New-Gen Jeep Grand Cherokee Review: The Return Of The Flagship SUV

Bold. Powerful. Tough! These are words that best describe a Jeep SUV. In fact, the company’s current portfolio in India, which includes the Compass, the Meridian, and the Wrangler, all embody these aspects. And so does this new model! Yes, we are talking about the new fifth-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. Interestingly, the Grand Cherokee was one of the first models to be launched by Jeep when it first began its India journey back in 2016. While that one came to India as a completely built unit, this one, is assembled right here in India. The SUV is right now in its fifth generation and it has gotten bolder, smarter, and a lot more feature-packed. But is it really worthy of that ‘Flagship’ tag?

Design and Dimensions

Globally, the Grand Cherokee is offered in multiple variants and two different wheelbase options, however, India only gets the smaller, two-row model in the top-of-the-line ‘Limited O’ variant. Now, despite being the shorter wheelbase model, the India-spec Grand Cherokee is massive. The SUV is just under 5 metres in length, almost 2 metres wide and gets a wheelbase that is nearly 3 metres long.

Also Read: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Launched In India; Priced At Rs. 77.50 Lakh

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is in its 5th-generation, and the design and styling have become sharper and more premium.

Visually, the new Grand Cherokee looks sharper and a lot more premium compared to its predecessor. However, some of the SUV’s signature cues are still intact, like the long clamshell bonnet, the signature 7-slot grille and the classic silhouette of a boxy SUV. The grille features some bold chrome highlights, while on either end you get sleeker LED headlamps and LED daytime running lights. There is also a new front bumper which comes with larger intakes and more chrome inlays at the bottom.

The Grand Cherokee come with a wheelbase that's almost 3 metres long, and large massive 20-inch, 5-spoke alloy wheels.

View it in profile and you’ll see the underbody cladding runs across the profile of this new Grand Cherokee, covering the squared wheel arches, that house a set of massive 20-inch, 5-spoke alloy wheels. You’ll also notice the “Grand Cherokee” lettering on each side of the front doors, finished in chrome, along with more chrome accents on the ORVMs, windowsills and roof rails. But, as you know all jeep SUVs come with a few Easter eggs, and so does this one. On the right, rear quarter glass, you’ll find the silhouettes of all 5 generations of the Grand Cherokee, whereas on the left side there is the silhouette of the iconic Willys Jeep. It is these things that add to the legacy of the Jeep brand.

The Easter eggs on this Jeep include a silhouette of all 5 generations of the Grand Cherokee on the rear right quarter window.

As for the rear section, here too everything is much sleeker and tightly finished. The slim wraparound taillamps look quite premium and add to the SUV’s distinctive looks, whereas, the electric tailgate comes with a nice, sculpted design. The rear bumper gets some heavy cladding, along with chrome highlights and reflectors.

The slim wraparound taillamps of the new Grand Cherokee look quite premium and add to the SUV’s distinctive looks.

Interior And Cabin Design

Step inside the cabin of the Grand Cherokee and you’ll see that it is possibly the most advanced and high-tech SUV from Jeep India yet. The fit and finish are simply supreme. Jeep has made ample use of soft-touch material on the dashtop and door panels, along with premium wood inserts and brushed silver accents. The seats are upholstered in Capri leather and come with perforated inserts, speaking of which, while the driver and co-driver get ventilated seats, the ones at the rear get a heating function. The two front seats also get an 8-way power adjustability function.

The Grand Cherokee gets all-black interior with premium fit and finish and a tonne of creature comforts.

Other features on offer include dual-zone climate control, a large panoramic sunroof, a central armrest for both rows (the rear one is a foldable one with cupholders), and retractable blinds for the rear windows. The Grand Cherokee also comes with heated ORVMs and a heated multi-functional steering wheel.

The Grand Cherokee gets dual-zone climate control, a large panoramic sunroof, a central armrest for both rows and retractable blinds for the rear windows.

Features And Tech

But that’s not all, the Grand Cherokee also comes with a head-up display along with not one, not two, but three screens on the dashboard. And that’s most definitely a segment-first feature. The first one is a fully digital 10.25-inch instrument cluster right behind the steering wheel, and then you have a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment display at the centre of the dashboard, which is loaded with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a whole lot of connectivity suits like – geofence, remote door lock and unlock, smartwatch integration and automatic SOS call.

The Grand Cherokee also comes with a head-up display along with three screens on the dashboard. 

As for the third display, it’s another touchscreen unit but for the front passenger. This unit gives the co-driver controls to music, navigation, surround-view camera and more in-car functions. Other features include rain-sensing wipers and auto-diming rear view digital display mirror, and a 9-speaker Alpine amplified sound system with a subwoofer.

Safety

In addition to ADAS, the SUV also gets 8 airbags, 360-degree camera, and 3-point seatbelts with reminders and adjustable headrests for all passengers.

The Grand Cherokee is also the first Jeep SUV to come with Advanced Driver Assistant Systems or ADAS in India. These include adaptive cruise control, collision assist, blind spot monitoring, and active lane management. In addition to ADAS, the SUV also gets a tonne of active and passive safety features like - 8 airbags, ISOFIX, 360-degree camera, four-wheel traction control, advanced brake assist, electric parking brake and a tyre pressure monitoring system, among others. All passengers get 3-point seatbelts with reminders and adjustable headrests.

Engine and Performance

The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

Now, powering the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, and there is no diesel engine on offer. The motor is tuned to make around 268 bhp, and max power is achieved at around 5200 rpm. Like with all turbocharged engines, there is a very noticeable lag in the lower revs, however, as soon as you cross the 2000 rpm mark the engine comes alive and feels a lot of spirited. This is also courtesy the massive 400 Nm of peak torque, which is achieved around 3000 rpm.

The engine is quite powerful and feels spirited, and it comes mated to an 8-speed autobox as standard.

The engine comes mated to an 8-speed automatic torque converter unit, which is controlled via a rotary dial. And no there is no manual version on offer. Now the transmission performs quite nicely, it shifts well, and even when you try and floor the accelerator, the lag is quite minimal.

Ride and Handling

The Grand Cherokee handles really well, while the ride quality is also good, however the NVH levels could have been better.

Coming to the ride quality, the Grand Cherokee feels quite plush and planted. It takes on all the undulations on the road with quite a bit of ease and there are no sharp jerks or vibrations inside the cabin. Having said that, I do feel that the the sound insulation could have been a lot better. Even with all the windows up, quite a bit of road noise seeps into the cabin. But that is not really a deal-breaker because the SUV handles like a charm. The steering too has a nice heft to it that imparts more confidence while doing high speeds.

The SUV also gets Jeeps trusted Quadra-Trac 4x4 system as standard. There is an integrated off-road camera, along with a Selec-Terrain system which includes 4 modes - Snow, Mud, Auto and Sports. Sadly, we did not get to test the SUV’s off-road capabilities because of time constraints. However, we would definitely like to test it once we get more time with this SUV.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee offers good performance, gets a tonne of premium creature comforts, and some of the techs on offer are first-in-segment features. 

Price and Verdict

At Rs. 77.50 lakh (ex-showroom, India), the Jeep Grand Cherokee is quite attractively priced. Even the previous-gen model, which was launched in India back in 2016, was over Rs. 16 lakh more expensive than the current model. But that’s not it, the SUV even undercuts all of its closest rivals in the market. The Grand Cherokee is over Rs. 5.82 lakh cheaper than the Audi Q7, around Rs. 2.40 lakh less expensive than the BMW X5, and a good Rs. 18 lakh more affordable than the Volvo XC90. 

In a nutshell, the Jeep Grand Cherokee offers good performance, gets a tonne of premium creature comforts, and some of the techs on offer are first-in-segment features. Yes, some things could have been better, but what really sweetens the pot is that aggressive price tag, and we think that will attract a lot more buyers. So, coming back to our earlier question, is the Grand Cherokee worthy of that Flagship tag? Hell, yes!

Photos: Pawan Dagia