Jeep Grand Cherokee 2023 Tow Test

The launch of the fifth-generation WL series has seen the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee take a significant step up in price, and while 10 years is a long time it pays to remember that back in 2013 a WK Grand Cherokee 3.0 TD 4x4 with 3500kg towing capacity could be yours for $51,000 plus on-road costs.

By 2020, it was about $65K (and the V6 petrol, even cheaper), while today with the arrival of the full WL Jeep Grand Cherokee range – both seven-seat long-wheelbase L and the recently-launched five-seat standard-wheelbase models – you now need to pay more than $80K to get into the most affordable GC.

Whereas the five-seater 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Night Eagle is priced at $77,950 plus on-road costs, the Limited starts from $83,950 and the model tested here, the Overland, opens at $98,450 plus ORCs.

The Grand Cherokee L starts at $82,750 for the Night Eagle and tops out at $119,450 plus ORCs for the Summit Reserve.

These are all V6 petrol-powered models, with the only outlier being the soon-to-launch Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe plug-in hybrid that features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with two electric motors – and a price tag of $129,950 plus ORCs.

While we had hoped the hybrid would have the big towing numbers, the 4xe can actually tow 2722kg, 91kg less than the petrol V6.

The top-shelf 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland features heated seats front and rear (ventilated at the front, too), Nappa leather trim, multi-colour ambient interior lighting, a premium sound system, panoramic sunroof and a hands-free tailgate.

Unlike lower-series models, the Overland also includes the Jeep Quadra-Trac II Active 4x4 system (with low-range gearing) and Quadra Lift air suspension.

The Overland-only $4500 Luxury Tech package adds 12-way power-adjustable front seats with position memory and massage function, quad-zone climate control, ventilated rear seats and digital rear-view mirror.

The package also includes a wireless smartphone charging pad and second-row window shades, although these are somehow standard on the lower-spec Limited but not Overland.

Eight colours are available but only white is standard, the others attracting a $1750 surcharge.
Our test vehicle was also fitted with the optional $1642 tow bar package and $992 trailer brake package (both plus fitting).

All up, the as-tested price on our Overland was $107,334 plus on-roads and labour costs involved for fitting options.

Warranty is five years/100,000km and a five-year capped-price servicing program is offered, costing $399 for each of the first five visits. Those visits are due at 12 months or 12,000km intervals.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee is fitted with eight airbags – dual front, front side, side curtain and driver and passenger knee airbags – as well as a variety of advanced driver assist systems.

These include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, driver monitoring, intersection collision assist, cross traffic alert, speed assist, adaptive cruise control with traffic assist, lane keep assist and blind spot detection.

In terms of parking assistance there is a 360-degree surround-view camera and sensors front and rear.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee five-seater V6 has failed to achieve a maximum five-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), with a sub-par four-star result.

However, seven-seater V6 petrol models do qualify for five stars, as does the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid.

According to ANCAP, testing identified a difference in the performance of the seat belts fitted to second-row outboard seats in the short-wheelbase Jeep Grand Cherokee, which resulted in a ‘nil’ score applied for rear passenger chest protection.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland has a nine-speaker Alpine audio system, a 10.1-inch infotainment screen running the Uconnect 5 operating system, wireless smartphone mirroring (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), embedded Tom Tom sat-nav, digital radio and voice control.

The Grand Cherokee is also offered with Jeep Connected Services, which allows remote vehicle status viewing, remote climate control setting and navigation preset, security alerts, 24/7 customer assistance and more through the Jeep smartphone app.

Jeep Connected Services is free for the first three years, beyond which customers can subscribe, and to only specific features if desired.

The UConnect system is simple to operate and quick to change menus. There are also buttons surrounding the screen which is helpful in that there is no overload of screen menus to distract the driver.

There is no more diesel and no more V8 with the new WL-series 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Powering almost every model variant is the familiar 3.6-litre Pentastar petrol V6 that produces 210kW and 344Nm of torque, driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

At the pinnacle of the range is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain that musters 280kW and 637Nm.

Even when driving with no load, the V6 in the Grand Cherokee Overland feels as though it belongs in a lighter vehicle. It has plenty of power when revved, but feels lacking in torque.

When squeezing the throttle to just get some acceleration or maintain speed up a hill, the tendency is for the transmission to drop down a gear or two to get into the power band, which uses more fuel, of course.

Fuel efficiency is not the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s strong suit, which is not a great surprise given it’s a large and heavy SUV powered by a naturally-aspirated petrol V6.

While a claimed 9.9L/100km is the official fuel consumption figure, we achieved 8.1L/100km in the Overland on a very easy 100km/h freeway cruise with no load.

In the suburbs, fuel consumption settled to about 15L/100km. Meanwhile, towing a 2300kg single-axle full-size caravan, the Grand Cherokee had a grand thirst with 20.3L/100km.

That figure would drop a little on easy inland highway cruising, but throw in a headwind or a climb through the ranges and the suspicion is that the consumption figure will climb into the low-to-mid-20s, easily.

The 87-litre fuel tank will give you a range of 378km using our consumption result, allowing a 50km safety margin.

We borrowed a 2300kg Millard Toura single-axle full-height off-road caravan from RV Connection in St Marys North, NSW, to hitch up behind the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland.

While it would have been great to have a trailer that weighed much closer to the 2813kg that the Jeep can tow, the fact is getting a 500kg payload into a borrowed caravan is difficult; if we borrowed a higher-tare van, it could be considered misrepresenting what the Jeep can legally tow.

As it stands, the weight we pulled revealed a lot about the Grand Cherokee as a tow tug.

Having height-adjustable air suspension is useful for hitching up the caravan (no suspension droop here), as is the clear rear-view camera screen.

There are no towing adjustments for blind spot warning, specific towing camera modes or trailer light checks as we’re starting to see in other high-end SUVs and utes.

The only changes are ‘automatic’; once the trailer is plugged in, an icon lights up above the fuel gauge to indicate a trailer is being towed, implying fuel use would be higher. It wasn’t wrong.

The other seemingly automatic setting is that the transmission is reluctant to upshift past fifth gear on the freeway; this ‘towing mode’ may well save the transmission from overheating, as the owners’ manual suggests, but it also uses more fuel – at 100km/h in fifth, the tacho is showing about 3000rpm.

Using the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, you can manually override and go up into a high gear. But, as we discovered, using sixth or seventh gear needs a far bigger application of throttle, and a brief test in eighth gear saw the accelerator floored – while the rig started to lose speed.

Eventually, the transmission seemed to settle a little of its own accord, and when coasting down slight descents it would upshift.

The Grand Cherokee’s performance under load was acceptable, if not exactly amazing – but plenty of revs were needed to achieve it. Climbing the test hill trying to maintain 90km/h, the Jeep did it – just – at full throttle and revving beyond 5000rpm to do so.

Engine braking was quite good, with only occasional dabs at the throttle to quell speed.

While the engine wasn’t all that happy towing, the rest of the vehicle was. There was no hint of sway and ride was smooth – if just a bit soft on longer undulations, where some fore-aft pitching occurred.

At first blush, the Jeep has an accomplished ride/stability compromise.

A small noteworthy mention: if you try to manoeuvre the Jeep (when reversing to hitch up, for example), the automatic handbrake release will not function unless you clip in the seat belt.

You don’t notice it when towing as much, but it’s also worth mentioning that when driving without a trailer, the Jeep feels very wide to drive in the inner suburbs.

At more than two metres wide, it literally gives you pause for thought as oncoming vehicles barrel towards you on narrow streets.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland offers plenty of room and the upper surfaces look well-put-together and appear to be of good quality.

Then you notice the hard plastics lower down, and while the glove box is lined, door pockets are not.

It’s that kind of level of detail you expect when spending this kind of money that the Grand Cherokee Overland doesn’t completely cover off.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee is such a good tow vehicle in some respects – specifically, its ride and stability – but in other areas it really could do better.

There is no towing technology to speak of – unless you consider the rear-view camera as such – and the powertrain is not happy shifting heavy weights.

It is a shame that there is no longer a 3500kg-capable Jeep, but given the V6’s inability to really cope as well as the old diesel did, it’s probably for the best.

We’re still to hitch up the Summit Reserve 4xe plug-in hybrid, which although having a slightly lower tow capacity, might actually prove to be the sweet spot for towing in the new Grand Cherokee range.

But at nearly $130K before on-road costs, the 4xe is even more expensive than the Overland tested here.

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland at a glance:
Price: $98,450 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 210kW/344Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 236g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Four-star (ANCAP 2022)