I’m driving the all-new Grand Cherokee.
Did Jeep mess this up or is this the best one ever?
Let’s find out
Unless you’ve been living under a rock bigger than Jeeps can tackle, you know that SUVs
and crossovers have taken the sales crown away from sedans.
Families love them.
They’re roomy, practical, and have ride heights that lets you see into the next county.
Low-slung and sporty is a thing of the past I guess.
The 2022 Grand Cherokee, generation five, gets an all-new architecture and has more
of what people want out of these rigs.
Most of all, choice.
Grand Cherokee is very important to Jeep and here’s proof- it’s now available in two
different lengths, the longer one gets three rows of seating.
There are seven different trim levels and three powertrains including a V8 and a plug-in
hybrid system good for 25 miles of all electric range.
So if you can’t find one of these to fit your needs I think that’s on you.
This is a higher-end Overland model, there’s only a couple trims higher, Summit and Summit
Reserve.
Maybe three if you count the ultra-capable Trailhawk.
It gets sway-bar disconnect and high strength steel skid plates.
A base rear-drive Laredo in white (the only paint that doesn’t get an upcharge) begins
at around $40,100 dollars.
This well-equipped 4-wheel drive Overland with the Luxury Tech Group, Advanced Tech
Group, and upgraded Uconnect 5 system with navi and McIntosh sound will set you back
65 grand.
And yes that includes delivery.
This one gets its oomph from a 3.6 L Pentastar V6 engine that makes 293 hp and 260 pound
feet of torque.
There’s a nice little show on the configurable gauge cluster, sorry forgot to shoot the head
up display.
It’s not just Easter eggs in the bay, a graphic points out the negative terminal.
Hey, Jeep folks are out there in bad conditions giving people jump starts.
The transmission is an 8-speed, use these small tabs to shift manually, the buttons
below are for the sound system.
Selec-Terrain is Jeep’s branding for the five different drive modes that are available
on Grand Cherokee.
Quadra-Trac II with 2-speed transfer case is what you’ll get when checking the 4WD
option box on Overland.
This means the Grand Cherokee is extra capable, the $1,100 Off Road Group on this vehicle
ups it to Quadra-DRIVE II and adds a number of skid plates.
The Quadra-Lift air suspension gets an electronic semi-active damping system, this rig can deliver
11.3 inches of ground clearance and can ford two feet of water.
Might be handy with climate change and all.
The V6 is the base engine and acceleration isn’t bad.
0 to 60 happens in about eight seconds and it’s EPA-rated fuel economy average is 22
miles per gallon, also not bad.
Now there is the V8 and it’s more powerful.
It’s also more expensive and thirstier by 5 mpg, yeah it’s lower by 5 mpg so there’s
that.
If you want real efficiency you go with the 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain which gets 56
MPGe.
Of course that’s only if you plug it in.
One reason to get the V8?
It tows the most, up to 7,200 pounds (Jeep points out that’s best-in-class because
automakers do things like that).
But the Pentastar goes about its business nicely, passing well on the highway while
the 8-speed kicks down quickly and smoothly.
As far as driving dynamics go, you’ve got to remember this is a very capable off-road
machine.
But it’s a good everyday driver, corners well, a little bit of body roll but not bad
at all it’s not a sports car.
On the highway it tracks straight and true, no micro corrections.
It’s quiet, it’s comfortable.
The track is widened by 1.4-inches so that helps.
Even without the adaptive suspension, this is much more civilized than Toyota 4Runner
and far above what a Kia Telluride or Hyundai Palisade can do off road.
The Ford Bronco 4-door comes close to Grand Cherokee’s refinement… but not quite.
Hmmm, a Defender.
Also very nice I do like Defenders.
In my opinion, it’s the closest you’ll get to the all-around goodness the Jeep offers.
This thing has a really good turning radius, check it out.
Good if you’re going off road.
Got to wonder how many people are going to take this even on a dirt road.
That said, I drove the 3-row Grand Cherokee L at Mudfest 2021, an SUV of the year competition.
It might not have the chops of a Wrangler Rubicon but it didn’t even breath hard,
even on the advanced course.
This is as comfortable as the Cadillac Escalade.
It’s not like we needed to add refinement, the Grand Cherokee always had that.
But we really focused on making the Grand Cherokee better and more refines and more
capable.
Modern tech gives this a lot of cool features like the configurable gauge cluster.
And it’s only recently that this amount of information was available to off roaders.
It’s not just gimmicky stuff, it can help out in tough trail situations.
Cameras can act as spotters.
It’s easy for them to get dirty in muddy and dusty conditions.
no need to leave the comfy seats to clean the lenses.
Will many Grand Cherokees get pointed to this kind of terrain?
Some will, I’ve seen it.
Many probably won’t.
But people are sold on the reassurance that it can tackle the tough stuff.
That particular vehicle had the most capable 4 x 4 system that’s available with Grand
Cherokee.
You got to remember there are different systems.
The automatic engine stop start system is fairly smooth and easy to turn off if you’re
in traffic.
The set and forget automatic 4WD system is completely seamless.
It never calls attention to itself.
There’s loads of standard active electronic safety tech now including automatic emergency
braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise with stop and go feature,
blind spot warning, and a whole lot more.
I did try the semi-autonomous driving tech that’s available with Jeep Grand Cherokee
on the highway and have to say it’s pretty good.
It tracks straight and true, takes gentle curves all by itself very confidently.
You do have to pay attention and you have to keep your hands on the wheel but it’s
a good system
Don’t forget, this is not the top dog Grand Cherokee.
It presents very nicely though, friends and family were impressed, asking if this is real
open pore wood (it’s not).
The stitching’s nearly the length of the Appalachian Trail.
Often times door handles have an easy-to-feel hollow edge underneath, these feel smooth
and spendy.
A closer look shows some of the plastics aren’t Range Rover grade, but you’d be paying an
extra 30 grand for one of those.
Seats are heated and vented with loads of adjustments, they also give a halfway decent
massage and that’s while your hands stay toasty warm.
A secondary 10 and a quarter passenger touch screen can be had here, it lets them be a
useful co-pilot.
If you’re into music at all you’re going to want the optional McIntosh sound system
it has an unusually natural, neutral, reference quality to it and if it helps to validate
that statement at all I used to do music soundtrack work so I’m very picky about my sound.
And funny that while I was shooting the sequence my son texted me to say that he got into this
very prestigious LA music production school so congratulations.
Way to go Sean.
Other cool tech is a digital rear view mirror for when cargo is loaded to the roof.
And this one is equipped with night vision that points out pedestrians and large animals.
Cause no one wants to hit a deer… or a human.
I’ll point out that the ambient lighting on the doors and dash look nice at night.
Grand Cherokee is running the Uconnect 5 user interface.
Uconnect has always among the better systems, this is laid out well with good touch response.
Maps can be updated over the air.
There’s no casual voice prompts but there’s Alexa that can handle some voice commands.
My only real gripe is that the screen can get busy with lots of small icons.
Feel free to leave your phone on the Qi charger, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are wireless.
The cabin has as extra 4 cubic feet of space now.
As for storage, the Grand Cherokee is like that big back pack with lots of pockets.
Plenty of places for granola bars and trail mix.
Hey I thought you said the Grand Cherokee had 3 rows of seating now.
That’s the long version, maybe do your research.
What do you think I’m doing?
I’m showing these people of the backseat.
This one is pretty good, it has everything that I like in the backseat.
We’re both 5 foot 9 inches, headroom, leg and knee room are good.
Foot room very generous.
The door openings are big enough so that you can get car seats in and out without any trouble
at all and cushions are high enough so thigh support is excellent.
Door pockets, those are average in size.
This must be the fancy Grand Cherokee built-in sunshades.
Not only are their pockets on both seats I like these bag hooks.
Dual zone climate control back here and heated seats nice.
Apparently there’s an Amazon Fire entertainment system that goes back here if you want to
spend the money.
Charging, Wow I can power just about anything back here.
For a our-wheel-drive vehicle the drive shart is on the smaller side so foot room will be
good for everybody and three adults will be fine back here, this is a roomy space so they’ll
be happy campers.
My only gripe is that the seats don’t slide fore and aft to max out legroom or cargo room.
With the all-new platform of course comes an all-new design but this will be easily
recognized as a Grand Cherokee, the Jeep folks aren’t reinventing the styling with generation
5.
The classic seven slot grille remains, with a slight forward leaning menace to it.
Engineers did a great job integrating all the sensors.
The slim taillamps help give the rear a wide planted look.
This particular vehicle is optioned up with the $695 black roof.
Personally, that’s money I’m happy to save, with the chrome accent, it appears less
busy in body color.
But that’s me.
And the L version with 3 rows of seating has a different D pillar.
The cargo hold of the 5th generation Grand Cherokee here is a little bit bigger than
gen 4 by about one and a half cubic feet.
I’ll take it.
Not much storage under the floor but there is a spare tire.
Some SUVs have a reversable floor for muddy things.
This doesn’t have that.
This being the fancier Overland, I feel it should have remote seat releases, or at least
latches that let you drop from the seatback tops but you’ll have to go around to the
rear doors when loading big cargo.
Considering a lot of Grand Cherokees will see ski duty, would be great to have a pass
though or 40/20/40 split here.
Skis on the roof rack cause wind noise.
There are the usual handy touches to make life easier.
Seats up, there’s 37.7 cubic feet to fill.
With some smart packing a family of four could get all their camping gear in here, no need
for a roof box.
That’s an impressive 10 packs.
Jeep and Chrysler put the hatch button on the side, easier for shorter people to reach,
just keep that in mind when loading up.
I think that covers the 2022 Grand Cherokee, let’s sum it up with Red Light Green Light.
Green Light- The sheer variety of Grand Cherokee builds.
Rear drive, 4WD, base, luxury, the multiple powertrains and a choice of two or three rows
of seating.
For a true off-roader, it’s a mighty docile everyday driver.
Properly equipped, it’s especially good at taking on severe conditions.
The controlled driving dynamic and commanding seat position are exactly what people are
looking for in an SUV.
Yellow Light- I like the new design, but the chrome spear with the black roof doesn’t
do it for me.
The interior of my Overland had a rich look, though some of hard plastics ruin the vibe.
The 4xe that’s coming in late spring is has excellent efficiency if you plug it in,
the other engines, not so much.
Red Light- Small stuff.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking all Grand Cherokees have 4WD, because there’s a choice.
Until the 4xe comes along there are roomier 3 row crossovers that are much more efficient.
And for the foreseeable future, this will be hard to find on dealer lots considering
demand and production issues.
Consider that Jeep says over 7 million Grand Cherokees have been sold that says a lot about
how important this rig is.
It’s right behind Wrangler in brand recognition when the Jeep name is mentioned.
All the trim levels, powertrain choices and two lengths can only make it more popular.
I completely understand why people are fans of the Jeep grand Cherokee in this one is
the best whenever and a bit of an admission I’m not crazy about larger inefficient vehicles
but the grand Cherokee is always been my guilty pleasure it’s quiet it’s comfortable it’s
really capable and it’s just got this feeling of bravado from behind the wheel
It's what appeals to mamma and pappa bears these days, the feeling of invincibility and
the perception of safety.
If you simply must get anywhere, and arrive in style, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is a crowd
pleaser that’s up to the task.
If you’re wondering, yes, I plan on getting a Grand Cherokee 4xe as soon as possible to
see if it’s both capable and efficient.
I’m most impressed when engineers can eek out both.
And back to the trunk test, interesting that even though the spare is full sized, it’s
a different brand and grade from what’s on the alloy wheels.
This is the credits I shoot right edit and research, Martin Campbell drives it’s very
very chatty can’t get him to shut up
And I mention Martin because there are days that I’m not on my A game when shooting.
I was tired, distracted, cold and wet.
That meant Mr Campbell spent an extra hour driving back and forth so I could give you
a video that was… well, at the very least in focus.
I’m always striving for that.
With all the craziness in the automotive world these days it’s really important to use
a price quote service.
I have one and if you use it supports this channel so thank you very much.
But really use anybody’s all right, I really don’t care I just want you to get the best
deal
This is the credits I shoot right edit and research.
Martin Campbell drives.
He’s very very chatty can’t get him to shut up.
This is the end and if you’re not familiar with this channel it’s where I normally
give you guys a fun fact and this time the theme is firsts and lasts.
In the early 1960s the Jeep Wagoneer was the first 4 x 4 to offer….
Anybody?
An automatic transmission.
iIt was also the first to have an independent front suspension.
Fast forward some 30 years and the Grand Wagoneer was the last vehicle in America to offer a…
carburetor.
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Thanks for watching, that’s driven I’m Tom Voelk