The 2011 Grand Cherokee's cabin is easy on the eyes and soft to the touch. The wood-grain and chrome trim is sexy and the leather-trimmed seats are comfortable. Front and rear seats and the steering wheel are all heated, which makes any Colorado family like mine happy. My test car even had the optional ventilated front seats, which would be a welcome blast of fresh air during the hot summers.

My test SUV had the Rear DVD Entertainment Center package with Sirius Backseat TV that features kids' channels including Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. While I may be conflicted about the necessity of in-car television, my children thought it was beyond cool. The entertainment package also includes wireless headphones so you can enjoy the silence and try to forget that you could be creating couch potatoes on wheels. In the realm of other family-friendly entertainment features, the 2011 Grand Cherokee also comes with Jeep's user-friendly Uconnect system that allows you to navigate, call your friends and play your favorite tunes from the comfort of the driver's seat.

There are cupholders for everyone

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in the center of both the front and rear seats as well as on the doors

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and a generous center storage cubby up front.

There's plenty of room for your gear as rear cargo volume clocks in at more than 35 cubic feet with the second row up and almost 69 cubic feet with the second row down. There's also a built-in flashlight in the rear cargo area that's a welcome addition to any family car

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no matter if you end up using it to fix a flat at night or simply entertain the kids with ghost stories during a long road trip.