Motor Show: New Jeep Grand Cherokee revealed

This is the elegant-looking new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has been unveiled at the New York Motor Show.

It uses a car-like unibody platform and is likely to go on sale next year in the US with the company's 3.6-litre Phoenix V6 engine, renamed Pentastar. A HEMI 5.7-litre V8 will be also available.

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The 3.6L Pentastar will deliver about 280bhp/260lb-ft of torque and Chrysler claims it will offer 11% better fuel-economy than the current V6 Cherokee. The V8 won't be so kind to the planet, delivering 360bhp/390lb-ft of torque. The UK is likely to get a diesel engine.

Also new is Chrysler's Quadra Lift air-suspension system, which provides height control and lifts the vehicle up to 11.4cm from park mode to a maximum ride height of 28cm when off-roading.

There'll be three all-wheel-drive modes, offering varying levels of slip protection for different surfaces. Like previous Cherokees it's highly likely to remain a top performer off-road.

More than 5,400 welds have been applied to the body. As a result it's claimed to be 146% stiffer than the current model and stiffer than both the BMW X5 and Toyota Highlander. We'll reserve judgement until we have driven the car.

This platform was developed jointly with Mercedes Benz for its next-generation ML-Class SUV prior to the split of DaimlerChrysler, so there is every chance the new car will feature a two-mode hybrid powertrain developed by Daimler, General Motors and BMW.