You can't mistake it for anything but a Jeep. Yet its proportions are completely different from before, with more steel and less glass, a laid-back windshield, the trademark giant wheel well flares, and a slickly angular body without the cladding of the previous generations; just one small spear. The D-pillar has been laid forward, which cuts into cargo space, but it sure looks cool. It's got a replaceable chin spoiler on it, and it looks mean. Inside, it's got nearly 70 cubic feet of storage and three modern, if not brand-new, powerplants.

Interior materials are dramatically improved over the previous model's, which left much to be desired. The atmosphere inside the new Grand Cherokee is light, comfortable, and more enveloping than the previous model, more bolted in than hanging on from the driver's perspective, with lots of seat adjustment, excellent outward vision around the relatively slim posts, and all the switches and controls clearly labeled and easy to find and use.

For the first time, a Jeep can be married to the engine that put Chrysler back on the map, the 5.7-liter Hemi. It's particularly good for towing or driving at higher elevations. However, we found the 4.7-liter V8 worked great. The standard V6 is a vast improvement over Jeep's old inline-6. A new suspension gives the Grand Cherokee much better handling, leaning less in corners, along with better ride quality. Its turning radius is tighter, too, good when driving off road or in crowded parking lots.

Jeep engineers have come up with a larger, edgier and more macho SUV with an engine that's among the most powerful in the segment. This is after years of being afflicted with old, weak engines and saddled with a small cargo compartment.