileage and this is far better, I did get the 6 cylinder. The new gear shifter takes a lot to get used to. After two months of driving it I still sometimes shift into neutral when going into drive or reverse. Poor design. Also the 8 speed tranny has problems. Not sure if it is just mine or they all have this problem. It shifts quickly through the first few gears and it feels like it gets sluggish when trying to accelerate. I have tried the sport selector but it still is the same. Mine also slips a lot when shifting from first to second and second to third gear. I also feel a rumble from the rear when it shifts between those gears. The second thing I am not crazy about when slowing down the tranny downshifts very hard and you can feel the truck pulling back when the tranny downshifts. This is very annoying. A couple of time when I let off the brake when I am going around the corner the tranny is still slowing the truck down pulling it back when it should be speeding up from taking my foot off the brake. I had such high hopes when I bought this truck but am quite disappointed in it. I am going to take my truck back to the dealer and see what they say about the tranny but I am fully expecting them to say that nothing is wrong. I hope I am wrong about this though"

8 people out of 8 found this review helpful

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In the shop since the second week I've owned it

By Angry Owner (NV) on Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 1,800

10 3.0

overall rating 3 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 3/10
Value: 1/10
Reliability: 1/10
Quality: 1/10
Performance: 7/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "Looks good, In and Out"

Cons: "Warning lights going off No one knows why!"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"I want potential buyers to be advised. I've had "air suspension cooling down please wait" warning message go off constantly. "Air suspension needs to be serviced immediately, 4x4 disabled Please stop" go off a few other times. The service technicians are baffled, since the car is not actual doing what these warning lights say they are doing. They've been trying to contact "Chrysler Engineers" who have not been returning their calls or emails. It's still sitting in the shop. Whether it gets fixed or not, I no longer feel comfortable driving this car, nor should I be dealing with this after spending $46k!!"

10 people out of 11 found this review helpful

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The Grand Cherokee has been kicked up a notch!

By Michael (NY) on Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 3,000

10 10.0

overall rating 10 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 9/10
Performance: 10/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "Dollar for Dollar a great value, fun to drive"

Cons: "Electronic Transmission Selector tricky."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 5

"This car replaced my 2009 Grand Cherokee. The difference in comfort and performance is amazing. I loved my 2009 Jeep, but this card far exceeds my expectations on all levels. 20 mpg every day and a consistent 26-27 mpg on the highway. My 2009 with the V6 engine 21 mpg highway on a good day."

3 people out of 3 found this review helpful

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Love the styling

By Lynn (NC) on Thursday, July 11, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 2,100

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 8/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "luxury styling, look and feel, comfort"

Cons: "reliability yet to be determined"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"I fell in love with this vehicle the first time I looked at it. The test drive confirmed it - I had to have it. I have the 2014 Limited edition. You get the style, comfort and technology of a luxury brand (i.e. - BMW, Mercedes, Lexus) for a much better price. I find the interior roomy and luxurious, I love the Uconnect, the back-up camera and bluetooth connection to my Iphone. I have read the reviews about the electrical problems and am hoping that they don't show up in my vehicle. I have had it for almost two months, taken it on two longer trips, total mileage now over 2000. Only issues I sometimes notice - satellite radio hangs sometimes, gets stuck on a station and won't move, the keyless entry can sometimes by a bit touchy and I have on occasion, usually with the air on full blast, noticed the lag in the transmission getting out of first gear, or jumping gears. Hoping that does not end up being a major problem for me."

5 people out of 5 found this review helpful

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See all 175 reviews