- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 7 seats
- Engine
3.6i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
210kW, 344Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 10.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2022)
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L review: International first drive
Jeep has had a seven-seat option under other nameplates, but never the Grand Cherokee. Now, in a segment that almost demands useful third-row seating, Jeep can finally go into battle. Trent Nikolic drives the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L at its international launch to find out whether the American icon can take the fight up to the segment favourites.
- Exterior styling is attractive from any angle
- Cabin execution and comfort are excellent
- Long-haul touring ability is effortless
- No diesel engine but there is a PHEV coming
- Pricing has crept up and may deter some buyers
- Off-road ability might go to waste in our market
Introduction
The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is an important vehicle for Jeep – not just in Australia but globally. The heavy hitters in the large SUV segment have, for some time now, been available with a seven-seat cabin, and yet Jeep has never offered that option in the Grand Cherokee. Now that the option is available, the battle begins.
The Grand Cherokee has something of a unique selling point, too, in that it purports to border on the genuine luxury end of the market, but also has serious off-road credentials. While a Range Rover sits atop the luxury SUV market in terms of bespoke quality and real off-road ability, the Grand Cherokee offers similar off-road chops at a more affordable end of the pricing spectrum.
The question is whether Jeep can make inroads with the Grand Cherokee in this country. The availability of a seven-seater certainly won't hurt its chances. Our pricing and specification guide details the range, with buyers able to choose between three variants – the Night Eagle ($82,250), Limited ($87,950), and Summit Reserve ($115,450), all before on-road costs.
I reckon the lack of a diesel variant – as we've previously reported – might deter some buyers, but there is a plug-in hybrid variant we'll be reviewing soon that, price pending, might fill that void for some. There's also no sign of the 5.7-litre V8 for Australia at this stage either.
The Grand Cherokee L's styling is attractive from any angle. It really does garner attention on the road, even in the States, where there's plenty of interesting metal to look at. The front overhang is short and tidy, the L has a long, signature bonnet, and the wheels are out at the corners of the body, like we expect from genuine off-roaders.
While it's a large SUV, it's a manageable size for Australian roads and not simply big for the sake of it. The Grand Cherokee L will fit on our roads, in our garages, and in our shopping centre carparks.
On face value, we think the mid-grade Limited will be the sweet spot for the Australian market, with plenty of standard equipment and an exterior visage that is as attractive as the more expensive Summit Reserve. Jeep's designers have done as much as possible to keep the front of the Grand Cherokee attractive by hiding sensors and all the required technology. It really is a good-looking SUV.
Key details | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L |
Price (MSRP) | From $82,250 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Toyota Kluger | Land Rover Discovery| Nissan Patrol |
Inside
It's here, inside the cabin, where the seven-seat Grand Cherokee really shines brightest. There's a quality to both the design and execution, an elegance to the details, and a premium sense of comfort, that elevates the Grand Cherokee up to the segment leaders. You might not have expected such high-end cabin quality from Jeep, but the Grand Cherokee L is very much the embodiment of it.
The cabin – regardless of whether you're in the first, second or third row – has a tailored feel to it. The leather trim is high-quality, the insulation even on the highway is excellent, visibility is solid, and it's comfortable. We were genuinely impressed with the space available in the third row, for adults mind you, and there's still useful storage space on offer behind the third row too.
The Grand Cherokee L differs from just about all others it competes with in terms of its very real off-road credentials, and yet you can tackle the harshest terrain in comfort. Families that have a tendency to tour off-road regularly take note, the Grand Cherokee's cabin is well worth considering no matter how dusty the track you're traversing.
All three rows are comfortable, and even the third is neatly sculpted so you sit into it rather than sliding around on it. Our tester at the international launch was actually a six-seater, with the second row featuring very American captain's chairs (an option that won't make it to Australia), but the cabin is broad so that adults will be comfortable across that second row.
If you step up to the range-topping Summit model, you get luxuries like heated and cooled front seats with massage function, quilted leather trim, multi-colour ambient LED lighting and a premium audio system. Crucially, as well-insulated and premium as the cabin looks to be when you're stationary, it remains the case on the move, even after a long highway run. There's plenty of space, visibility is excellent, the cabin feels huge even with five adults on board, and it's a comfortable way to while away a family road trip.
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The Grand Cherokee gets a surfeit of useable storage through the cabin. Cupholders, bottle holders, places for your phone, keys and wallet are all easily within reach and well-positioned so they don't get in the way. There are USB connections throughout the cabin as well to ensure passengers can easily keep their devices charged up at all times.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L | |
Seats | Seven |
Boot volume | 487L to third row / 1328L to second row / 2395L to first row |
Length | 5204mm |
Width | 1956mm |
Height | 1816mm |
Wheelbase | 3091mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Infotainment is something we've come to expect to be well-equipped regardless of price point, and even the entry-grade Night Eagle Grand Cherokee L is well-catered to in that sense.
Standard equipment includes an 8.4-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto (both wireless), digital radio, and proprietary satellite navigation. There's also a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charging and a six-speaker audio system.
Move up to the Limited and the touchscreen is a larger 10.1-inch unit with nine-speaker audio and active noice cancellation. The flagship Summit Reverse upgrades again to a 19-speaker McIntosh premium audio system.
At launch, we tested the smartphone connection via Apple CarPlay and it was faultless from the first boot-up. Likewise, the proprietary satellite navigation system, which was accurate and easy to work out. All in all, the Uconnect system is an easy one to get familiar with, and even the base variant of the Grand Cherokee L feels well-equipped.
The digital instrument cluster was visible even in the brightest light, but came into its own after dark when it's beautifully illuminated and bright.
Safety and Technology
As you'd expect of a new model, the Grand Cherokee L is equipped with a full suite of safety equipment across the range. In addition to Jeep's excellent four-wheel-drive system, you get auto LED headlights, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitor and traffic sign recognition across the range.
Step up to the Summit and that adds a 360-degree camera and Highway Assist System. The $5500 Advanced Technology Group option also brings a night-vision camera.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
Value for Money
Jeep's five-year/100,000km warranty applies to the new Grand Cherokee L, with roadside assistance also included if you service your Grand Cherokee at Jeep.
Further, services are capped at $399 each time, meaning you'll spend $1197 across the first three years and $1995 over the first five. Most manufacturers offer the surety of capped-price servicing on all their models now, and it's reassuring to know what you're in for from the outset.
At a glance | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L |
Warranty | Five years / 100,000km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 12,000km |
Servicing costs | $1197 (3 years), $1995 (5 years) |
The official fuel consumption claim for Australian specification vehicles is 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle. Around town, in traffic similar to our major cities in Australia, we used mid 15s, and the live average dropped down to 12.6L/100km after a decent highway run.
Those two figures seem comparable to what you'll experience in Australia either in the city or out on the open road.
Fuel Consumption - brought to you by bp
Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 10.6L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 12.6–15.5L/100km |
Fuel type | 91 octane regular unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 104L |
Driving
Keep in mind that on American highways you're humming along at around 130km/h to keep up with traffic, and that mid-12L/100km real-world return is more than decent. If you spend all your time in city traffic, the mid-15 figure is more realistic for you.
Still, a petrol engine powering a vehicle of this size will invariably be thirstier than a diesel. Yes, there is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) coming, but that might not tick the box that a traditional diesel market looks to satisfy. The counterargument, though, is that petrol engines are – generally speaking – cheaper to service and maintain than a diesel.
The 3.6-litre V6 engine is smooth, even if you do make it work up to redline, but it doesn't feel quite as effortless as either a V8 or a turbo diesel. Still, 210kW and 344Nm are enough to get the job done right up to highway speed.
I still think that eight ratios is two more than you need with a big engine up front, and a six-speed would be working through the gears less than the eight-speed auto tends to. It's sharp enough to respond, though, either from standstill or kick-down, and shifts take place almost seamlessly.
The quality of the ride is hard to judge at launch, simply because American roads are so much better than ours here in Australia. Where we did find some country B-roads, the Grand Cherokee L felt composed, comfortable, and able to take a hit in its stride without feeling too firm or wallowy.
The cabin comfort remains impressive no matter how bumpy the road, and general bump absorption and ride quality were a feature of our launch drive. On a twisty road, the Grand Cherokee L is more competent than it probably should be given the off-road chops it possesses.
There's little in the way of lean or body roll, but that said, we didn't go firing into corners like we were trying to set a Nurburgring lap time either. This segment is unequivocally about passenger comfort and amenity, but the L is still well-behaved through corners.
We liked the steering and brake feel at launch too. The turning circle is tight enough to work in the city, and there's a meaty feel to the steering at speed also. The brakes had reassuring response to them, too, no matter how hard we needed to use them. On a decent downhill run, they remained fade-free.
Key details | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L |
Engine | 3.6-litre V6 petrol |
Power | 210kW @ 6400rpm |
Torque | 344Nm @ 4000rpm |
Drive type | Four-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque convertor automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 95.9kW/t (Night Eagle, Limited) 92.5kW/t (Summit Reserve) |
Weight (tare) | 2190kg (Night Eagle, Limited) 2270kg (Summit Reserve) |
Tow rating | 2813kg braked, 750kg unbraked (Night Eagle, Limited) 2268kg braked, 750kg unbraked (Summit Reserve) |
Turning circle | 11.6m |
Conclusion
There's almost no doubt that if you're shopping for a seven-seat SUV and the Grand Cherokee L fits within your budget, you should take a good look at it. The comfort, quality, and drive experience will impress those of you who test-drive one.
The lack of a diesel engine is going to deter some of you in a market that is still heavily diesel-dependent at this size of vehicle. However, our real-world fuel return was hardly out of the ball park, and the drive experience is so good that we would definitely recommend the new Grand Cherokee L to family buyers.