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Vehicle Tests > 4WD Comparison: Mid-sized diesel wagons
4WD Comparison: Mid-sized diesel wagons
Despite its power, torque and weight advantage, the Cherokee's 12.3 L/100km still fell a tad short of the Sorento's on-test economy although both achieve 9.4L/100km in the official ADR tests. Of note here is the fact that the Cherokee has a 70-litre fuel capacity while both the other two have 80-litre tanks.
The Cherokee's on-road demeanour is characterised by flat handling and a well-balanced feel. The steering however isn't as sharp as it could be and the suspension, although much better controlled than that of the too-soft and under-damped Sorento, isn't all that happy on poorer quality roads. Like the Sorento, the rear live axle isn't the recipe for handling excellence when the road surface deteriorates.
The Cherokee does however have a dynamic advantage over the Sorento thanks to its 4WD system that allows the choice of rear-wheel drive, or full-time auto-proportioning 4WD that can be used on high-traction surfaces thanks to the fact that the system has a clutch-pack 'centre differential'. This means that you can use 4WD on any road surface and using the same won't disable the electronic stability control.
Off road, the Cherokee is a mixed bag despite the pedigree of its name. Certainly the clearance could be better, even though the approach and departure angles are good. And while the rear axle offers good wheel travel, the front doesn't which has the traction control working overtime on rutted and loosely surfaced trails. Add in the fact that the Cherokee has the most road-orientated tyres of the three vehicles here and the end result is that it struggles on terrain that the Sorento will more easily take in its stride. The Cherokee is however more capable than the Pathfinder, but more on that later.
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Being the smallest vehicle here it's no surprise that the Cherokee lacks the load space and the rear-seat room of the other two. Up front it's also tighter than the other two but more annoying is the odd pedal position that has the brake placed much higher than the throttle.
The Cherokee CRD comes in two models, the Sport, as tested here and the more luxurious (leather, electric seat adjust, 18-inch alloys, premium sound etc) Limited model that adds $6000.
Nissan Pathfinder ST-L TD
In many respects the Pathfinder is the odd man out in this comparison. It's more expensive than the other two, it's bigger and heavier, it seats seven rather than five, and it betters the others in towing capacity and payload.
But then again, it has an engine that's similar in specification and all three vehicles are officially classified as 'Medium SUVs'.
With a claimed power figure of 126kW and maximum torque pegged at 403Nm the Nissan's 2.5-litre common-rail turbo diesel has similar 'numbers' to the Sorento but falls short of what the bigger engine in the Jeep claims. The Nissan also has more weight to haul around and of these three has the poorest power-to weight ratio.
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The Cherokee's on-road demeanour is characterised by flat handling and a well-balanced feel. The steering however isn't as sharp as it could be and the suspension, although much better controlled than that of the too-soft and under-damped Sorento, isn't all that happy on poorer quality roads. Like the Sorento, the rear live axle isn't the recipe for handling excellence when the road surface deteriorates.
The Cherokee does however have a dynamic advantage over the Sorento thanks to its 4WD system that allows the choice of rear-wheel drive, or full-time auto-proportioning 4WD that can be used on high-traction surfaces thanks to the fact that the system has a clutch-pack 'centre differential'. This means that you can use 4WD on any road surface and using the same won't disable the electronic stability control.
Off road, the Cherokee is a mixed bag despite the pedigree of its name. Certainly the clearance could be better, even though the approach and departure angles are good. And while the rear axle offers good wheel travel, the front doesn't which has the traction control working overtime on rutted and loosely surfaced trails. Add in the fact that the Cherokee has the most road-orientated tyres of the three vehicles here and the end result is that it struggles on terrain that the Sorento will more easily take in its stride. The Cherokee is however more capable than the Pathfinder, but more on that later.
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Being the smallest vehicle here it's no surprise that the Cherokee lacks the load space and the rear-seat room of the other two. Up front it's also tighter than the other two but more annoying is the odd pedal position that has the brake placed much higher than the throttle.
The Cherokee CRD comes in two models, the Sport, as tested here and the more luxurious (leather, electric seat adjust, 18-inch alloys, premium sound etc) Limited model that adds $6000.
Nissan Pathfinder ST-L TD
In many respects the Pathfinder is the odd man out in this comparison. It's more expensive than the other two, it's bigger and heavier, it seats seven rather than five, and it betters the others in towing capacity and payload.
But then again, it has an engine that's similar in specification and all three vehicles are officially classified as 'Medium SUVs'.
With a claimed power figure of 126kW and maximum torque pegged at 403Nm the Nissan's 2.5-litre common-rail turbo diesel has similar 'numbers' to the Sorento but falls short of what the bigger engine in the Jeep claims. The Nissan also has more weight to haul around and of these three has the poorest power-to weight ratio.
next page »
