Jeep Grand Cherokee L: what changes in the new generation

The Jeep Grand Cherokee ranks among the world’s best-known off-road vehicles. Whenever a fresh generation is unveiled, the automotive spotlight turns to Detroit, Michigan - and not merely for a fleeting glance - to take a closer look at what’s new.

This time, and for the first time since the nameplate debuted in 1992, the Jeep Grand Cherokee will be offered in two body styles with different wheelbases.

The all-new Grand Cherokee L - the larger of the pair - is scheduled to arrive in the second quarter of the year. With a 3.09 m wheelbase, it can be specified with three rows of seats for six or seven occupants. In doing so, it targets not only premium rivals in its home market - where around 3/4 of segment sales are three-row versions - but also competitors in Europe and Asia.

Unmistakably Jeep, yet with major changes

Visually, the latest Grand Cherokee remains thoroughly Jeep and thoroughly Grand Cherokee - with clear cues from the newer, even larger Grand Wagoneer. The overall shapes and proportions are familiar and confident, especially in this new, longer L form, which is bigger than anything that came before.

The transformation isn’t limited to the exterior. Inside, the American SUV moves onto an entirely different level compared with its predecessors. As is now common in the class, it features animated digital instruments (a 10.3-inch display), a central screen of up to 10.1 inches, and a surprisingly generous array of touch-sensitive buttons and switches above and below the main display for individual functions.

Further down on the centre console, a rotary control is used not only to select gears for the automatic transmission, but also to choose the various drive modes or adjust the optional air suspension.

More luxury and technology

Four trim levels have been announced for the USA: Laredo, Limited, Overland and Summit. In the higher specifications, the front seats stand out: they are leather-trimmed, electrically adjustable, offer massage functions, and are both heated and ventilated.

In Summit form, the Grand Cherokee L further pampers rear occupants not just with its extended wheelbase and notably wide-opening doors, but also with individual rear seats - the so-called captain chairs - separated by a centre console offering multiple functions.

A likely benchmark feature: the Grand Cherokee spreads a total of a dozen USB ports (Type-A and Type-C) throughout the cabin. There is also four-zone automatic climate control, with individual settings for passengers in the first and second rows. Air vents for the second and third rows are integrated into the trim on the B and C pillars.

Parents of young children, in particular, will be impressed: the infotainment system can display a rear-seat camera view when needed. What’s more, the display can be split in two to serve the individual child seats. There are also infrared lights (positioned around the camera) between the second and third rows, able to illuminate the cabin and automatically switch between day and night modes.

Space is not in short supply. The Grand Cherokee L’s increased dimensions - more than 5 metres long - deliver a roomy interior for both passengers and luggage. Boot capacity is 1328 litres behind the second row - and the third row is split 50:50 and can be folded down. Folding the second-row seats creates a flat load area with a capacity of 2396 litres.

It’s a Jeep, so off-road ability matters

Unlike most of its rivals, the Jeep Grand Cherokee L places real emphasis on off-road capability, rather than aiming solely to impress on-road. Although it is derived from the Giorgio platform - the same one used by the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia, promising stronger tarmac manners - the new Grand Cherokee generation offers three different four-wheel-drive systems, depending on version and options:

• Quadra-Trac I - an AWD (all-wheel drive) system that automatically sends torque to the front axle when it detects a loss of traction;
• Quadra-Trac II - a 4WD (four-wheel drive) system with a two-speed transfer case;
• Quadra-Drive II - a 4WD system with an electronically controlled locking rear differential.

For the first time, both 4WD systems can disconnect the front axle when two driven axles aren’t required, helping to cut fuel consumption. In the same spirit, there is greater use of aluminium (for example, the bonnet and tailgate) and high-strength steels to keep the mass of this large SUV within sensible limits.

It can also be equipped with optional air suspension that varies ground clearance by more than 10 centimetres, depending on what’s required - raising it to clear an obstacle off-road, or lowering it on the motorway to reduce aerodynamic drag.

When will it arrive?

For now, it’s unclear when - or even if - the Grand Cherokee L will come to Europe. The five-seat version, due to be presented in the second half of the year, is certain to arrive, but we still don’t know which engines will be included in the European line-up or, specifically, in the UK range.

In the USA, the new Grand Cherokee L reaches dealerships in the second quarter of the year with two petrol engines already familiar from the current Grand Cherokee: the 3.6 V6 Pentastar with 294 hp and the 5.7 V8 Hemi with 362 hp, capable of deactivating one of its two cylinder banks. In the “old continent”, attention will undoubtedly focus on the promised 4xe hybrid version.

---