2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee is Now $3k Cheaper and Wrangler gets 290-HP

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Chrysler has announced the changes to the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the biggest change is that the base Grand Cherokee now starts at $26,995, which is about $3,000 cheaper than the 2011 model.

Other changes to the 2012 Grand Cherokee include a new six-speed automatic transmission for V8 models and electro-hydraulic power steering for V6 models. The V6 Grand Cherokee now gets slightly better gas mileage at 17/23 mpg for the rear-wheel-drive Grand Cherokee compared to 16/23 mpg for the 2011 model. The four-wheel-drive V6 gets 16/23 mpg, while the 2011 model got 16/22 mpg. The fuel economy numbers for the V8 have yet to be released.

How did Chrysler manage to knock $3k off the base price of the Grand Cherokee? Chrysler hasn’t released all the details, but it looks like the base Laredo no longer has a standard eight-way power driver’s seat and many of the option packages are now more expensive.

The Wrangler also gets updates for the new year, with the most important update being the new 290 horsepower Pentastar V6 that can be mated to a new five-speed automatic. The 2012 Wrangler starts at $22,045.

Both the 2012 Grand Cherokee and Wrangler will go on sale in September.