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If you’re passionate about the American way of life and want a piece of the action but still find the Jeep Commander too square for you, then you can try the Jeep Grand Cherokee III and you can almost have it all.

The previous generation Grand Cherokee tried to bring the balance between off-road and on-road, but even the Americans have figured out that the Jeep Grand Cherokee WK must be more of an pavement princess Jeep because no one is off-roading these days anyway. Sure, the Jeep Grand Cherokee WK comes equiped with all the necessary off-road toys, even if you’ll never use them. The real party pieces however are the DVDs in headrests (that never work), acres of cheap leather and plastics, and big, inefficient engines because otherwise, it wouldn’t be an American car. Basically it’s a rolling monument of masculinity.

Maybe in Europe the expectations are a bit higher in terms of interior quality, but in America and especially the US the Jeep Grand Cherokee WK sold like The Filthy Frank Show subscriptions. Plus this is the last Grand Cherokee that is even remotely reliable and worth buying.

So why should we Europeans buy it? LET THE AMERICANS GO BACK TO WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

Because Jeep made a smart move and they understood that it’s better to buy a diesel under license than to build their own diesel. So they called Mercedes again and bought the glorious 3.0 V6 OM642, also used on the Chrysler 300C, Mercedes E Class, S Class, Sprinter, A Class or ML. And the fact that it’s not the best quality car means that depreciation also took a hit it even more than Pink Guy when he got hit by Prometheus with a trashcan and so the Jeep Grand Cherokee WK is one of the cheapest full size SUVs on the market today. Or compact SUV, if you’re american. And for the sheer amount of metal and status you get it’s well worth the full 5000 euros it demands for a ownership change.

Jeep Grand Cherokee WK Engines

Petrol

• 3.7 PowerTech V6 of 210 horsepower – The smallest petrol engine on the Grand Cherokee WK is probably also the best engine because it has no specific issues, just a service interval shorther than for the plastic dolls of social medi…sorry, I’m a hater. They are not plastic women, they are actually eco-warriors which are keeping plastics out of the ocean. True heroes. Also, this engine might overheat if you drive it long and hard enough, but I doubt any Grand Cherokee owner will do this with the entry level PowerTech engine.


• 4.7 V8 Powertech of 235 and 305 horsepower – The extra cylinders version of the 3.7 V6 PowerTech should be just as reliable, in theory. And you’d be wrong. The main issue is with the exhaust manifold, which is bolted into screws made from toilet paper. 


• 5.7 Hemi V8 of 330 and 360 horsepower  – Yes, there’s a 6.1 V8 in the Jeep Grand Cherokee WK SRT, but in Europe the madness stops at a tiny 330 and 360 horsepower 5.7 V8. Camshaft sensor and power steering pump issues. And flow meter. And fuel consumption. And tires. And brakes. And everything.


• 6.1 Hemi V8 SRT of 425 horsepower – Now we’re talking. This bulky piece of amor a la americana is a glorious tribute to masculinity, bolted to another glorious tribute to masculinity. Sure, the lifter rollers might fail and some cylinders may misfire, but all in all this bodybuilder is reliable and falls into the smiles-per-gallon category. Too bad they didn’t ship this engine to our small island.

Diesel

3.0 OM642 CRD of 218 horsepower  – Essentially the same 3.0 diesel fitted to the Commander, this engine has occasional swirl falps, vacuum pump and injector issues. Mind you, as with Mercedes, the injectors should also be programmed after they are replaced, otherwise the engine won’t start. And the engine doesn’t really tolerate city driving and the injector seals can and will fail. And the oil cooler lining deep inside the V fails. At least it has the Mercedes automatic transmission and it’s reliable. Oh yeah, and another issue specific to the 3.0 diesel is the fuel tank rusting and you don’t want to know how much it costs to replace it.

Jeep Grand Cherokee WK Common Issues

• You’d think that in a Jeep Grand Cherokee WK you’d have enough room to fit the entire crew and the almost-dressed girls with which you filmed your latest hip-hop video with, but you’d be more disappointed than ReviewBrah when he tried Popeye’s Cheddar Biscuit Butterfly Shrimp and his dissapointment was inmeasurable and his day was ruined. The space in the back is that cramped.


• The automatic gearboxes may leak fluid at the seals, but overall they’re reliable. The front differential however will give you constant issues, especially on the bearings side of things. That’s if you’re interested in going off-road, although you most likely want your Grand Cherokee to take you only as far as the recording studio.


• I highly doubt this “issue” will surprise you, but you should probably know that crash safety is rated 0 stars for pedestrian protection. But after all, it’s their concern, not yours.


• Besides the fact that this car weighs 4500 tons, the factory suspension is taken straight from the Chevrolet Matiz assembly lines. These are ok for the Matiz, but for the Jeep Grand Cherokee WK it translates to replacing them every 1000 miles. Oh yeah, and while we’re on the subject of suspension as tough as Logan Paul’s character, even the trunk and boot struts aren’t capable of doing their job for more than 2 minutes at a time.


• Underbody rust might be a serious issue for the Grand Cherokee WK so make sure to check the car for rust, just about everywhere.

Jeep Grand Cherokee WK Verdict

End of the line for the Grand Cherokee in Europe. This is the last mighty swing of the legendary American SUV because the following degenerations are atrocities that have no more to do with Jeep than incense has to do with heroin. Yes, it’s a synthetic festival and not the most refined or comfortable, but for the money a Grand Cherokee WK is asking on the used market, it’s hard to get something bigger and more imposing.

What engines do you recommend? For gasoline, the 210 horsepower 3.7 V6 will suffice, and for diesel you only have the 218-horsepower 3.0 V6 to choose from anyway.