- We're here in this really scenic location,
a dark parking garage,
with our latest long-term test vehicle,
the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe.
And we chose this location
specifically because we want a demo one safety feature
of the vehicle called Night Vision.
If your superpower of choice as a kid
was some form of night vision to be able
to clearly see in the dark, you'll wanna check this out.
So, Night Vision was an add-on feature
that came as part of the Advanced ProTech Group package
on our Trailhawk 4xe.
The package retails for around $2,200
and it includes a couple other safety features
like a 360 degree camera and parking sensors.
So, what is Night Vision?
Night Vision uses an infrared camera
and thermographic technology to detect objects
like people and animals in the dark.
It then displays the images in the gauge cluster.
Jeep says that the camera can detect people and animals
up to a range of 328 feet ahead of the vehicle.
So the system works by measuring the temperature differences
between the object and its surroundings.
So for example, warmer objects like people and animals
will show up brighter on the screen
while cooler objects like traffic signs
are gonna show up darker.
Let's take a look at how to get Night Vision
to show up in the gauge cluster.
So, you just simply wanna scroll
through the menu options on the steering wheel
until you see the Night Vision screen pop up.
And then to activate or deactivate the driver alerts,
you wanna go to vehicle settings,
safety and driving assistance, and then you can choose
to turn Night Vision video warnings on or off.
So, in terms of the driver warnings,
based on the threat level,
a yellow or red box highlights the objects of interest
to get the driver's attention.
And then if the alerts are activated,
the system will issue a visual
or an audible warning for the driver.
A yellow level one warning means an object
has been detected in the path of the vehicle
while it's moving at a speed above eight miles per hour.
While a red level two warning means an object
and a potential collision have been detected.
So, unfortunately, we had no deer volunteer
to participate in a test of the technology.
But to show you how it works for pedestrians,
let's have Christian saunter in front of the vehicle
so you could see how he shows up in the gauge cluster.
So, a few other things to note about Night Vision
and its limitations.
Night Vision will still display thermal images
during daylight hours, but the alerts will not activate.
Certain conditions may also interfere
with the system picking up objects.
For example, it may not detect a cyclist
or a group of pedestrians or animals like a herd of deer.
The system does not function
like some active driver assist features
that automatically slow the vehicle down or break
in order to avoid a collision.
It's completely up to you as the driver
to heed the warnings and then take action.
The alerts will also not work in very hot weather
when external temperatures reach above 86 degrees Fahrenheit
so it may not be ideal for very hot climates.
So, something else that we noted was that
because the thermal images are displayed
in the gauge cluster, it does require the driver
to momentarily take their eyes off the road
and look down to see the alerts.
Something that would be interesting to see
is if the technology was fully integrated
into the vehicle's head up display.
Currently only a level two alert
will show up in the head up display
but our vehicle didn't come with a head up display however.
For now, Cars.com editors, myself included,
have only tested out Night Vision
in fairly urban or suburban environments
where there's plenty of ambient light
even after the sun goes down.
As we continue to test this technology
through our ownership of the vehicle,
it'll be great to see how it works
in more rural environments where conditions are darker.
Night Vision is currently available
on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, and Grand Wagoneer.
You can read all about
our Jeep Grand Cherokee ownership journey here at Cars.com.
(upbeat music)