New Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe PHEV now on sale

• 31-mile electric range
• Only the five-seat model will be sold in the UK
• On sale now from £69,900

The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee is now available to order, with prices starting from £69,900. The outgoing Grand Cherokee has been on sale for over 11 years, and the new model boasts a more brutish design, the latest technology and a muscular, yet efficient plug-in hybrid powertrain.

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The fifth-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will only be sold in the UK with five seats; the previously announced larger, seven-seat model is destined for North America. First deliveries are expected to arrive in showrooms at the start of 2023, with the Grand Cherokee set to offer a more rugged alternative to the BMW X5, Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90.

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee: trim levels and specifications

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Buyers can configure their new Jeep Grand Cherokee in one of four distinct trim levels: Limited, Trailhawk, Overland and Summit Reserve. Despite its premium-sounding name, the Limited model acts as the entry-point into the Grand Cherokee range and starts from £69,900. 

We expect this to be the most popular version in the lineup as the level of standard equipment is very high. Grand Cherokee Limited cars benefit from 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a dual-screen infotainment system featuring a 10.1-inch touchscreen, plus 10.25-inch digital dials, and faux leather upholstery with heated and ventilated front seats. The Limited also comes with a range of safety and driver assistance equipment such as a digital rear view mirror, a reversing camera, automatic high beams, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

Jeep is well-known for its ultra-capable 4x4s and the Trailhawk is perhaps the most off-road oriented model of the Grand Cherokee available. Starting from £73,900, Trailhawk cars get smaller 18-inch wheels with made-for-purpose off-road tyres, as well as a host of mechanical tweaks optimised for off-roading, such as extra bracing and a limited-slip differential.

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The Grand Cherokee Overland is primarily aimed at an urban audience and starts from £75,900. This model can be identified by its 20-inch diamond-cut alloys and painted body cladding. On the inside, cars specified in Overland trim receive Nappa leather upholstery, a head-up display, a 19-speaker sound system and a panoramic sunroof.

Sitting at the pinnacle of the Grand Cherokee range is the luxurious Summit Reserve model. This benefits from many of the mechanical upgrades seen on the Trailhawk car, as well as the stylish looks of the Overland model. On top of 21-inch wheels, a sumptuous Palermo leather interior and plenty of wood trim, perhaps the Summit Reserve’s most defining feature is an additional 10-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. Pricing for this model starts from £82,900.

Design and exterior

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has received a thoroughly modern redesign for this new model, with a more angular appearance than before. The front bears the brand’s trademark slatted grille design with large intakes. Black protective bodywork cladding is fitted on all sides, while the sides sport a lowered windowline, squared wheel arches and an extended roofline for improved aerodynamics and more interior space. At the rear, a slim pair of tail lights extend from the rear quarter into the full-width tailgate. From launch, buyers will have the choice of seven different paint colours.

Interior and technology

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The interior of the Grand Cherokee has also been given a new modern look and a vast technology upgrade over the old car. The dashboard gets a trio of digital displays with a pair of 10.1-inch screens for the digital dial cluster and main infotainment system, while the front passenger also gets a larger 10.25-inch display. This setup runs Jeep’s latest Uconnect 5 system, which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus TomTom sat nav. It also incorporates a 4G wireless hotspot and Amazon Alexa connectivity. 

Jeep claims the new interior is more comfortable and better made than before, thanks in part to redesigned seats with more adjustability. These can be specced with heating, ventilation and massage functions. A wireless charging pad also features, along with a new storage bin large enough for two smartphones. 

Standard safety features have been bolstered with collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-path detection and autonomous emergency braking. Lane keep assist, active lane management, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control also feature. A rear-view camera and parking sensors are also included.

Engines, chassis and off-roading

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Jeep is only offering the new Grand Cherokee as a plug-in hybrid in the UK. Dubbed the ‘4xe’, this uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with a pair of electric motors and a 17kWh battery. This gives it a pure-electric range of around 31 miles, with 375bhp going to all-four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. 

The 4xe gets three different driving modes called Hybrid, Electric and eSave. In the ‘Hybrid’ setting, the petrol engine and electric motors are optimised to deliver the best balance between performance and fuel economy. ‘Electric’ switches the powertrain into pure-EV mode, while ‘eSave’ conserves the battery power for use at a later time, typically at lower speeds in a city. To help top-up the battery on the move, regenerative braking is also fitted.

In the UK, the Grand Cherokee comes with two distinct four-wheel-drive setups, called Quadra Trac II and Quadra Drive II. The former comes fitted to Limited and Overland cars and is able to send up to 100% of the engine’s power to either the front or rear axle.

The Quadra Drive II setup is a tad more complex and is exclusive to Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and Summit Reserve models. This has a low-range mode for traversing difficult terrain and a limited-slip differential to maintain the maximum possible traction.

Regardless, all cars get Jeep’s Quadra-Lift air suspension which can raise the ride height to an impressive 278mm, allowing the Grand Cherokee to ford water that’s over 600mm deep.

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