Laredo 3.6L 3.6L VVT V6 FLEX FUEL ENGINE Automatic headlamps Body color fascia

The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee reminds us of Rocky Balboa (the pre-Ivan Drago fight one), aving made the transition from underdog to top contender. Prior to last year's complete overhaul, he Grand Cherokee offered rugged off-road capability but a substandard cabin, ubstandard passenger space and an underpowered but thirsty V6. But the 2012 Grand Cherokee, ith its well-trimmed and roomier interior, owerful V6 and more refined performance and ride, s in fighting shape as a top contender among midsize SUVs. The current Grand Cherokee shares components with Mercedes-Benz's ML-Class -- DaimlerChrysler owned Jeep during this vehicle's early development -- so its premium look and feel is no surprise. Drive a pre-'11 Grand Cherokee and the new one back to back, nd the upgrades in cabin quality, erformance and overall refinement are dramatic. And this year there's slightly better fuel economy (up 1 highway mpg for each engine) through improved power steering in the V6 and a revised six-speed transmission for the V8. This year also heralds the return of the road-burning Grand Cherokee SRT8 and its monster 470-horsepower V8. Despite its manners and polish, owever, he 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee still upholds its reputation for off-road prowess. An optional adjustable air suspension ('Quadra-Lift') can vary the JGC's ride height from 6.6 inches for easy passenger and roof rack loading, o 10.7 inches for serious off-road work. Additionally, drive-mode selector ('Selec-Terrain') can tailor the powertrain and suspension for specific types of terrain. The midsize SUV segment is loaded with choices. Against the V6 and V8 models, here are Ford's Edge and Explorer, he Honda Pilot, oyota 4Runner and Volkswagen Touareg. In contrast, he SRT8 has no direct rival; models such as BMW's X5 M cost thousands more and deliver no significant performance advantage. Overall, e think the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a solid choice, articularly if you'll take advantage of its V8 power and take it off road, aking it a comeback of Balboa proportions. Body Styles, rim Levels, nd Options The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a five-passenger midsize SUV that comes in Laredo, imited and Overland trims. Each is available with 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrains. Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, utomatic headlights, oglamps, ruise control, ual-zone air-conditioning, tilt-and-telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. An optional package adds keyless entry/ignition, power driver seat (including lumbar adjustment), atellite radio and a USB/iPod interface. The Security and Convenience package includes remote engine start, luetooth, cargo cover, n auto-dimming rearview mirror and a USB/iPod interface. A back-up camera, power passenger seat, eated front seats, eather upholstery and a nine-speaker premium sound system (with satellite radio, D radio, igital music storage and a touchscreen interface) are also available. The Limited gets all the Laredo's optional equipment plus 18-inch wheels, dditional chrome trim, i-xenon headlights, ear parking sensors, Garmin navigation system, utomatic wipers, uto-dimming exterior mirrors, dual-pane panoramic sunroof, power passenger seat, ual-zone automatic climate control, river memory functions, eated front and rear seats and a leather-wrapped shift knob. The Limited model's options include a power liftgate, power and heated tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, entilated front seats and an upgraded navigation system with real-time traffic. Big 20-inch wheels are also optional. The Overland gets all the Limited's options, lus the variable-height Quadra-Lift air suspension and special exterior and interior trim that includes a mesh grille, erforated leather seating and a wood/leather steering wheel. The Overland Summit tops it off with additional exte