Jeep Grand Cherokee review – an unremarkable SUV with premium aspirations

Verdict – is the Jeep Grand Cherokee a good car?

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is an SUV that’s somewhat lacking in presence and refinement, despite the brand’s aspirations for it to compete in a premium market full of more desirable and polished rivals. For those reasons, it feels very expensive for what it is, and while it does offer some genuine off-roading capability and features a plug-in hybrid setup as standard, a Land Rover can be had with all of that in a more luxurious package.

Jeep Grand Cherokee models, specs and alternatives

Jeep has a long history of building rugged dependable off-roaders and chunky SUVs. The Jeep Cherokee is often recognised as one of the first cars to kick off the more road-focused SUV bodystyle, with the term ‘Sports Utility Vehicle’ first appearing in a sales brochure for the model back in the 70s – the Grand Cherokee arrived later as a larger SUV offering more space. The Grand Cherokee is currently the sole model of the two to be offered in the UK, sitting above the Compass in the brand’s lineup. 

The Jeep Grand Cherokee, now in its fifth generation, launches into a market saturated with SUVs, so offering a package to entice buyers is a much harder task than before. It’s actually been available to order since 2022, but a delayed arrival means things have already moved on since then, leaving the Jeep already feeling slightly dated next to its many premium rivals.

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Those rivals include the BMW X5, Range Rover Sport, Land Rover Defender, Mercedes GLE, Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg, given the Grand Cherokee’s steep circa-£70,000 price tag. Our top-spec test model pushed prices up to a lofty price of over £85,000, and for that sort of money, buyers will be expecting a lot to show for it.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s interior design is an area where the car’s long gestation is apparent, with lots of black gloss trim that other manufacturers seem to be erring away from in their latest models, given its tendency to show up marks easily. This is a theme that carries over to the rest of the car, because while it’s meant to be a premium SUV, build quality is lacking.

Just one engine is available, and that’s a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol plug-in hybrid, badged 4xe. The system incorporates two electric motors and is four-wheel drive with a healthy total output of 375bhp. Being a plug-in model means you can do a range of up to 31 miles in the city or 29 elsewhere, but this is no longer a particularly impressive figure, with countless rival PHEVs now offering an electric range figure in the 50s.

The Grand Cherokee is available in four trim levels, starting from Limited, then moving up through Trailhawk, Overland and Summit Reserve. While all models get features like a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and 10-inch touchscreen among many other features, the onboard tech isn’t as impressive as it sounds on paper.

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee is available with just one plug-in hybrid engine, but while this would give high hopes for efficiency, the reality is that it just doesn’t offer as competitive an electric range as many rivals, with figures of up to 28 miles, or up to 31 miles if you stick to city driving.

While that also equates to a seemingly lofty mpg figure, you’ll have to keep the Grand Cherokee regularly charged up to have any hope of achieving that figure, and in any case the quoted comparable economy figures of plug-in rivals are in the hundreds, so the Jeep is lagging behind in this area.
 

How much will the Jeep Grand Cherokee cost in tax?

One upside to the Jeep Grand Cherokee being solely available as a PHEV is that all models will qualify for the annual discounted rate of VED (road tax), which equates to just £10 less per year compared to a standard petrol model. Unfortunately, however, because it costs over £40,000, every Grand Cherokee will incur the additional rate for a premium vehicle for the first five years, which equates to £590 annually. After five years this decreases to the standard annual rate.

More substantial savings can be made if you buy the Jeep Grand Cherokee as a company car, as its low CO2 emissions put it in a lower BiK (Benefit-in-Kind) tax bracket.

What will the Jeep Grand Cherokee cost to insure?

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has yet to receive official insurance group ratings, but we wouldn’t expect it to be the cheapest to insure given its high list price and power figure. For context, rivals such as the Volvo XC90 PHEV sit in group 44 out of 50, while the BMW X5 PHEV sits in group 48, so we can expect the Grand Cherokee to be positioned between 40 to 50.
 

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One of the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s best attributes is that because it’s a plug-in hybrid, it’s quiet and relaxing to drive when the electric motor is doing most of the work, meaning you can waft along in relative silence, but have the benefit of a combustion engine when you need the extra power.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is geared more towards comfort than sportiness, and the brand’s ‘Quadra-Lift’ air suspension offers a very soft right that smooths out bumps well when cruising.

On faster B roads, however, the Grand Cherokee’s hefty weight and large size means there’s a lot of body roll through the corners. This paired with the Grand Cherokee’s numb steering feel fails to inspire confidence in its driver, and the big SUV can feel unsettled as a result.

We did enjoy the visibility offered by the Grand Cherokee – its high driving position provides a great view of the road ahead, and feels very commanding thanks to the car’s large bonnet.

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Jeep is a brand synonymous with off-road prowess, so it’s fitting that the Grand Cherokee comes with a few off-road-specific features and drive modes. In our time with the car, we put this to the test, taking the SUV behemoth over rocky terrain and deep pools of water, all of which it handled without issue. Even more impressive was the fact that it did so on standard road tyres. For more off-roading ability, the Jeep Wrangler is of course a better bet, but should you decide to take your £70k SUV off the beaten track, you’ll find it’s capable enough.

Plug-in hybrid model

The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s sole plug-in hybrid setup means it’s surprisingly quick for such a large SUV. It’ll take just over six seconds to get from 0-62mph, but when the petrol engine kicks in it produces a harsh noise that unfortunately makes it feel unrefined. Drive the Grand Cherokee at slower speeds on electric power and it’s relaxing and very quiet, however.

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s interior is a little lacklustre for a car of this price bracket. There’s widespread use of glossy black plastic which we’re not particularly fond of due to its tendency to show up scratches and fingerprints easily. There are some slightly more unique materials in other areas which catch the eye, such as the wood trim on the dash, and on the steering wheel, but if we’re honest it looks a little tacky.

Build quality is also very disappointing, and we found there was a lot of creaking coming from the dash and other areas on the move, plus an irritating incessant ticking noise we couldn’t pinpoint.

Our test car was a top-spec Summit Reserve model which features a more premium McIntosh sound system made up of 19 speakers, but we didn’t think it made much of an impression.

Trim levels are somewhat split between more road-focused and off-road capable models. The entry-level Limited trim is more road-focused, while the Trailhawk adds features like smaller wheels and all-terrain tyres that make for better grip off-road, as well as an off-roading accessory kit, skid plates, an off-road camera and features like hill-descent control and a front disconnect sway bar. Overland builds on the entry-level car with more everyday premium features, while the Summit Reserve gets a mix of both premium touches and its included off-roading equipment.

Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s infotainment and sat-nav system easy to use?

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee comes with a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen on the dash, plus a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display. We found these to be relatively sharp to look at, but its responses were somewhat behind our inputs and the Jeep Uconnect software wasn’t the most intuitive to use. 

Some cars get a third separate display, which our test car featured. We found it very difficult to see, despite having the brightness turned up to full. It felt like a redundant piece of kit, in all honesty, and added very little extra functionality. You can use it to display the sat nav route and control some media functions, but it was hard to see what benefit it brought to the car. Quadra lift air suspension is available on all cars except for the entry-level Limited.

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a big car, and that has translated to generous interior space for front and rear passengers. There’s lots of head and legroom for six-foot-tall adults, and the front seats have plenty of space underneath for the rear passengers’ legs if they need to stretch out more. Unfortunately, the Grand Cherokee is only available with five seats, so if you need a seven-seater for a larger family you’ll have to look elsewhere.

Some neat features include separate rear climate controls and USB charging ports for those in the back, so passengers won’t have to share. 

Does the Jeep Grand Cherokee have a big boot?

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s boot is a sizable 471 litres, and there’s an additional 39 litres of underfloor storage which will be handy for the charging cable or other items. Unfortunately, though, rivals offer more boot space, so it’s not the last word in practicality. Fold the seats down and you free up a decent 1,463 litres of space.

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Neither the Jeep Grand Cherokee, nor the Jeep brand featured in our 2023 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, because there weren’t enough owners who responded. Jeep as a brand is owned by parent company Fiat, but this doesn’t help its case much at all given its poor second-to-last placing in the most recent results.

Fiat customers were most unimpressed with their cars’ interior quality, safety features and practicality, though the latter should be less of an issue in a Jeep, given most of its cars are much larger than those offered by Fiat. Reliability was actually rather good, with just 12% of Fiat owners reporting an issue with their car in the first year, with many parts shared between Fiat and Jeep, hopefully, this will translate to dependability for Jeep’s cars.
 

How safe is the Jeep Grand Cherokee?

The Jeep Grand Cherokee was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2022 and we’re happy to report that it achieved the full five-star rating. The car performed well in all areas thanks to great protection for adult and child occupants and vulnerable road users, plus a generous list of safety kit.

Should you buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee?

Unfortunately, the Jeep Grand Cherokee fails to make a strong case for itself in any area. It’s a rather uninspired SUV with an already-dated interior and exterior design, so it fails to make an impression before you’ve even stepped foot inside or interacted with it.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee feels cheap given its lacklustre technology on the inside and creaky build quality, and it’s these areas which will have you wondering why it has such a high price tag.

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While the plug-in hybrid system means it should prove cheaper to run than a standard petrol SUV might, its electric range is underwhelming up against rival PHEVs. Its high power figure helps it to feel punchy enough, smooth and easy to drive when driven in a relaxed manner, but put your foot down and refinement is at odds with its premium ambitions. Push it too far in the corners and it feels uneasy, but keep it at a cruise and it’s at least comfortable.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee does offer some off-roading ability which might appeal if you see yourself using it in these conditions, but it’s hard to ignore other rivals such as the Land Rover Defender which can do all of that while offering a more upmarket experience alongside it.

Jeep customer satisfaction is also a grey area, but parent company Fiat’s scores do nothing to inspire confidence in the ownership experience, though reliability is at least a positive.

What is the Carbuyer pick of the Jeep Grand Cherokee range?

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is offered with just one plug-in hybrid engine, but if we were picking a trim we’d opt for the Trailhawk with its genuine off-roading ability, because it gives the Grand Cherokee a USP not offered by every rival.

Jeep Grand Cherokee alternatives

Because of its circa £70,000 starting price, the Jeep Grand Cherokee sits in the premium SUV market with many upmarket rivals, ranging from road-focused SUVs to 4x4s.

• Range Rover Sport
• Land Rover Defender
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Volvo XC90
• BMW X5
• Mercedes GLE
• Audi Q7 
• Volkswagen Touareg

How we tested the Jeep Grand Cherokee

We tested the Jeep Grand Cherokee in Summit Reserve trim on and off-road across Yorkshire, England in April 2024.