WHAT does Jeep mean to you? To some, the famous US brand goes hand-in-hand with hardcore off-roading. To others it means poor reliability and cheap interiors.

The silhouette of the latest Grand Cherokee may look familiar but don't be fooled - it is almost entirely new.

It is also engineered on the same platform that underpins the latest Mercedes ML and GL-Class - so it is vastly superior than its cheap-looking, wallowy predecessor.

Despite its American origins, only one engine is available in the UK - a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel.

A simple model range means only two versions are available, the Limited costing just under £37,000 and the Overland, the one on test, priced at a fiver under £44,000.

The new Grand Cherokee is still designed to deliver on-road performance while maintaining Jeep's legendary four-wheel-drive off-road capability.

At two tonnes, the car is no lightweight but there is no doubt it is a vast improvement over its predecessor.

Jeep claims its structural rigidity has been improved by a staggering 146 per cent. Despite that and with lots more standard kit, it still manages to be both bigger and lighter than the old version.

The engine, co-developed by VW Motori and Jeep's new owners, Fiat, develops 237bhp and 406lb/ft of torque.

Drive goes to all four wheels through a standard five-speed automatic gearbox.

With official figures of 34mpg and 218g/km of CO2, it is competitive with its rivals which include the Discovery, Shogun and LandCruiser.

Real off-road ability is assured with good ground clearance, low range gears and a clever traction control system with five modes including sand, mud, rock and snow.

The Overland also has air suspension which allows ride height to be varied according to what conditions are like  under its wheels.

The Grand Cherokee is no sprinter but it's a huge improvement on what went before. Body control is good and the steering is accurate enough to allow you to thread the car confidently down narrow, country roads or rock-strewn ravines.

The engine is smooth and once the turbo is spinning, reasonably quick, but it never feels as quick as its claimed sprint of 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, mainly due to the reluctant kickdown from the slow-acting automatic gearbox. It seems to take an age between flooring the throttle and the transmission delivery.

However, in normal driving the torque curve is big enough to hide the transmission's reluctance.