Jeep Grand Cherokee S Limited unveiled

Jeep has released details of its new S Limited trim level for its Grand Cherokee off-roader. The new specification puts the emphasis on the big 4×4’s sporting potential.

The Limited S line follows the firm’s design study shown at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show to explore the possibility for a more expensive, sportier trim level and sits above the Limited, Overland and Overland Summit models, but below the flagship Grand Cherokee SRT8.

First Drive: Jeep Grand Cherokee (2011 onwards)

On Bing: see pictures of the Jeep Grand Cherokee

The new car combines sports-focused styling with a premium quality interior and boasts a “black” theme, including a gloss black grille, black 20-inch alloy wheels, black chrome exhaust pipes, black headlight bezels and dark rear privacy glass.

The car’s roof rack has been deleted, replaced by mouldings to give a more streamlined silhouette, while a chunky diffuser has been added at the rear.

The black theme is continued inside the Limited S, with plenty of black leather and suede, as well as black gloss accents for the cabin. To temper all that darkness and reinforce the new car’s sporting intent, there’s real carbon fibre inlays for the dash and doors and a sprinkling of aluminium detailing for the pedals.

There’s plenty of high-end equipment, too – the new Jeep gets sat-nav, a 6.5-inch infotainment screen, Bluetooth, a Harman Kardon surround-sound stereo and a 30 GB music hard drive.

The new car uses a 241hp 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive system – used in the rest of the Jeep range, the motor is good enough to complete the 0-62mph sprint in 8.2 seconds.

There’s also a lower-powered version of the 3.0 CRD V6 delivering 190hp, and although not yet confirmed, it will likely be more efficient than the 34mpg combined and 218g/km CO2 emissions of the more powerful engine.

The new Grand Cherokee will be available in Europe later this year, with full pricing and specification information available closer to launch.

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First Drive: Jeep Grand Cherokee (2011 onwards)

On Bing: see pictures of the Jeep Grand Cherokee