Comfort and utility were not strong points of the previous Jeep Grand Cherokee, which featured too-soft seating, tight rear leg space, and a smaller maximum cargo volume than its key competitors. For 2005, the Jeep improves on all three fronts, but could be better.

In both rows, the seats are a huge improvement over the plush, overstuffed, unsupportive Barcaloungers in the old model – but they still aren’t quite right. These smaller, firmer seats are too flat, and don’t offer enough bottom cushion tilt to get a perfect driving position. But they sure do prove comfortable over the long haul, and it’s very easy to get into and out of the front seats. Jeep also provides a steering wheel that is nice to hold, and the upper door panels, while not deeply padded, are at least soft, which is more than can be said of the Ford Explorer.

Like with the old Grand Cherokee, rear seat legroom is tight, and if four six-footers are aboard, those in back will experience full leg contact with the seatbacks. The bottom cushion is firm like those in front, but is mounted too low and provides an angle of tilt just adequate for support. There’s lots of underseat foot space, though. When getting into or out of the back seat, watch your pants on the intrusive wheelwell, especially if the truck is wet or muddy.

As for interior noise, none of our test samples exhibited rattles or squeaks, and on the Laredo that’s amazing since it was a thrashed rental ride with 15,000 miles on the clock. However, the Laredo’s engine droned at highway speeds, a cyclical thrum not unlike a commercial aircraft. And the power sunroof on the Limited 4.7L had an air leak that howled at speeds over 40 mph. By contrast, the Limited Hemi V8 was silent – unless prodded, at which point a bellow from the engine bay was audible. Significantly, there’s no more gear whine from the Quadra-Drive II 4WD system at speeds over 75 mph, as in the old model. In fact, while cruising down the highway, the loudest thing inside the Limited 5.7L was the climate control fan. This was one quiet SUV. The Laredo, not so much.

In terms of storage and utility, the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee rates average at best. The cupholders are small with the removable rubber insert in use, and the flimsy plastic rear drink containers pop out of the leading edge of seat cushion. Roomy front door bins, a decent-sized glovebox, and a small center console bin are provided as places to stash stuff, along with an overhead sunglasses holder and rubber-lined trays in the dashboard and center console. In back, Jeep supplies small rear door bins, a tight storage area in the rear center armrest and a pocket on back of driver’s seat.

Loading the Grand Cherokee requires lifting items onto a tall cargo floor that’s positioned almost as high as a typical pickup truck tailgate. To expand the cargo area, the rear seats fold quickly and easily without removing the headrests, the cargo cover is easy to remove, and six-footers can clear the tailgate corners when its raised to avoid bumping heads. But the resulting 67.4 cubic feet of maximum space is small for a vehicle of this size and price. Handy items that help enhance cargo-toting capability include six cargo tie-down hooks, grocery hooks mounted on the left side, and a netted panel on the right. Jeep also includes a flip-up rear glass for greater load flexibility, and the cargo door is easy to close thanks to a big grab handle. Finally, the load floor panel is reversible, with a water-resistant underfloor storage compartment for carrying wet items.

The 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s control layout and design is relatively simple and straightforward, with our primary complaints limited to the navigation system, which is bundled with stereo functions on models so equipped. Though handy volume and tuning knobs are provided, along with excellent satellite switchgear mounted to the back of the steering wheel spokes, we still prefer the simpler stereo layout on models without navigation. At least the navigation system is easy to program and it’s also easy to cancel guidance. But we weren’t crazy about the two-stage, toggle-and-depress joystick that helps guide through function menus. Not only does it require multiple inputs to select a feature, it responds slowly to commands. Plus, the one in our rental Limited 4.7L was already broken at 10,000 miles, rendering the navigation system almost useless. A touch screen would be nice, but it’s not offered here.

Other controls are easy to find, understand, and operate. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited’s dual-zone automatic climate control uses four knobs and three auxiliary buttons to control functions, making it a model of simplicity, but the single-zone air conditioning in the Laredo is even easier to use. Likewise, secondary controls are logical, but Jeep brings the Grand Cherokee to market with an auto-down feature for the driver’s window only. And it’s not auto-up. That’s frustrating, and not terribly “Grand.”

Worse, though, is the location of the ignition slot on the dashboard. Three times we bumped the key with a knee and shut the Jeep Grand Cherokee down while cruising down the freeway. Twice it happened with our Limited 5.7L model, and once with the Laredo. If you regularly carry a wad of keys on your ring, chances are good that this might happen to you, too. It’s rather unnerving to have your car’s engine shut off at 75 mph, especially if you don’t realize your leg brushed the keys. We’d guess lots of people will bring their Grand Cherokees in to the dealer for unexplained “stalling” problems.