Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe 2023 Review

Only available in flagship Summit Reserve guise, the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is the most expensive variant at $129,950 plus on-road costs, $31,450 more than the five-seat Overland and $10,500 more than the V6-powered, seven-seat Summit Reserve L.

The new Grand Cherokee is the spearhead of Jeep’s premium push and this pricing puts it in the company of some heavy hitters.

Fellow large PHEVs include the Volvo XC90 T8 Recharge (from $125,990), Mazda CX-90 (pricing TBC), Range Rover Velar (from $131,475) and BMW X5 xDrive 50e (from $149,900).

Possibly the 4xe’s main competition, however, in both price and positioning, is the forthcoming Land Rover Defender PHEV, which starts from $126,275 plus ORCs.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is loaded to the roof rails with equipment, including 16-way adjustable quilted front seats (with massage), heated and ventilated front and rear seats, quad-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, 21-inch wheels and auto LED headlights.

Not everything is included, however, with white the only one of the seven colours not to attract a $1750 surcharge.

A $5500 Advanced Technology Group also bundles in a head-up display, wireless phone charging, night vision and a front passenger display. The latter two you could quite easily go without, but charging extra for the former is a little rough at the price point.

Jeep offers a five-year/100,000km warranty, though the battery is covered for eight years/160,000km, and servicing will cost you $399 a pop for the first five visits, required every 12 months or 12,000km.

Each time you complete a scheduled service at an authorised dealer, Jeep will extend your free roadside assistance for another 12 months for the life of the vehicle.

The 4xe is the only five-seat Jeep Grand Cherokee to score a five-star ANCAP rating so its safety credentials are more than sound.

Lots of airbags and the full gamut of active safety systems including active cruise and stopping assist and lane assist and speed assist are on board, while the 4xe not only has a 360-degree camera but park assist as well.

When optioned with the Advanced Technology pack there are not two but FIVE digital screens in the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe’s cabin.

The primary one is the 10.1-inch infotainment system with wireless smartphone mirroring, digital radio, voice control and embedded sat-nav. It plays through a 19-speaker McIntosh stereo.

Next up is the 10.25-inch digital instrument display which can give you all the information you could possibly want and then some, though navigating through the various menus and finding the info you’re after will take a bit of practice.

Then there’s the optional head-up display, though it isn’t immediately obvious how to turn it on, as well as the digital rear-view mirror, which uses a camera feed in case the regular mirror is obstructed by luggage or the rear passengers, and the front passenger display, which allows them to run the navigation or audio or even watch video via HDMI input.

The 4xe also uses Jeep Uconnect services which, like most of these connected service systems, enables you to control various vehicle functions, find your car, send navigation instructions and more via your smartphone or smartwatch.

Out goes the usual 3.6-litre V6 and in its place is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 200kW/400Nm – a little less power but more torque than the V6.

However, add the electrical assistance and outputs in the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe swell to a very healthy 280kW/637Nm.

All four wheels are driven through Jeep’s Quadra-Trac II system and the gearbox is an eight-speed automatic.

A 17.3kWh battery pack feeds the electric motor and provides up to 52km of EV range in the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe.

Claimed fuel consumption is a fictional 3.2L/100km, a number that’s a quirk of the testing procedure rather than a realistic figure, which we’ll come to later.

The hybrid drivetrain at a stroke largely remedies the major shortcoming of the regular Jeep Grand Cherokee: the torque-lite V6 in a very heavy car.

The 4xe’s petrol four alone is an improvement thanks to its much stronger low- and mid-range grunt, but when the electric motor is pitching in this 2.6-tonne SUV can accelerate quite briskly.

In general, the battery assistance is delivered quickly and smoothly, too, but while it’s more powerful and more frugal than the V6, your efficiency gains might not be as great as you’d hoped.

The launch route covered around 200km of primarily country back roads with a smattering of urban, freeway and twisty sections thrown in and the displayed fuel consumption was 11.7L/100km.

Given almost 70km of those were completed under electric power – starting with a full battery as well as energy regenerated during the drive – the engine is working very hard when it is active, to the tune of almost 18L/100km.

In its defence, a plug-in hybrid will do its best work in an urban environment, completing the school run and commute on electric power alone and with plenty of opportunity for regenerating power under braking or sitting in traffic with the engine off.

However, it also illustrates that over long distances when the battery assistance quickly runs out the Grand Cherokee 4xe is going to drink fuel – and a lot of it. And that’s without putting a caravan or boat on the back.

Engine aside, the 4xe retains the Grand Cherokee’s generally pleasant road manners.

By the standards of off-road-capable SUVs, it handles and steers well, but while the 4xe floats over most bumps nicely, there’s a brittle, unsettled edge to the ride on poorer surfaces which is presumably down to the larger 21-inch rims.

The obvious question to ask is who will take a $130,000-plus SUV on 21-inch wheels off-road? When this question is asked, Jeep’s response is that 90 per cent of its buyers like to go off-road in their mind.

That might sound slightly strange but it’s actually a valid point. Just as Porsche and Ferrari and McLaren owners pay vast sums of money for track prowess they may never use, Jeep says its customers – like Range Rover’s, for instance – are happy to have the knowledge that the car can climb mountains even if it never goes further off-road than the local footy oval.

As such, it has Jeep’s Quadra-Trac II system with low range and a locked centre diff, as well as air suspension to provide up to 276mm of ground clearance, which significantly improves approach, departure and breakover angles.

The off-road route provided on the launch wasn’t in the least bit taxing, though completing it on electricity alone was novel. And for all its smarts and multiple drive modes, the 4xe is only going to go as far as its road-spec tyres allow it.

Maximum towing capacity in the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe has decreased slightly from the V6’s 2813kg to 2722kg.

While a big decrease from the 3500kg its predecessor was capable of, perhaps a bigger issue is the 4xe’s 3110kg gross vehicle mass (GVM) and 5442kg gross combined mass (GCM).

Let’s say you need to tow 2700kg. If you subtract that and the 4xe’s 2536kg mass from the GCM you’re left with just 206kg for passengers and luggage. Less, in fact, as that 2536kg figure is a tare weight, not kerb. Realistically, 2500kg is going to be your maximum.

The other issue is that of fuel consumption. While this is somewhat theoretical as we didn’t have a chance to tow at the launch, our unladen experience suggests the battery assistance is going to run out extremely quickly, giving the 2.0-litre turbo four a hell of a job to do.

There is no doubt the interior of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee is a big step up from previous iterations, especially in Summit Reserve guise.

Quilted leather, real wood panels, real metal for the knobs and switches, all the toys.. and there’s acres of space, too.

It makes for a great family hauler as there’s oodles of room in the second row and a super-sized boot as well, so there should be few issues fitting in all the gear on a holiday.

Unfortunately, while improved, we found the interior fell short of expectations at $100K so adding another 30 grand to the price only exacerbates the issue.

While there are some nice materials there is also plenty of hard, scratchy plastic, there are uneven gaps around the wood panelling and some bits of trim feel flimsy and cheap.

As mentioned earlier, this is a car that goes up against the likes of the Range Rover Velar, Volvo XC90 and BMW X5 and it doesn’t stack up.

It’s tough to make a case for the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe. Jeep could rightly claim that no other vehicle currently available offers the same combination of hybrid efficiency, towing capability and off-road prowess – at least until the Defender PHEV arrives – but that’s a very specific use case that’s all too easy to pick holes in.

Around town (and used properly with regular charging), the hybrid drivetrain offers tangible performance and efficiency benefits. But when towing or on the open road, it seems there’s little improvement in terms of fuel economy over the V6, though the turbo engine’s torque will certainly make life easier.

That said, a diesel Defender will tow far more with greater ease and less fuel.

Similarly, if you have your heart set on a premium plug-in hybrid SUV for town and/or family duties, then its rivals are better to drive, have more premium interiors, are more comfortable and with similar or better performance and efficiency. And seven seats, in a couple of cases.

On paper, plug-in hybrid technology expands the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s skillset, but in reality it seems to pose more questions than it answers.

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe at a glance:
Price: $129,950 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol-electric
Output: 200kW/400Nm
Combined output: 280kW/637Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Battery: 17.3kWh lithium-ion
Range: 52km (NEDC)
Energy consumption: 33kWh/100km (NEDC)
Fuel: 3.2L/100km (NEDC)
CO2: 74g/km (NEDC)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)