1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Vs. Mercedes-Benz ML430

The Daimler-Chrysler buyout, merger, whatever you choose to call it, is a Big Deal if there ever was one. It set the auto industry on its ear and is probably setting the tone for how car business will be done in the first decades of the new millennium. It will take at least the next year or two to really understand the magnitude of this monumental transaction.

It will take more than that for the effects of Daimler-Chrysler to trickle down into the design of new products these former competitors will now market side-by-side. Make no mistake: For the all-new-for-'99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the V-8 version of Mercedes-Benz' revolutionary M-Class sport/utility, the dies were cast long before the D-C business arrangement went public. This places both companies in the position of vying for a certain same percentage of the luxury sport/ute market-sort of like two sisters fighting over one boyfriend.

But Jeep and Mercedes? One of the bastions of American off-roading and a pre-eminent European luxury carmaker chasing the same buyer? Five years ago, this would have seemed preposterous. No longer. Take a look at them: Here are two midsize SUVs, each with seating for five, a single overhead cam V-8 backed by an automatic transmission, sophisticated full-time four-wheel drive, and interiors wrapped in leather trim. There will be a certain element of the buying population that would consider only one or the other-but another significant portion will shop them both.

Both are new for '99, although the Jeep is the newer of the new. While viewed from 50 paces, the new Grand Cherokee looks a whole lot like the old one, don't be fooled: Not a single body panel is shared. In fact, Jeep claims there are but 127 parts carried over from the current model. The windshield is more steeply raked, and there's a distinct taper at the rear end. New multi-element headlights glint aggressively, and you'll notice a more apparent arch to the roofline. The wheelbase remains unchanged (at 105.9 inches), though overall length has increased about 4 inches. Track has grown an inch, width is up 1.5 inches, and the new version is some 2 inches taller than the old.

The real changes are underneath and inside the fresh sheetmetal. The previous 5.2- and 5.9-liter OHV V-8 powertrains are history, replaced by an all-new 4.7 liter, SOHC V-8 design. Wearing alloy heads and said to produce some 30 percent less emissions than the previous Grand Cherokee powerplants, the PowerTech 4.7 is rated at 235 horsepower. This bests the old 5.2 by 15 ponies, though it falls 10 short of the 5.9. Expect this engine to be an important element of Chrysler's SUV and truck plans over the next few years.

A revised version of Jeep's Old Reliable (our words) 4.0-liter OHV straight-six remains the standard engine. It's been refined for smoother, quieter running, and a horsepower increase from 190 to 195.

Backing the 4.7 in our Grand Cherokee is an equally new transmission. It's unique in that it acts like a four-speed automatic while upshifting, but a five-speed automatic in downshift mode. First gear is a fairly stout 3.00:1 ratio, and under acceleration, second gear has a ratio of 1.67:1. But a downshift will summon either the 1.67:1 cog, or a slightly less-aggressive 1.50:1 second gear, depending upon speed and throttle position.

Completing the new powertrain is the all-new Quadra-Drive II (QD-II). A full-time four-wheel-drive system like Jeep's original Quadra-Trac, QD-II incorporates progressive speed-sensing torque transfer differentials front, rear, and center. This means the system can apply power to any or all wheels, depending upon available traction. And the power management is done in the differentials, not by employment of the ABS, as on the Mercedes.