Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year: Jeep Grand Cherokee

by Benjamin Hunting

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January 2, 2014

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3 min. Reading Time

The Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year category had a clear winner since day 1, with Jeep not only adding sharper looks and more luxury to its range-topping sport-utility vehicle but also introducing a groundbreaking turbodiesel engine that none of its domestic competitors could match. That being said, a concerted effort from one of the SUV world's longest-running nameplates, plus the decision by Chrysler to make another one of its family haulers even better for 2014, gave us a strong field of entries when picking the year's best.

Read on to learn more about the three finalists for Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year.

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee came into its own this year as the most versatile domestic sport-utility vehicle currently available. With three different four-wheel drive systems on tap the Grand Cherokee is a more-than-willing off-road playmate, and it also boasts a height-adjustable air suspension to tackle more extreme obstacles. At the low end of its trim lineup, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is an affordable family hauler with an impressively sculpted visage, while at the top the SUV can challenge the best that Germany has to offer in terms of luxury and ride quality. Finally, let's not forget the all-new eight-speed automatic transmission bolts up to both the fresh and frugal turbodiesel six-cylinder engine as well as the bloodcurdling 6.4-liter V-8 found under the hood of the SRT model - which bookend the SUV's fuel efficiency ratings quite nicely.

Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year Finalist: Toyota Land Cruiser

Would you be surprised if we told you that the most expensive vehicle in the Toyota lineup was an SUV? And that its window sticker for this flagship - the Toyota Land Cruiser - crested the $79,000 mark? Not many people associate the Toyota brand with high-end luxury trucks (that's Lexus' department), but that doesn't stop the company from building one of the most competent go-anywhere full-size rigs on the planet. Face-lifted for the current model year, the 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser continues to offer an unstoppable four-wheel drive system, excellent V-8 power, and the kind of three-row family accommodations that are a cut above anything else in the Toyota line-up.

Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year Finalist: Dodge Durango

The 2014 Dodge Durango is based on the same platform as our category-winning Jeep, but it adds on seven-passenger seating and a vast cargo capacity to make it a more effective family hauler. The Dodge Durango's biggest trick for 2014 is the inclusion of the same eight-speed autobox found in the Grand Cherokee, a smooth-shifting transmission that is responsible for boosting the SUV's fuel mileage regardless of whether it is ordered with its Pentastar V-6 or Hemi V-8 engine under the hood. Big, versatile, and ready for anything thanks to optional four-wheel drive, the Durango is an appealing full-size sport-utility option.

Autobytel 2014 Awards

The editorial team of Autobytel has chosen the previous vehicles as the best of what we have seen in the category for 2014, and while there are many others in this class that probably deserve some kudos as well, we'd love to hear which you would choose for yourself. Let us know on the Autobytel Twitter or the Autobytel Facebook pages.

More of the Autobytel 2014 Car, Truck and category of the Year winners can be found by browsing the collection below.

Autobytel 2014 Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Truck of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Convertible of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Sedan of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Luxury Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Luxury SUV of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Crossover of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Sports Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Alternative Fuel Car of the Year