It's not easy to change an icon. It's not easy to make changes to a vehicle people are used to, comfortable with, vaguely happy with and, well, a car that has established a definition of what it is and what it's good for.

Changing something like that can quickly turn into nightmares for an automaker. But it's that vaguely happy thing that rubbed DaimlerChrysler executives the wrong way about the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and while it was a well-respected member of the true SUV set, it was also quickly fading from the scene. The murmuring in the back of the room kept getting louder, until the truth was out in the open: "That SUV is great at climbing rocks, but it's not exactly the kind of smooth ride we like on the Interstate."

It's hard to hear hurtful words. But true change comes when you look in the mirror and cop to it, and DaimlerChrysler engineers did just that. The result of such introspection is a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee that straddles the border between regular and luxury, between road and none - and, for the most part, does all of it quite well. As the Autobytel Editors' Choice for Best New Small SUV*, the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee is redefined as a vehicle for all occasions and is significantly improved in almost every conceivable way.

Fact is, they didn't really have a choice. When the Jeep Grand Cherokee first debuted in 1992, there weren't many competitors. Today, however, it is perhaps the most competitive segment in the auto marketplace, and since the Jeep straddles the line between common and luxury nameplates, a wide and diverse range of challengers from every region of the world is trying to eat a slice of the Grand Cherokee's pie.

On this battlefield, it's eat or be eaten - and judging from the new 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, DaimlerChrysler has decided to have dinner. Starting with a completely new interior, larger size, subtle exterior design changes and a new independent front suspension, the JGC is better on the road, as good or better in the dirt, and offers more legroom and cargo space than before. Priced starting at $26,775 and climbing to $40,000, the JGC offers three engine choices: a 3.7-liter V6 that makes 210-horsepower, a 4.7-liter V8 generating 235-horsepower, and a 5.7-liter V8 that pumps out 330-horsepower. Yep, that one is a Hemi.

Fuel economy, if you care, ranges from 16/21 mpg for the V6 to 14/21 mpg for the Hemi V8. Fuel mileage. Humph. Since when is a JGC owner worried about fuel economy? This is one of the off-road kings of our time, and to think that this hard-edged SUV is now going soft to attract more sales, well…

But it's not, really, despite a paved road ride quality that borders on Buick. In fact, this 2005 Grand Cherokee retains the off-road capability for which Jeeps are known. Three different four-wheel-drive systems are available on the JGC. QuadraTrac I, with a single-speed transfer case, is for ease of use by buyers requiring sure-footed traction on slippery roads. There's also the middle-of-the-road QuadraTrac II system, a two-speed transfer case with low-range gearing, and the QuadraDrive II system, which combines a two-speed transfer case with an electronic limited-slip differential designed to instantly send power to the wheels with the most traction. QuadraTrac II and QuadraDrive II also feature a neutral position to facilitate towing on all four wheels.

Inside and out, the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee has the refinement and the grunt to appeal to a wide array of customers - a test that is truly the ultimate barometer of a vehicle's success.

- Brian Chee

* Autobytel ranks the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee as a small SUV because it has less than 75 cubic feet of maximum cargo volume.