Luxury On the Inside, Rugged on the Outside, The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee May Be the Best Jeep Ever
Scotty Reiss
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It straddles your worlds flawlessly.
Here’s what we love about the Jeep Grand Cherokee: It can haul dusty adventurers up a mountain for one of a kind views. But it’s just as at home transporting fancy passengers in frilly frocks to dressy occasions. Rugged on the outside and luxury on the inside, it can go literally anywhere. And now, it’s capable of doing even more of both. That’s because the Jeep Grand Cherokee just got a total makeover. It’s more capable off road. It has more luxuries inside. You can load up on the technology and screens, more than any other car offers. It’s roomier, it has more cargo space and it has more amenities for every passenger, not just those in the front seat.
Related: The Jeep Grand Cherokee L Has A 3rd Row So Your Whole Crew Can Share the Adventure
The slimmer wheel wells and larger cargo space can fit a TON of stuff. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Few Shortcomings Have Been Improved
If you’d asked me about the shortcomings of the Jeep Grand Cherokee I’d have said the tight cabin, minuscule rear seat leg room and small-ish cargo area. None of those things were a deal killer, though; I bought two of these cars for their mastery of steep, snowy driveways. But I would have loved more rear seat legroom and more cargo space. And, to not be gutted by the the gear shift every time I had to get something out of the diaper bag or pass something to the back seat, well, that would have been nice, too. Enter the 2022 model, which solves all those issues. The rear seat is now larger and has more legroom. The figure is 19 MM larger, or close to an inch, so not a huge change on paper, but add to that slimmer door panels, concave rear seat backs and lots of head room and it feels significant.
Related: The Jeep Wrangler 4xe Is an Incredible New Off-Roading Experience for Jeep Lovers and Converts Alike
The front grille in the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been refined but it’s still familiar. Photo: Scotty Reiss
The rear cargo space has been improved, too, with 6 more cubic feet of space. Think of that as two strollers or a couple of additional duffle bags. An inflatable queen mattress or a good sized Yeti cooler. You get the idea: You can bring more stuff in the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The increase in space is due to a larger frame, slimmer panels and wheel wells that have been reduced in size. If you’ve ever tried to slide a piece of furniture in to the rear of an SUV, you know how important this is.
The rear seat is a lot bigger in the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the door opening is larger; all this makes a huge difference. Photo: Scotty Reiss
A Rear Seat That’s Easier to Get in and Out Of — and Less Bumping of Heads
Raise your hand if you’ve found yourself in a rush to get a kid out of her car seat and bumped her head on the door frame. OK, maybe it’s just me. But when I saw the new wider door frame on the rear of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, I cheered just a bit for all those parents who will escape that awful guilt. The door is not just wider to accommodate the larger rear seat, it also has a fuller square shape at the top; before the corner of the frame was filled in so you’d have to angle your child forward a bit to get her out of the car. Now you can just lift her up and out.
The larger rear seat space will also make installing kids car seats easier. Here the wider door frame makes getting the seats into the car easier and gives you a bit more room to manage installation. The Jeep Grand Cherokee also has a “tootsie roll” latch cover, or a leather flap that covers the child car seat latch anchors that sit in the seat bight between the seat bottom and the seat back. Just pull the flap back and the latch anchors are super easy to see and access. Families may be able to fit three car seats across the rear seat; the overall width is 56” or about 4’ 8” and will easily accommodate two seats with about 20” between them. Last, the frame of the Jeep Grand Cherokee sits just a bit lower, about half an inch, and those with short legs (or bad backs) will appreciate it.
Related: What the Heck is :Trail Rated”? This Where Jeep Gets its Off Road Chops!
This screen! Now the front seat passenger gets their own screen. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Screens, Screens Everywhere— and, Streaming!
You might be right in thinking, hey, we’re getting off the grid, do we really need more screens? Well, when getting TO the off the grid destination, screens are really helpful. Jeep now has 5 screens in the Grand Cherokee—one for every person. Sort of. Of course, buyers can opt for the rear seat entertainment screens, which are attached to the seat backs of the front seats. Then, the driver has two screens: a 10” driver information screen that allows the driver to customize the key information and feedback; a 10” multimedia screen at the center of the dash made of a beautiful curved glass screen. It’s tilted against the dashboard so it’s easy to see. It, too, is customizable. You can drag and drop your favorite functions into the top tool bar. This tool bar will allow you to access those functions when you’re using the Wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Oh yeah, it has wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto!
The driver information screen in the Jeep Grand Cherokee allows you to customize your view and adds info graphics so you know what each feature does. Photo: Scotty Reiss
The passenger’s side of the dashboard also has its own screen. If you turn it off, you won’t even notice it. When you turn it on passengers can see this screen, but the driver can not. The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s front passenger screen allows the passenger to monitor one of the exterior cameras, such as the forward view or rear view camera; to manage the content on the rear screens or to stream from a streaming service or a phone. This is pretty cool.
It’s also pretty cool that the entertainment screens are pre-loaded with popular streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon. So you can watch a show or movie at home; pause it, get into the car, log in to your service and pick up where you left off. In the event that you don’t feel like, or can’t, poke around on the screen for what you need, simply ask for it. The Jeep Grand Cherokee now has a voice assist that wakes up at the phrase “Hey Jeep,” or “Hey UConnect”— you can change the wake word to the one you want. Once you use the wake word, the system is at the ready to change the radio station, set navigation or adjust the cabin temperature.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk edition is outfitted and tuned to climb over big rocks. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Off Roading Capability that Will WOW You
Isn’t that the point of Jeep? Jeep thinks so, and they added more capability for getting up the mountain (or through the snow) because…well, just because. The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee carries over some of the features from the Wrangler to make this Jeep even more capable. Jeep kept the drive modes types—automatic, snow, sand/mud or rock in 4 wheel drive models — to make it easy to decide which mode you need for your situation. But you can also put it in 4 low and use the advanced 4 wheel drive features to really master an off road course. And to protect the Jeep, you can add a skid plate underneath (this is standard on the Trailhawk edition).
The front seat of the Jeep Grand Cherokee; this color is called Tupelo Honey and it is very sweet. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Did Someone Say Luxury?
This may be Jeep’s stealth little secret. Yes, this car is elegant and modern on the outside, but it’s a surprise to see just how posh it is inside. Especially in the over the top Summit and Summit reserve models, the elegance rivals what you may find in top-tier European cars or luxury cars: Open pore woods, textured metals, double-stitched quilted leather, all set into a design that creates a sense of calm. Gone is the lever gear selector; now you let your fingers grasp a hefty metal dial, and it feels good. You’ll feel the open pore wood as you hold the steering wheel; you’ll feel enveloped in the leather as you sink into the seats and relax for your drive. Altogether it adds up to feeling considered, thought about as an owner of this vehicle, and it feels good. Oh, and of course, heated and massaging seats, which are standard in the Summit edition. Just push a button on the door, just above the memory buttons, and the massage begins. Pop on the seat heater, set the McIntosh radio to your favorite station and you’re ready to let the kids watch a movie, your significant other tune into a game and you can relax as you head back to the grid.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe plug in hybrid, which will make its debut at dealerships in 2022. Photo: Scotty Reiss
The Stats You Need to Know
The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be in dealerships by the end of the year. Here are the details you need to know about this SUV:
- The 2022 model is 3.4” longer but 250 lbs. lighter
- Fuel economy is improved by 1MPG
- It has 9% better driver visibility with more side and rear glass and slightly slimmer pillars behind the rear seats
- Air suspension available for raising or lowering the vehicle height
- The standard engine is a 3.6 V6 with 290 hp 260 torque
- There is a V8 with 354 horsepower and 390 torque; this is available on Trailhawk and higher trim levels
- Towning capacity is 7200 lbs
- Wireless Apple carPlay and Android Auto are standard
- Standard driver assist and safety features include adaptive cruise control and lane departure assist and driver
- The Laredo model, which includes the 10 driver information screen and the UConnect 5 media system, starts $37,390
- The Limited model adds leather seats and heated front and rear seats, and starts at $43,710
- The Trailhawk conquers off road driving with an enhanced 4 wheel drive system, skid plates, tow hooks, improved approach and departure angles and 11.3” of ground clearance; it is priced at $51,275
- The Overland edition features an enhanced off road drive system, Nappa leather, wood trim, LED inter lighting is priced at $53,305
- The Summit Edition adds wood trim, additional driver assist features seat massage, and 360 surround view camera, and is priced at $57,365
- The Summit Reserve edition adds quilted leather, open pore wood trim, 21” wheels and the McIntosh premium sound system and is priced at $63,365
- Destination charge is $1,795
This little easter egg in the Jeep Grand Cherokee shows the design . Photo: Scotty Reissprogression from first generation to the current model; such a fun detail!
Phew. That’s a lot of features, a lot of capability and a lot to think about. The good news is that buyers can pick the level of luxury and off road capability that best suits their needs: Pampering through snowy winter drives or climbing mountains just because they are there. Or, both. Because that’s the new era of Jeep: Luxury on the inside and rugged on the outside. And serving you extremely well in both.
Disclosure: I was Jeep’s guest for this test drive; travel and accommodations were provided but all opinions are my own.
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The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Photo: Scotty Reiss
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