Surfing with the Jeep Cherokee - Day 1: Vila Praia de Ancora - Viana do Castelo - Espinho

Our route through the surf beaches starts in the north of Portugal. It is true that Spain has some very good places for surfing, and even Galicia enjoys beaches that fill with surf lovers whatever the time of year, such as the one where I live, Playa de Patos (Nigrán).

But we wanted to head to our neighbouring country to discover more of its towns, many of them full of charm, with historic old quarters that are very well preserved, or with large beaches, many of them bordering wooded areas and hills. And as our companion we took a Jeep Cherokee Night Eagle with a 200 CV engine, a good ally for any adventure.

Day 1: Vila Praia de Ancora – Viana do Castelo – Espinho

Vila Praia de Ancora (Caminha)

We began the route at the border with Spain, in Vila Praia de Ancora (Caminha), located at the mouth of the Minho River. The village has a long beach washed by the Atlantic, where surfing is usually done in the part closest to the centre of the village. Besides surfing, nearby is the town of Caminha, which has an interesting historic centre to visit (it even preserves its 13th-century city wall).

View from Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo

From Vila Praia de Ancora we headed towards Viana do Castelo, one of the most important and largest cities in the north of Portugal. On that same national road there is a curious stop, a windmill beside the sea, the “Farol de Montedor”, not to mention the small beaches that appear along the road, some of them with an old fort. Viana do Castelo, besides being a good place to practise surfing (at Luzia Mar Beach), also has the Santa Luzia temple at the highest part of the city, from where there are panoramic views of the whole city and the sea. Viana is a recommended place to eat, being a city always linked to the sea, both through fishing and through its small shipyards, from which small boats still set sail today.

Traditional boats on the beach at Espinho

Our last stop of the day will be Espinho. It is one of the best areas in the north of Portugal for surfing, since its 17 km beach has ideal waves to enjoy wearing a wetsuit, and if you forget yours, the area rents out the necessary equipment. It is a typical tourist destination for those seeking sun and beach, although it is worth noting that the fishing tradition is still kept alive, with fishermen’s boats present along the coast and fresh fish sold early in the morning.

Driving impressions

The Jeep Cherokee is different, something you notice even before getting behind the wheel, and even more so in this special Night Eagle edition, with various black details and a look that leaves no one indifferent. The three-level front headlights give it personality, while the huge grille of the Jeep is black in this special edition. Under the bonnet, the range of diesel engines it can be fitted with runs from the 140 CV of the smallest diesel up to the 200 CV of this version, which also features Active Drive I all-wheel drive (without a reduction gearbox) and the nine-speed automatic gearbox.

Inside we find a finish of quality and in line with the price of the Cherokee; now we can indeed speak of a vehicle belonging to the premium segment (the leap in quality over the previous generation is radical). The materials used are soft and pleasant to the touch, with parts of the dashboard upholstered in leather standing out, as well as the huge 8.4-inch touchscreen that brings together all the controls for the multimedia system, climate control, navigation -with 3D maps- and other systems. The instrument cluster is simple yet complete in information -in the best-equipped versions the instrumentation is digital- although the one fitted to our unit is more than sufficient, with a comprehensive on-board computer and multiple readouts (oil temperature, coolant, battery charge, fuel consumption information, navigation directions…).

The driving position is elevated; the leather seats are standard on this edition (although in hot climates it would be appreciated if they were perforated), they have electric adjustment and heating (but no ventilation). That said, on the road they are comfortable seats and the padding is very pleasant; however, when tackling a more demanding road with plenty of bends, we notice that lateral support is not very good.

In the first kilometres -almost all on the road-, the Cherokee’s engine is powerful but lacks smoothness; still, the level of cabin soundproofing surprised us, especially on the motorway; in this respect the on-board comfort is outstanding. If we drive calmly it is a car with smooth responses, a high level of on-board comfort, and the 9-speed automatic gearbox (torque converter type) also helps with this, changing gears smoothly.

It has only one drawback: the sequential mode, or ERS mode as it is called, which only allows us to select the lowest possible gear and hold it there, but if we want to upshift, the gearbox does not do so immediately. On our road route, putting the gearbox to the test, before a roundabout we decided to downshift from 6th to 3rd, selecting it with the gear lever, but once past the roundabout, if we want to go back up through the gears to 6th, all the gearbox allows is selecting the gear; the transmission will engage it when it sees fit. We feel this is an area for improvement.

Comfort at the wheel is only limited by its dimensions, height and weight -1,977 kg- since on bends one has to be consistent with everything above, as certain entirely normal inertias appear in this SUV. After more than 140 km on the road, fuel consumption caught our attention, since if we are careful with the accelerator pedal it is easy to get below 6 litres per 100 km; in fact, on our route we achieved 5.7 litres per 100 km without much effort.

We continue on our way, the next direction is Figueira da Foz, a true surfing sanctuary in Portugal.