The cost of right hand drive conversion, relatively small sales volume, increased cost of delivery and different government taxation all account for the up to £8,000 price difference between the US-market Jeep Liberty and the UK market version badged the Cherokee, according to a DaimlerChrysler UK (DCUK) spokeswoman, writes just-auto.com deputy editor Graeme Roberts.
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DCUK recently launched a superb additional engine/transmission combination for the UK Cherokee – an Italian 148bhp 2.8-litre turbocharged and intercooled VM diesel (the Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited sold over here in contrast gets a 2.2-litre Mercedes oil burner) coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission.
Although the official 0-60mph acceleration figure for the new £24,000 version is around the 12.6-second mark, the 266 lb-ft of torque from 1,800 rpm and a very responsive gearbox makes the new model feel much faster off the line, like from traffic lights, in everyday use, though it does run out of puff quite early, requiring caution when overtaking.
Nonetheless, the new version, equipped in the UK with Jeep’s top climb-any-mountain, full-time Selec-Trac four-wheel-drive system and top Limited trim, nicely supplements the manual-only 141bhp/251lb-ft 2.5CRD, offered also with Sport Trim, with part-time Command-Trac 4WD. And, usefully, gives Jeep a cracking rival for Land Rover’s automatic 2.5-litre, five-cylinder Discovery line.
However, Jeep Cherokee prices do seem a bit out of line compared with what US buyers pay for their Liberty line. As the diesel is not (yet) available across the Atlantic, just-auto used Jeep’s US consumer website to price up a 3.7-litre V6 Limited 4WD to as close as possible to top-line UK specification. Adding a ‘G-package’ to a base 2003 Liberty Limited along with options such as anti-lock brakes, heated seats, sunroof and a smoker’s pack resulted in a virtually identical package to the fully-optioned UK Cherokee Limited model, priced, including delivery to the US dealer, at $US28,330 – or £17,025.
With optional leather trim and sunroof, the fully-loaded UK V6 is £24,800 “on the road” – taxed and registered, ready to drive away – an extra cost of almost £8,000.
Noting the extra costs added by the right hand drive conversion, low volume and so on, Jeep’s UK spokeswoman added that the Cherokee was very competitively priced against its rivals on this side of the Atlantic.
