Its pretty low sales in Ireland reflect the fact that this wildly-popular car in its home country doesn’t have the same pulling power to the folk-memory here as it has for those who yearn back to the days of Prohibition and whiskey-running and founding wealth that later made Presidents. It is nevertheless and nice car to drive, extremely comfortable and roomy, and in this country comes just with the up-market specification of Touring. There are just two engine options, but the almost-six grand price difference between the petrol and the diesel make the latter prohibitive unless you’re really doing the mileage. I like it, actually, and its rarity and novelty framework seem to have kept the depreciation from being horrific. Stars: 6/10

The current Cherokee is the latest version of the legendary Jeep brand which has built up a world-wide reputation since Jeep production began some 61 years ago. The new 3.7-litre petrol injection engine is derived from the 4.7-litre V8 available on the Grand Cherokee, and has automatic transmission as standard. The diesel is a completely revised - though still a little noisy - unit from Italian enginemakers VM. All models have air conditioning, ABS, electric windows and a CD player. Overall dimensions have been increased, including height and wheelbase. I also know from real experience that it is a vehicle which truly could climb the Rockies or its equivalents. Sure, the new vehicle may have lost the western ‘charm’ of its predecessor, but has gained more as a modern car. Stars: 8/10.

One of the advantages of the Chrysler-Daimler Benz alliance is a new 2.7-litre diesel engine derived from a Mercedes unit used in the E-, M- and C-Class cars has also been introduced to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 5 cylinder CRD engine offers an increase from 138bhp to 161bhp, a torque increase of 4%, 0-62mph in 11.2 seconds and a combined cycle fuel consumption increase from 20.7mpg to 29.2mpg. This luxury end of the older Cherokee era is available in A/T form only and also comes with 4-litre six and 4.7-litre V8 engines. Its ride and handling are mid-range on the road, but the off-road performance is as good as anyone who has to ride the wide ranges would ever require. There’s naturally a strong transatlantic feel about this car, even though it is built in Austria for European taste, and that’s an attraction for many, particularly if you like to ride those ranges in real leather. With this mount, there’s no danger of getting saddlesore. Stars: 7/10