Call it the 'bit of the West' in all of us, if I might steal an advertising line from a jeans maker, but I really have a soft spot for the current Jeep Cherokee, even if it bears no relation except its name to the 4x4 that preceded it.

So strong is the image of the original that they decided they wouldn't get away with giving the latest version the same name in its home USA, so they called it the Liberty instead.

It has, from the time I first drove it almost two years ago, attracted me with its modern and rounded looks, with its compact dimensions, and for its very much more comfortable ride than its predecessor.

In fact, in internal style and quality terms alone, the current Cherokee has jumped the car about 30 years, never mind the technology and comfort.

I've extolled its virtues before. The reason for revisiting Cherokee already is the availability of the CRD diesel with automatic transmission.

And it may seem crazy to say it, but the first thought is that - in these days of ultra-refined diesel engines that hype their smoothness to rival petrol units - it was very nice to drive a diesel that sounded like a diesel.

I'm not knocking the refined ones, far from it, but there's something about this unashamedly clattersome oilburner that suits the image of the Cherokee.

The 2.8-litre unit is as strong and willing as it is loud. Allied with the proven go-anywhere ability of the 4WD transmission and the high-off-the-ground undercart, you have to feel that this would pull you to the moon and back if you asked it to.

And certainly it wouldn't have any trouble dealing with the terrain up there ...

The other new part of the review car, the automatic gearbox, is a blessing to any of us who had cribbed, correctly, about the heaviness of the shifter and the clutch in the manual versions. Popeye the Sailor muscles on left legs and arms would likely develop with any extended use of that particular version.

The autobox is a pretty standard unit, 4-speeds of which the top is an overdrive. No fancy sequential shifts, and no sport or snow settings. The 4WD operations handle any special needs like that.

On the tarmac, all those powertrain things I've mentioned make for interesting aural experiences. Welly the right foot to go and the clatter rivals what Bewleys used to be before they went posh. Lift it again and there's an amazing sense of silence.

The engine is torquey, and invites down-to-business treatment. But you CAN drive this Cherokee fairly smoothly if you want. It just doesn't seem to be the right thing to do a lot of the time, though.

And maybe that's the reason for another aspect, the short distance it travels between filling stations.

On my reckoning, it achieves about 28mpg on mixed running.

(I had to work it out from the litres/100 km figure, because the trip computer only allows that or US mpg, which are different to ours because the US gallon is smaller.

And the range from a tankful is about 330-350 miles, which for a diesel machine that is designed for riding to the wild blue yonder seems a little on the short side.

There are people of my journalistic persuasion who might criticise the on-road ride for being a bit on the soggy side. Even though it is set up by the European Jeep people for European tastes compared to the home country preferences.

I simply found it comfortable, not wanting to be throwing it around squirrely bends anyway. And on the rougher parts of offroading, that softness turns into a decently-controlled absorber of harsh ground, something that one values after even a short period away from the tarmac.

Living with the Cherokee, I like the quality of the interior plastics and the cheerfulness of the dashb oard and doortrim styling.

The seats are comfortable and yet firm enough to support. Unlike the old car, there is plenty of room both for knees and for heads even if both are mine. And while the luggage space isn't spectacular, it is probably adequate for most needs.

Outside, though the Jeep people are on record as saying they probably won't keep the shape the same as long as they did with the old car, it is a quite dateless form, and even for its third and fourth owners is likely to retain its modern feel.

One last downside, though, is the price. In some strange mathematical machination, the Cherokee in Ireland is at a cost which brings it way above its equivalent in our sterling neighbour.

Over there, the Cherokee is targeted at the Land Rover Freelander, which makes a deal of sense is size, engines, and type-of-use terms. The Cherokee, of course, has a full pack of offroad gears, but this shouldn't make such a difference.

So your views on value for money will have to be a strong consideration in buying this one. If you do, though, the relatively low numbers which will be around when you go to sell should give it reasonable residual value.

And then there's that 'bit of the West' thing. The Jeep Cherokee is as iconic as blue jeans. But in a Calvin Klein kind of way rather than the ones piled high in Dunnes Stores.

NOTE: The Jeep Cherokee range has been reduced in price since July this year. Prices now include the 2.5-litre CRD Sport at €40,667; 2.5- CRD LTD (Leather) at €44,751; 3.7-litre V6 LTD automatic €46,998; the 2.5- CRD commercial at €29,923; the 2.8 Commercial Common Rail Diesel automatic, €32,660 and the 2.8-CRD LTD automatic €46,998 (reduced from €55,500).