We doubt they’re given to popping celebratory champagne corks very often at Jeep headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, but now just might be a good time. The brand set a sales record in 2012, notching an improvement of 13 percent in the U.S. versus 2011. That translates to 474,131 Jeeps moved, of which 154,734 were Grand Cherokees.

So if it works, why fix it? Well, what’s successful in the auto world quickly becomes stale, so automakers can’t sit still. They must constantly revise, and thus we now have the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee that’s debuting at the Detroit auto show.

The altered face of the big Jeep is still recognizable, although it’s now squinting just a bit and has received a slight chin lift. The slimmer headlamps feature LED signatures and are adaptive bi-xenon units on higher trims; they split a slightly shallower grille with, of course, seven slots. Raising the lower fascia highlights the fact that the front end is different, and also serves to underline the Jeep’s approach angle. At the back, the changes include larger LED taillights and, on some versions, fatter dual exhaust tips. All trims now have their own lower rear styling, and the liftgate has new sheetmetal, a larger spoiler, and a reworked badge.

View Photos MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

Inside, the basic shape of the center stack is as it was, but the layout has been reworked to accommodate the corporate 8.4- or 5.0-inch touch screens. Both the gauge cluster and steering wheel are new, too, with the former incorporating a seven-inch configurable display and the latter getting wood inserts on the top models. Open-pore wood trim; a faux suede headliner; and a 19-speaker, 825-watt Harman/Kardon audio system are available.

The most cheer-worthy update for the 2014 Grand Cherokee—we hear you all the way in Ann Arbor—is the addition of the all-new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6. Diesel details: Compacted graphite iron is used for the block and the bed plate, while the twin-cam, 24-valve heads are aluminum. The V-6 checks in with 240 horsepower at 3600 rpm and a stout 420 lb-ft of torque at 2000 rpm. Go with rear-wheel drive and Jeep says you’ll get 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway and be able to tug up to 7400 pounds. Four-wheel drive rates at 20/28 and 7200 pounds. Jeep claims EcoDiesel Grand Cherokees have a potential range of more than 730 miles.

The other engines carry over. The 3.6-liter Pentastar delivers 290 hp and 260 lb-ft, 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway regardless of drive system, and 6200 pounds of towing capacity. Opt for the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and you get 360 hp and 390 lb-ft; mileage check in at 15/21 with two-wheel drive, and 14/21 with all-wheel drive. Towing ability is the same as the diesel models.

View Photos MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

In all cases, you’ll be working through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, which replaces five- and six-speed units. As expected, the many-geared ’box accounts for improved fuel economy (2 mpg highway for the V-6 GCs and 1 in each measure for the V-8s) and makes for smoother shifts and better scoot, but also improves the crawl ratio for those off-roading in their Grand Cherokee. A new Eco Mode can alter shift schedules and the V-8’s cylinder deactivation, and even lower the optional air suspension as vehicle speed tops 52 mph.

Being a Jeep, one can mix and match three different 4x4 systems, the height-adjustable air suspension, and a five-mode Selec-Terrain setup. The latter’s Sport mode is now activated via the shift lever. Rock-crawlers will dig the new Selec-Speed function, which allows drivers to control hill descent and ascent speeds using the steering-wheel paddles without using the brake or accelerator pedals. Forward-collision warning joins the safety roster. Last year’s lineup of trims—Laredo, Limited, Overland—is again available, although the Overland Summit has been rechristened simply Summit.

With the Grand Cherokee’s re-do now unveiled and a new, ostensibly competitive Liberty coming this year, will there be champagne at the ready for January 2014? We shall see.

MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

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