CHRYSLER'S new Jeep Grand Cherokee will go on sale in the UK next spring with the manufacturer claiming it will 'set new standards throughout the entire 4x4 segment'. With just 127 carryover parts from the present Grand Cherokee, which has been on sale in the UK since 1996, the new model features all-new exterior and interior, European-specific features and a changed engine line-up.

While the 4.0-litre petrol engine is retained, a new 3.1-litre TD 150PS engine replaces the present 2.5-litre TD engine and the new line-up will be topped by a 4.7-litre V8 230PS petrol engine which replaces the existing 5.2-litre V8 petrol engine. Externally the new model, which although on the same wheelbase as the present version, is larger in all dimensions, features a less angular but more raked grille, stereo controls incorporated into the steering wheel and hi-tech headlamps. Since going on sale in the UK almost 11,000 Grand Cherokees have been sold.