Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV (2023 - ) review

Starting at around £70,000, the Grand Cherokee does not come cheap. It’s only available as a plug-in hybrid, however the CO2 emissions and electric-only range will still leave company car drivers incurring a chunky Benefit In Kind bill despite other plug-in hybrids shaping up more favourably with HMRC. Meanwhile on the road you can expect the Grand Cherokee to guzzle fuel at between 20-30 mpg, so despite its generous 72-litre fuel tank the petrol station is likely to feel like your second home.

Jeep hasn’t had the best reputation for reliability, gaining mixed scores in various surveys over the years. While it’s early days for this latest version of the Grand Cherokee, a small sample of owner reviews on Auto Trader rated the previous generation highly. We will keep our fingers crossed for the new one. In recent years Jeep has launched the Jeep Wave programme offering roadside assistance and a dedicated helpline to its customers, so if anything does go wrong you should be able to get help quickly.

The new Grand Cherokee comes with over 110 safety and security features. We won’t list them all, but it’s good to know you’ll have features like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane keeping assistance and collision warnings capable of detecting cyclists and pedestrians. All this makes the latest Grand Cherokee the safest one yet. In highest Summit Reserve trim, you’ll even gain a night vision feature which looks very cool in the driver display and is useful for spotting animals in dark hedgerows you might not have seen. This can also be added as an option as part of the Advanced Protection Pack, which comes with cameras at the front and back.

Unlike the chic, modern designs in the latest Land Rovers, the Grand Cherokee’s interior offers traditional loud and proud opulence. On range-topping Summit Reserve models there’s contrast stitched quilting, real wood, and more buttons than a Casio calculator. What the interior lacks in finesse it makes up for with the level of comfort it provides off-road. Simply recline into your seat and plough up a rocky hillside. While in a Wrangler you’ll feel like you’ve been on a rollercoaster, the same route in a Grand Cherokee is more akin to a Ferris Wheel. It can still get you over peaks and troughs but it’s the car doing all the work. Afterwards those in the front can slide open the large panoramic sunroof and listen to the birds sing while enjoying their massage seats. Most people will never take their Grand Cherokee to the extremes, but it’s good to know it wouldn’t be unpleasant if you did. In the back there’s plenty of room for three adults, and the boot is easily able to swallow up luggage for five people.

The Grand Cherokee is well-equipped with the latest tech. There are four trim levels, each with more features and off-road capability as you move up through the ranks. Starting with Limited you’ll get a heated steering wheel, powered tailgate, digital driver display, and eight-way powered front seats. Moving to Trailhawk gains air suspension and hill descent control making it much better suited to those who intend to take their Grand Cherokee off the beaten track. From Overland trim upwards you get a head-up display giving information in the driver’s eyeline and a McIntosh sound system. We drove a top of the range Summit Reserve model. This was packed with all the previous bells and whistles, plus extra nice-to-haves such as a 10-inch passenger screen to watch movies on the move or for a personal view of the car’s cameras. This level also gains a wireless phone charger, 360-degree camera, four-zone climate control, leather seats and door trim and 16-way memory seats with aforementioned massage function.

Our test route was designed for the Grand Cherokee to show us what it was made of on a prolonged route over the Yorkshire Dales. While we tested its off-roading skills to the max it meant we didn’t get the chance to find out how it copes cruising along faster roads. That said, the plug-in hybrid picked up speed quickly from a rolling start thanks to a rather sizable 380 horsepower. In electric mode it glides smoothly, but there’s a bit of noise when the petrol engine takes over. While the Grand Cherokee is happy to choose gears for you paddles behind the steering wheel are there for those who want to get more involved. We’d need more time with the car to find out how far it would go in electric-only mode, but Jeep claims the Grand Cherokee can do around 30 miles of city driving. On the road the light steering can feel a little vague as the Grand Cherokee leans into the corners, but leaving the Tarmac behind it excels. With low range gearing engaged and air suspension raised to its maximum the Grand Cherokee can tackle a gnarly rock climb like it’s a walk in the park, even on regular road tyres. We were very impressed at just how capable the Grand Cherokee is, and although it doesn’t feel as refined as other premium SUVs its adventurous spirit is certainly worthy of the Jeep badge.