MOAB, Utah – Welcome to the first drive of 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee! Hey, didn’t we do this? Yes, yes and no. Jeep car launching redesigned design (three rows now!) in 2021 Grand Cherokee this early year. This time, we’re driving a brand new two-row car and it’s 2022. Yes, sorry. The world is strange.
In short (sorry), you take the three-row L model, cheat drop a few inches in length and a 250 pound or more mass comes along, and you get Grand Cherokee. The longer version is a bit more complicated as some items aren’t quite ready for the big time when the L lands earlier in 2021, but the two rows of seats are already on sale. The most notable of which is the dashboard-mounted passenger infotainment screen.
Despite the advanced age, which has been a topic when it comes to Stellantis products in the United States, the Grand Cherokee launch is actually a pretty solid entry. As its direct replacement, the new two rows really only have some major bugs to work out. Its interior, while still of good quality and sporting an excellent infotainment suite, can’t hide its quaint design dating back to Cerberus. As a result, it was a step or two behind the Grand Cherokee’s premium SUV aspirations.
We had a comprehensive discussion of the interior of the new Grand Cherokee when we driving a three-row L model, but the two rows of seats come with an entirely new piece: a 10.25-inch passenger-side infotainment screen. Using a tile-style user interface, it aims to provide entertainment and comfort options for front-row passengers without distracting the driver. It also includes a number of items that Uconnect engineers call “co-pilot” features, such as access to navigation systems and cameras, reducing passengers’ reach for the drones. this control when required to assist the driver.
This and the entertainment screens available in the rear seats are all Amazon Alexa-enabled, and passengers in each seat can watch different shows (or different episodes of the same show). Each location has its own Bluetooth receiver to avoid crossing audio streams. Jeep won’t officially confirm that the passenger-side entertainment screen will appear on the three-row L model, but the smart fund says it will arrive in the 2023 model year, if not in the 2022 update. Upcoming.
While the old interior got a major upgrade, the same cannot be said about the old powertrain. The base 3.6-liter V6 of the 2022 Grand Cherokee and the optional 5.7-liter V8 of both have changed from the ’21 version except for a small reduction in the horses. The Pentastar V6 drops from 295 hp to 293 and the Hemi V8 from 360 to 357. As we said, mediocre, and since the car lost about 200 pounds during the generation transition, you won’t miss them. ONE dip into the mixture The 4xe model is coming with an all-electric range of 25 miles, but that’s far from complete.
While the Grand Cherokee is based on the tried-and-true car-based SUV formula that is used quite commonly across the industry (aka. intersection), the Grand Cherokee’s rear-wheel drive layout is a bit unusual. Its sworn enemy, Ford Explorer, would be another rare example of a non-luxury SUV, RWD with crossover architecture. However, closer in size to the Grand Cherokee L, and all the same, two-row FWD-based competitors have the advantage in terms of passenger and cargo packing. Although shorter in both wheelbase and overall length, Honda Passport such as offering a slightly more spacious front seat and more cargo volume behind the second row of seats.
Of course, there is another RWD-based competitor, but Toyota 4Runner stick to the body-on-frame structure to rely more on its 4×4 image. The Grand Cherokee’s mission is more about on-road luxury than off-road power. While that may sound odd for a Jeep, it’s nothing new for the Grand Cherokee. Not like Wrangler and Fighter, with locking rear differential (and front differential on the Rubicon), the Grand Cherokee stops at a limited-slip rear axle and a brake-based front differential.
For our on-road driving part, Jeep set us up with a V6-powered Summit Reserve model. Apart from the motor, this is almost as loaded as it is. Uconnect 5 pairs great with the optional McIntosh sound system. Granted, you’re paying a lot for a Grand Cherokee with this system (it’s optional on Overland and Summit models, and standard on Summit Reserve), but it’s as good as you’ll find on the market. Common. High quality audio files for great sound; low-quality sources are dealt with cleanly, and even if McIntosh couldn’t save satellite radio from itself, it could have been a lot worse. Wireless smartphone integration is also very simple to set up.
The Grand Cherokee’s available air suspension has five available heights. Standard (8.4 inches off the ground) dies in the middle and defaults to Autopilot. Sport mode lowers the altitude slightly but enhances the springs, letting the Grand Cherokee lower a bit. There is a noticeable improvement in responsiveness at a low cost in comfort. In fact, without the powertrain calibration in Sport mode (a bit too much continuous high revs), this would be a perfectly fine everyday setting for anyone who doesn’t often have to facing the paved road surface.
Even living at the end of the “Sport” rev range, the V6 offers just enough power. It’s perfect for midsize SUV, but it doesn’t invigorate from afar. In contrast, the 5.7-liter Hemi certainly sounds and pulls like a freight train on a highway. It makes a better cruiser and gets you an extra 1,000 pounds sled capacity (7,200 versus 6,200), but the considerable mass of the self-made V8 iron block is known.
Which brings us to another advantage of the two-row model over the three-row L:Trailhawk. For the Grand Cherokee, what is the Rubicon to the Wrangler and Gladiator. This is the model that actually earned the Jeep “Rated Trail” badge. Trailhawk models with V6 and V8 engines have increased ground clearance by 0.4 inches at the maximum air suspension height setting (up to 11.3 inches). Trailhawks also get the most powerful of the Grand Cherokee’s three 4×4 systems, combining a two-speed transmission with a 2.72:first low range rate.
For 2022, the Trailhawk also features a proprietary electronic shaker bar disconnect, allowing for clearer articulation when things get particularly rough. Trailhawks also come standard with all-terrain tires, a rear electronic limited-slip differential, multiple Selec-Terrain driving modes, skid plates, tow hooks and a hood decal that’s really useful. . Its bumpers have also been redesigned to improve off-road distance.
Overall, its maximum approach angle improves to 35.7 degrees, breakout angle to 24.4 degrees and departure angle to 30.2 degrees compared to 30.1 / 24.0 / 30.2 for air suspension on the Overland (Summit takes a slightly worse approach) and 20.5 / 19.1 / 26.6 for those equipped with the standard multi-link steel suspension. Since they come with both a brake-on-brake bias and an upgraded rear differential, Trailhawk models can put up to 100% of the available torque to the front or rear. Among them, it can vector at most 100% to the rear wheels or at most 85% to both front wheels.
To show off all this technology, Jeep took us to Raven’s Rim, a private street above downtown Moab. Our little parade of V6-powered Trailhawks went through reverses and guided through a series of kicks and sensible technical washes, alternating noses and tails in the air. through more complex passages. It’s far more strenuous than anything a typical owner has ever done with their Grand Cherokee, but here’s Jeep’s chance to show off its average equalizer’s capabilities even when it’s not. has the benefit of differential locking.
And as much fun as the electronic shaker disconnect is, the real hero here is the Grand Cherokee’s front-facing camera, which can be accessed from the apps screen in Uconnect. It completely eliminates the hood as a blind spot, taking the guesswork out of the equation at blind spots and peaks. As with any digital imaging device, it shifts the angle of view slightly and can remove some fidelity and depth, but it beats educated guesses. And while some people will need the Grand Cherokee’s full suspension on their daily commutes, that same camera should be enough to reveal a misplaced tricycle. about to perish beneath the wheels of your shiny new Jeep.
And that shiny new Jeep is a bit more expensive, too. The base Laredo RWD V6 costs $2,130 more for ’22 than ’21, registering at $39,185 after destination (up $200 to $1,795). Here is the basic pricing structure, including destination:
- Grand Cherokee Laredo: $39,185
- Grand Cherokee Altitude: $43,740
- Grand Cherokee Limited: $45,505
- Grand Cherokee Trailhawk: $53,070
- Grand Cherokee Overland: $55,100
- Grand Cherokee Summit: $59,160
- Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve: $65,160
Note that the prices listed are for the base model of each trim. Adding the 4×4 to V6 models costs $2,000, and the premium for the V8 if available (Trailhawk, Overland, Summit, Summit Reserve) is around $3,300. Jeep has yet to announce pricing for the 2022 Grand Cherokee L, so we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out before drawing any other conclusions.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee 2022 is an almost 50/50 mix of the new and the familiar. Technology, interior upgrades and weight loss are all welcome advances – the new. However, the powertrain continued to attack us. It’s familiar and useful, but it’s not exciting and it doesn’t move the ball forward. Well, yes, the upcoming 4xe is and it will be. So great. In fact, even without driving it, we’re willing to say it’s probably the one to buy unless your most important regular use case is towing (its ratings are overshadowed even by V6 engine). But for now, these aging ICEs are the ones on pause.
Fortunately for Jeep, the real story is inside the cabin, and we’re pleased with the narrative. The improvements aren’t nearly as impressive as those achieved by the Ram with its half-ton redesign, but as reasonable as the Grand Cherokee’s high-end proposition previously, it’s much more convincing with the latest updates. And you’ve got to be super large to boot. Don’t like what?
