[VIDEO] Car Review: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Edition

A good rule when reviewing cars is: Judge a vehicle on its own merits.

That means, don’t expect an SUV to perform like a sports car, since that’s not what an SUV is supposed to do.

With that in mind, I recently had the opportunity — thanks to the helpful staff at Metro Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge on Hartford Avenue — to test-drive a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Edition.

Those of us with a love of automotive history recognize the Overland marque, since it was the original name for the Willys-Overland company that evolved into Jeep.

DaimlerChrysler re-introduced the name in 2003 as an upscale option package for the Grand Cherokee, and while it could be argued that the folks who designed and built the turn-of-the-century Overlands may not have envisioned the name gracing a $46,115 vehicle, it’s probably not off the mark to guess that they would recognize the superior level of workmanship that goes into this model.

From the first look, the Overland Edition conveys those qualities that Jeeps have always brought to the road: Stout, solid construction; ride height that gives a confidence-inspiring view of the road; the unmistakable Jeep profile; and the sense that one could — if one so dared — take this machine onto less-civilized terrain and live to tell the tale.

What the 2012 Overland Edition also offers is an interior drenched in style (courtesy of its previous DaimlerChrysler ownership), from the leather seats and dash, to the walnut inlaid steering wheel and dash panels, to the four-wheel disc brakes visible behind 20-inch alloy rims.

And since we’re a couple of years into the ‘10s, the Grand Cherokee Overland also shows that it’s a creature of its time, with all the technological touches that one would expect in the era of GPS, USB ports, and Bluetooth.

Put simply, this Jeep lives up to every expectation — and offers a few traits that even exceed what one would have seen from the same company only a couple of years ago.

Look And Construction:

My test vehicle was jet black with well-placed and understated chrome accents on the nose, exterior mirrors, and doors, and beveled five-point alloy rims clad in Goodyear rubber.

A stroll around the vehicle also found door moldings that highlight the wheel wells on all four corners, as well as dual chrome-tipped exhaust ports.

On each front door handle are two smaller buttons that almost look like they’re misplaced — they’re actually keyless lock-and-unlock buttons.

As with most higher-end vehicles these days, the Grand Cherokee Overland is controlled by a key fob, rather than a metal key. That means the vehicle starts by depressing the brake pedal and pushing the Start/Stop button on the dash.

Inside the passenger compartment, the dashboard is alive with data and a well-designed navigation screen that also doubles as a voice recognition interface for use with smartphones.

Included in the central instrument cluster are ride height adjustments; controls for the heated and air-cooled front seats; transmission options, including four-wheel drive and towing; and a switch for heating the steering wheel.

Supple leather with heavy stitching covers the seats and the front dash panel, with “Overland” stitched into the driver’s and front passenger’s seats just below the head rests.

The Drive:

Step on the brake pedal and press the Start button, and it’s immediately clear that this Jeep is a serious machine. The 360-hp 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi under the hood of the Overland Edition awakens with authority, but without much drama — the well-insulated cabin reduces interior noise, and the Jeep’s suspension doesn’t transfer the sudden addition of torque to occupants.

A staggered-gate shifter arrives easily at the chosen gear (Drive is at the bottom, with the option of a semi-automatic tip-shift found by tapping the shifter to the left), and the 6-speed automatic provides immediate response without feeling too jumpy.

Starts off the line are clean and smooth, with little in the way of argument from the engine or transmission under moderate acceleration.

Given some clear road and a (temporarily) heavier right foot, the Hemi growls in reply and hauls the Jeep without breaking much of a sweat.

Slowing down is also smooth and well-balanced, with the four-wheel ABS brakes lending the feel of a vehicle 1,000 pounds lighter — there’s not that transfer of pressure to the steering wheel that might otherwise be found when the weight of a 6,500-lb. vehicle lurches to the front end under braking.

On the highway, the Overland automatically adjusts its ride height for better aerodynamics — though without the driver’s dash console reporting when the ride height has changed, you’d really never know. There’s no increased sense of tightness in the steering, nor do you really feel you’re sitting closer to the road.

Put the Jeep in reverse, and the center-mounted nav screen switches to the rear-mounted camera, which gives a good (if somewhat bug-eyed) view of the objects behind the vehicle. There’s also a proximity alarm if you get too close to a car parked nearby.

Steering feel, overall, is only a bit to the sensitive side of neutral; this is, after all, a vehicle built on a truck frame (as opposed to, say, a Toyota Rav4 that’s built on a Corolla chassis), which means the steering and suspension have a lot of weight to support. Credit goes to the engineering team for dialing out most of the “big crossover” feedback that would otherwise be expected.

Fuel mileage is right where it would be expected for a vehicle in this class — 13 or so in the city, 20 highway. I put about 50 miles on the tester, and the dash display informed me that I’d averaged 13.2 mpg in mostly around-town driving.

Bells And Whistles:

This Jeep has automatic everything.

If it starts to drizzle, the wipers operate.

When it gets dark, the lights blink to life.

And once you put it in Drive, the transmission does what’s asked.

Add to that list power windows, mirrors and locks and steering wheel-mounted controls for radio volume and station controls, cruise, and voice-activated commands for changing radio frequencies and making cell phone calls.

There’s also an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat, a door-mounted seat memory option, and button-operated adjustments for the telescoping steering wheel.

A huge power sunroof seems to extend to the rear hatch — which, by the way, is button-operated from either inside the passenger compartment or the key fob.

Push the “VR” button on the steering wheel and wait for the beep, then announce the desired radio frequency.

A friendly female voice — I named her “Laura” — repeats your request, then the radio switches to the new station and saves your request in a list for later reference.

The 506-watt system — which includes radio, CD, and DVD (as long as you're parked) — packs enough oomph to, shall we say, fit right in on Atwood Avenue.

Overall:

For what it’s meant to do, this Jeep overwhelmingly meets — and, in some cases, exceeds — those expectations.

Especially in the acceleration and deceleration departments, the Overland meets what I call the “Goldilocks Principle” — everything is just right.

At no point did I feel like the engine was getting away from me — or that the brakes were being taxed in stop-and-go traffic at the I-95 interchange in downtown Providence.

That said, a lower-tiered option package (the Grand Cherokee also offers a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and five-speed transmission) might not get the same compliments.

When it comes to design and fit-and-finish, this Jeep really goes beyond the typical. The leather! The sunroof! The walnut inlays! (And did I mention the leather?) By the way, if the interior reminds one of a Mercedez-Benz, that's not just by chance; DaimlerChrysler shared parts between the Benz ML-Class and the Overland Edition.

As someone who’s admittedly not familiar with the current state of car technology, the multi-function nav screen was generally easy to learn and understand — though I found myself arguing with “Laura” if she didn’t interpret my station requests properly, and sometimes couldn’t voice-dial a phone number if I’d forgotten how I’d saved it in my iPhone.

I also liked having the information on fuel mileage and adjustments to the ride height posted on the driver’s console — though it sometimes posed a distraction, especially when instructing me to “Reduce speed to return to normal ride height.”

(I was traveling 40 mph at the time.)

Speaking of which, keeping an eye on speed in this vehicle — notwithstanding the friendly reminder from the Jeep itself — is imperative. Without meaning to, I found myself cruising at 70 mph only because I glanced at the speedometer; nothing in the noise level or suspension feel told me I might have been going that fast.

One other minor critique: The doors on this vehicle need to be pulled with some force to close properly. Again, though, I admit to unfamiliarity with the truck-derived DNA of this Jeep.

Impressions:

After completing my test drive, I found myself wondering: Who would be the perfect customer for this vehicle?

With the very high style of its interior, the sporty rims and four-wheel disc brakes, the computer system, and the 7,400-lb. towing capability, this is the perfect Jeep for folks who hit the links on the weekend and want to cart their foursome to the country club in style — or hook up the boat, personal watercraft, or motorcycle trailer and cruise to out to the destination — then have to park the toys and drive the Jeep to work during the week.

Unless I owned the car wash myself, I wouldn't recommend taking the Overland off-road and potentially spoiling the exterior.

Bottom Line:

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Edition is a product of its time — and, more importantly, a very good example of a product of its company.

Special thanks to Metro Sales & Leasing Consultant Isaac Roman, who provided a tour of the test vehicle and integrated my iPhone with the onboard navigation system.

Editor's Note: Video added on Feb. 27.