The handbrake lever has a spindly, low-quality feel to it, however.

New for 2007: The finish on the upper panel has been improved. A four-gauge cluster with LED illumination features black gauges with brilliant red pointers. The Laredo has been upgraded here for '07, with the same chrome gauge rings that used to be exclusive to the Limited, plus chrome-accented HVAC controls and a matching-color bezel (replacing black) on the console. Cup holders are keyed to the interior hue.

The seats at all levels are large and cushy, the better to enjoy the generous interior space. On Laredo they are upholstered in cloth with leather as a package option, while Limited seats are two-tone leather with perforated inserts. In Overland, the seats are upholstered in high-contrast two-tone Ultrasuede, featuring accent stitching and embroidered Overland logos. Overland also features real wood trim on the steering wheel, instrument panel, door panels, and gear selector. The center armrest is leather-upholstered, and unique colors are employed in the instrument cluster.

The SRT8, on the other hand, goes for the high-tech racer look with deeply contoured sport seats, and lots of carbon fiber and aluminum trim. Unique blue-accented gauges include a 180-mph speedometer plus oil pressure and oil temperature readouts in the center stack. The sport seats offer lots of support, with deep side bolsters, but drivers with larger frames may find them too narrow.

The cargo area in all Grand Cherokees features a reversible load floor panel that flips over on itself to create a shallow container, for more versatility in the rear storage compartment.

The navigation system, which integrates the audio system and other functions, is a handy feature. It has a nice display, generates crisp maps, and does a good job of directing you to your destination, both visually and audibly. It isn't as easy to program as similar systems are on Acura and Lexus vehicles, however. There's a separate Enter button, annoying because intuition suggests pressing the toggle switch down. Also, it kept defaulting to the daytime brightness setting. Auto did not seem to automatically switch it to the nighttime setting at night, so we had to manually program this. And we had to reprogram it each time we restarted the car, as this could not be done while underway, meaning we had to stop to fix it, inconvenient when traveling on a busy L.A. freeway. The daytime setting is so bright at night as to be distracting.

Similarly, all Chrysler products, including Jeeps, use a separate Set button for pre-setting radio stations, which seems unnecessarily difficult. Setting these on most radios is just a matter of holding down the desired preset.