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2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Wins 4-Wheel & Off-Road "4x4 of the Year"

21 November 2000

2001 Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee Wins Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road "4x4 of the Year"

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 21 The Chrysler Group today
announced that its 2001 Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee has won one of the most
prestigious awards in the popular sport-utility vehicle market segment, 4-
Wheel & Off-Road's "4x4 of the Year" award.
    "The 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee is designed, engineered and built upon the
combination of heritage and capability that has made the Jeep brand the most
highly regarded name in the sport-utility segment," said Tom Marinelli, Vice
President, Chrysler/Jeep Division Global Brand Center, DaimlerChrysler
Corporation.
    This is the eighth time a Jeep vehicle has been awarded Petersen's 4-Wheel
& Off-Road's "4x4 of the Year" -- more than any other manufacturer.
    Initiated in 1983, the 4-Wheel & Off-Road's "4x4 of the Year" competition
is open to all four-wheel drive vehicles with significant updates and
performance differences from the previous year.  The vehicles are tested for a
full month, both in various on-road conditions and in severe off-road use.
Vehicles are evaluated and scored on ride & drive, as well as empirical,
mechanical, interior and exterior measurements.
    The Grand Cherokee upstaged six rivals to clinch the award.  The
competition included the Chevrolet Silverado LT 2500HD, the Ford Explorer
Sport Trac, the Ford F-150 Super Crew, the GMC Sierra 2500HD, the Mitsubishi
Montero and the Nissan Frontier Crew Cab SC.
    "This award is unique because of its single focus on only one 'best of the
best' from all categories of product available in the 2001 4x4 marketplace,"
said Rick Pewe, editor of 4-Wheel & Off-Road.  "The intense competition in the
light truck category over the past decade has made this award even more
profound because of the sheer number of vehicles qualifying for this
competition.
    "With its on-road performance and handling, and its capabilities in
treacherous off-road terrain, the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee is still king of
the hill," added Pewe.
    In its inaugural model year, Jeep Grand Cherokee first won the 1993 4-
Wheel & Off-Road's "4x4 of the Year" competition, a second time in 1996 after
its first substantial redesign, and again in 1998 with the high-performance
Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited.  The most recent Jeep winner was the all-new 1999
Grand Cherokee.
    Full details of the award results will be available in Petersen's 4-Wheel
& Off-Road's February 2001 issue.