Models

Jeep

Jeeps are a part of the Chrysler range of cars, but as we’re sure you already know, they were created as military vehicles for use in the second world war. The Jeep closest to that heritage in our line-up is the Wrangler, which is still recognisable as related to the originals. So how does it rate?

There can be no denying that the Wrangler has oodles of off-road ability – its ability to travel over vastly varied terrain is its raison d’etre. There isn’t a lot that will stop these machines getting where they want to go. Still, specialisation comes with a price. It has pretty poor fuel consumption – expect around 20 miles per gallon unless you drive like a saint. On tarmac the handling is a bit woolly and the cabin gets quite noisy at speed, very noisy if you opt for the soft-top version. Despite these negatives, it is very hard not to like the Jeep Wrangler and if bumpy tracks excite you, you’ll love it.

The Jeep Cherokee and the Jeep Grand Cherokee have just been reworked in an attempt to make a more on-road sort of off-roader. This isn’t to say that Cherokees only gesture towards off-roading – they are very competent in that regard. No, it is simply that Jeep realised their customers tended not to take their Cherokees off-roading and so would probably prefer a better handling road car. Anyway, they are now useful all-rounders – comfortably better off-road than an X5 say, with much improved manners on the motorway. The interior finish is a little sub-par, and whether they are reliable remains to be seen (the former models were not), but since the top spec Grand Cherokee comes in under £40,000, this is a very great deal of machine for the money.