Some say that the higher the price you pay for a car, the higher your expectations become. In youth, having four wheels to get around is enough to satisfy all needs, but as experience grows, we often hope our ride can grow stronger alongside us. But how should we truly understand what "strength" means?
Taking 700,000 yuan to buy an SUV might be one of the most agonizing experiences for the current backbone of the social elite. The choices at this level aren’t many—boiled down, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Volkswagen Touareg are almost always within the mainstream consideration range. So the question is, when faced with two SUVs with similar positioning but completely different personalities, how do you choose?
Choosing between innate sentiment or straightforward character.
Qualitatively speaking, the Jeep Grand Cherokee brings a bit more sentiment along with its strength, while the Touareg’s understanding of strength is more direct.
Let’s start with the Jeep Grand Cherokee. When talking about Jeep, sentiment comes to mind first. Actually, sentiment can be understood as something beyond material form—but products born from this often seem to carry more depth.
Since the birth of the Jeep brand in 1941, its journey has been full of dramatic twists. From the Willys that roared across World War II battlefields, to the Wagoneer considered the ancestor of SUVs, to the now universally known Grand Cherokee, and even the modern off-road tool, the Wrangler—76 years of accumulation and refinement have created this unique SUV brand. And Jeep’s brand DNA has always been engraved with a longing for freedom and the thrill of conquest.
The Touareg, however, has fewer stories, seemingly fewer sentiments. So over the years, it has consistently relied on only one technical trump card: the TSI+DSG golden powertrain combination.
Although this philosophy once propelled the entire Volkswagen lineup to its peak, it's worth noting that exclusive terms of the Grand Cherokee such as "all-terrain capability," "world's top ten engines," and "Rubicon Trail" have also won people’s hearts.
Perhaps while the Touareg remains content with its past achievements, its competitor has evolved far beyond imagination.
Of course, true strength is not solely based on historical accumulation—especially when choosing an SUV in the 700,000-yuan range, one that can dominate both rugged terrain and highways, only the extraordinary can achieve what is rare.
Among the two SUVs, the new Grand Cherokee may be the most serious SUV in the world. The word "serious" can also be interpreted as "dignified." No matter what slogan Jeep gives it, its image remains upright.
Over the years, the Grand Cherokee has played the role of a benchmark in the premium SUV segment. Though not ostentatious, everything it does carries weight. As a mid-cycle facelift model, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee focuses its efforts in two areas: first, making the Grand Cherokee more luxurious, and second, attempting to make it more professional.
However, the Touareg takes a completely different stylistic approach. Volkswagen’s system usually stimulates market demand through exterior changes, so its direction tends to be clearer—though somewhat lacking in surprises.
Who interprets the word "luxury" better—the new Grand Cherokee or the Touareg?
As early as the 2016 Grand Cherokee, the configuration upgrade was quite noticeable: engine start-stop system, rear parking assist with automatic braking, laminated noise-reducing front windshield glass, gear shifter integrated with manual shift buttons, 20-inch wheels/low rolling resistance tires, and a new adaptive cruise control system.
So in addition to already leading the class in features, the 2017 Grand Cherokee began refining its interior. The Summit trim’s cabin features newly designed Laguna premium leather seats. The feel of Semi-Aniline top-grain leather is both delicate and firm—unlike softer leathers that might cause worry about creases over time.
This type of leather is also used in the Bentley Bentayga. Although the official price for this version is 779,900 yuan, it’s still considered excellent value. After all, no other SUV in the same class offers the same level of luxury at a lower price.
Additionally, the upgraded ZF second-generation 8-speed automatic transmission makes daily driving smoother and more precise. It includes nearly 70 benchmark active and passive safety technologies, plus new intelligent safety features like automatic dual-position parking assist, ACC, and FCW—further enhancing safety.
After refining its core, the 2017 Grand Cherokee began innovating with exterior details. The main changes are concentrated on the front end: the lines on the top of the seven-slot front bumper have changed from curves to straight lines, and the seven-slot grille has become flatter.
The Summit version also comes with body-color integrated bumpers and exclusive slender fog lights. The air intake on the front bumper is now a honeycomb-style grille. This meticulous evolution makes me think of the craftsman’s spirit—meticulously refining every detail to create an SUV that’s refined inside and out.
Compared to the changes on the new Grand Cherokee, the Touareg appears a bit more conservative. Over the years, aside from minor changes in the number of grille stripes and the taillight design, there’s hardly anything noticeably different. Of course, this standardized Volkswagen personality is fairly consistent across models. While it’s hard to pinpoint any flaws, compared to the new Grand Cherokee, it doesn’t offer much to talk about.
How to choose between wildness and casualness?
One thing Jeep loves doing when building cars is never forgetting the original mission of being a professional SUV. This time, Jeep introduces the Trailhawk high-performance off-road edition on the new Grand Cherokee. The changes include a dark-framed front grille and a different fog light area compared to the standard version.
Additionally, the new model adds more off-road-style tow hooks under the bumper, and the side mirrors feature matte gray paint in a color different from the body—subtle touches that highlight its uniqueness.
Even more eye-catching is the fact that the Trailhawk high-performance off-road edition comes with 265/60 R18 tires using Goodyear’s Wrangler series, which emphasizes off-road performance and adapts better to unpaved roads. Notably, the Trailhawk’s rims feature the silhouette icon of Jeep’s legendary vehicle, the Willys, as well as a unique circular exhaust tailpipe.
On the mechanical power front, though it still uses the 243-horsepower 3.0T diesel turbocharged engine, the Trailhawk version is equipped with the segment’s strongest Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system, giving it a slight edge in both off-road and on-road capabilities.
Of course, the Touareg’s updates tend to be more laid-back. When it comes to special editions, you can guess its ace without thinking—that would be the R-Line offered by every Volkswagen model. The latest R-Line version of the Touareg is called the Peak Edition. But the difference is, all Volkswagen R-Line models only make exterior and interior detail changes, offering little more than psychological comfort in trying to resemble the R high-performance models.
No longer following the rules after a slash-life.
In fact, each vehicle model represents a different attitude toward life. There’s no absolute good or bad—often, the difference lies only in the soul.
So among the many SUV brands, I believe the difference between Jeep and Volkswagen actually comes down to the frequency at which your heart skips a beat when you see them. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is even more like a species full of life. In today’s dull and monotonous world, it can bring a unique posture anytime, anywhere, breaking the routine of an unchanging, rule-bound life. Perhaps it could be likened to unlocking our slash careers.
The pursuit of a diversified lifestyle seems to have become the most desired attitude among today’s middle-class elite. It’s just a matter of whether you’re willing to take on new challenges. We might see Wang Shi as a role model, but achieving a similar life ideal isn’t difficult.
I remember the first time I went on a self-driving trip about 10 years ago, I encountered a convoy of Jeep Cherokees on the road. Since we were headed to the same destination, we quickly teamed up. The convoy leader was dressed very much like an outdoorsman, and my first impression was that of a field worker. But after getting to know him better, I found out he was actually a clinical attending physician. Driving his Cherokee back to nature was the truest reflection of his inner self.
Later, I met him again after social media became a thing. He had traded his old Cherokee for the current Grand Cherokee. When we chatted again, his enthusiasm for nature was as vibrant as ever. To him, Jeep is not just a machine built for driving. Back then, meeting someone helped him settle his heart, and now, owning a car helps him settle his nature.
I believe there are many brands that can infuse a soul into a car. While the Volkswagen Touareg may not dwell on nostalgia, it’s certainly not cold and unfeeling either. Every car has its own intriguing stories behind it. But Jeep’s brand image and atmosphere are so powerful that they can alter the course of your life once you own one.