Moose Test Proves No Problem for Jeep Grand Cherokee & Compass
Blown tires, rollover potential, and many other disasters are all but eliminated with the latest Jeep SUV platform.
Its no secret that the Jeep Grand Cherokee had its share of issues with the “moose test” avoidance maneuver. The high-speed lane change test consists of a quick left-right maneuver, which tests the car’s ability to handle quick changes in weight transfer. Taller and heavier vehicles are the main subject of the test, namely to see if there’s any chance of lifting two wheels off the ground, or potentially worse. Early versions of the WK2 Grand Cherokee had stability issues and could potentially have a blowout during some of these tests, but those issues were quickly addressed by Jeep. Now, their newest models are up for the test once more.
Thankfully after updates, the Jeep Grand Cherokee now masters the test on par with its European rivals as reported by Motor1. Advances in suspension technology and tuning, combined with revised electronic stability control programs help keep the big SUV under control.
In this specific test, 71 kilometers per hour was the magic number for the Grand Cherokee, marking its highest speed where it cleanly maneuvered through the moose test cones. For those of us who don’t use the metric system, that’s 44 miles per hour. Bumping the speed up two miles per hour brought some cone contact into play.
In contrast, the Jeep Compass bested the Grand Cherokee by five miles per hour, passing the test up to 49 miles per hour. Of course, the Jeep Compass is much lighter, and being a bit narrower also helps. Still, it shows just how far technology has come to prevent rollovers in a growing segment of cars that are ever increasing in height.
Obviously, this applies to standard production cars and doesn’t factor in off-road modifications. As such, those are always done under your own digression.
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