Orlando Sentinel's view

Vehicles such as the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited don’t come along often. This four-wheel drive is much more than a snazzy-looking sport-utility vehicle.

The new Jeep could be a milestone in the history of Chrysler, much like the Taurus sedan was for Ford in 1986. That sedan, you might remember, proved Ford could build a world-class quality vehicle, and it helped rebuild the reputation of the nation’s No. 2 automaker.

The new Jeep may do the same for cash-starved Chrysler, where buzzards have been rumored to be circling for more than two years now.

I don’t think Chrysler has ever before built a vehicle quite like the Grand Cherokee. Engineers, stylists and designers obviously sweated over every detail.

PERFORMANCE

There’s a beefy 4.0-liter 190-horsepower straight six currently powering all versions of the Grand Cherokee. A V-8 will be optional this fall.

Chances are you’re going to find the six-cylinder offers plenty of power. Chrysler says the Grand Cherokee with the four-speed automatic can reach 60 mph in 10.7 seconds; with a five speed manual, 60 mph comes up in 9.2 seconds. That’s considerably faster than the top-selling Ford Explorer.

This week’s test Grand Cherokee came outfitted with the automatic transmission, a gearbox that shifts unlike any other I have tested recently. The automatic doesn’t shift crisply, rather it sort of just floats into the next gear. Whether this is by design, I don’t know.

The Grand Cherokee hustles around town with verve. And when I took it off-road, I discovered it can plow through thick sand and over rough terrain easily. But you expect that from a Jeep.

There is just one area that needs work: It’s what engineers call NVH – Noise, Vibration and Harshness. When the engine is working hard, during heavy acceleration or in low gear churning through dirt, the engine sounds a bit too raucous. Call it hoarse power.

HANDLING

The Grand Cherokee Limited isEPA-rated at 15 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway. The test vehicle returned 17 in the city and 23 on the highway.

The Grand Cherokee Limited is the best-handling sport-utility vehicle I have tested yet.

Unlike the Ford Explorer’s, Grand Cherokee’s rear wheels stay firmly planted on slippery pavement.

Unlike the British-built Range Rover, the Grand Cherokee is not buffeted off course by high winds when driven at fast highway speeds.

Unlike the Oldsmobile Bravada, there is no body flex over rough terrain.

And those are three of the best sport-utility vehicles you can buy.

The Explorer, the Rover and the Bravada share something in common. Each has a frame mounted to the body. The Cherokee does not; that may be why it is so superior.

The Grand Cherokee has what automakers call a ”unibody,” meaning that the suspension and drivetrain components are built right into the body. This is the way cars have been made for years.

Unibody construction make s for a much stiffer vehicle. It also lets the suspension absorb the bumps more efficiently.

The Grand Cherokee handles much like a sporty sedan. The steering is responsive; the anti-lock brakes are powerful; the body is stiff and flex-free and the firm suspension filters out the turbulence.

The test vehicle came with Quadra-Trac, Jeep’s permanent four-wheel drive system.

FIT AND FINISH

This is where the Jeep simply blows away the competition .Getting in the Grand Cherokee is no harder than entering a car.

Once inside you are likely to be impressed with the sports sedan-influenced design of the dash, instruments and seats. Even the fake wood looks good.

The Grand Cherokee Limited is stuffed with accessories. There’s a CD player, a roof-mounted console that contains a trip computer, a full gauge package, cruise control, an automatic air conditioning system, power mirrors, seats, windows and radio-controlled door locks.

You expect to get all th se things for your$29,000. But they weren’t just matter-of-factly tossed in to justify the price.

Chrysler took a long look at what car buyers like in every type of vehicle to make sure that its interior designers put the Grand Cherokee together right.

Switches are lighted, well-designed and easy to use. Gauges are clear, stylish and unobscured. Seats are comfortable, supportive and electrically adjustable in numerous ways. The rear seats split and fold forward for more storage.

But the real coup is in the steering wheel. The Grand Cherokee is the world’s only sport utility with a driver’s side air bag, and it’s standard on all models, even the ones that start at$18,000.

In the past decade or so we have come to expect vehicles of the Grand Cherokee’s caliber to come from Japan or Europe.

Well, here’s one from the home team that doesn’t just go toe to toe – make that tire to tire – with the imports: The Grand Cherokee leaves ’em in the dust.

Truett’s tip: Jeep’s Grand Cherokee is quite possibly the best all-round vehicle Chrysler has ever built. It’s poised to flatten the top-selling Ford Explorer, and with the optional V-8 and sunroof, may give Range Rover a run for the money.