Jeep Grand Cherokee – What you need to know

The new WL-series Jeep Grand Cherokee family SUV combines luxury with off-road ability across a broad range including seven-seat and plug-in hybrid options

The fifth-generation WL-series Jeep Grand Cherokee launched in Australia in mid-2022 with the all-new seven-seater Grand Cherokee L range, and was joined by the five-seater during 2023.

Across the full line-up, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is priced from $77,950 plus on-road costs, and tops out at $129,950 plus ORCs.

Five-seater variants sit on a short wheelbase and kick off with the entry-level Night Eagle, followed by the Limited, then the Overland, and lastly the range-topping Summit Reserve.

Given an L (for long-wheelbase) and much higher prices, the seven-seaters are badged: Night Eagle L, Limited L, Overland L and Summit Reserve L.

The good news is most of the features are shared across the equivalent five-seat and seven-seat models.

Two power sources are offered: the familiar Pentastar 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine, and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged plug-in hybrid. All models are fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive system.

With plenty to choose from, a deep dive into the features of each model will help decide which one suits your needs, and wallet.

At $77,950 plus ORCs, the five-seat Night Eagle marks the entry point to the Jeep Grand Cherokee range and has the following standard features:

• Eight-way power-adjustable heated front seats
• 10.1-inch infotainment touch-screen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Power tailgate
• Dual-zone climate control
• Reverse parking camera with front and rear park assist
• 20-inch alloy wheels

White is the only no-cost colour available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L, with seven other colours available for $1750.

Every Grand Cherokee and Cherokee L has its own band of options, with the Night Eagle’s choice limited to colour and a powered sunroof.

Go for a Limited or Limited L and you can have a dual-pane powered sunroof for $3250. The Limited and Limited L are also available with a ‘Black Appearance’ option pack, bundling black wheels and grille, gloss finish around the windows, head-up display and a power sunroof for $4250.

The $4250 ‘Vision’ pack for both Limited variants comprises a head-up display and the powered dual-pane sunroof.

Another rung up the Cherokee ladder to the Overland and Overland L has the option of a $4500 ‘Luxury Tech’ pack, with 12-way powered front seats (including memory and massage functions), four-zone climate control, ventilated rear seats, a digital rear-view mirror, wireless smartphone charging pad and rear-door window blinds.

The ‘Off Road’ pack for the Overland duo costs $2750 and includes a stronger 230mm rear axle, front, middle and rear skid plates, electronic limited-slip differential, 18-inch wheels with Goodyear all-terrain tyres and a ‘Trail Rated’ badge to go with it.

In the range-topping Summit Reserve and Summit Reserve L, the $5500 ‘Advanced Technology’ pack includes a head-up display, night vision display screen and wireless smartphone charging.

Across the board, the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L are fitted with eight airbags (including front knee airbags), electronic stability and traction control, hill start assist, trailer sway damping, ‘rain brake support’, a reversing camera, plus front and rear parking sensors with stop function.

All have autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, ready alert braking minimising braking time in an emergency, advanced brake assist that automatically increases braking force, high-speed forward collision warning, intersection collision assist, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue monitoring and adaptive cruise control.

Completing the range-wide safety kit, is tyre pressure monitoring, auto wipers, self-levelling auto LED headlights, active lane management, blind spot and rear cross path detection.

For children in car restraints, ISOFIX and upper tether strap anchor points are also provided.

An off-road and 360-degree camera, a reversing camera with a washing function and auto high-beam headlights come with the Limited and Limited L, while the Overland and Overland L get hill descent control.

Added to the Summit Reserve pair is auto parking, active driving assist system and side distance warning.

All Jeep Grand Cherokee L models and the five-seater Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid have a five-star ANCAP safety rating, however all other models – that is, all five-seater V6-powered Grand Cherokee models – have a sub-par four-star rating.

According to ANCAP, testing identified a difference in the performance of the seatbelts 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.

All Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L models feature a 10.1-inch infotainment touch-screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera, satellite navigation, smartphone connectivity, Jeep connected services, AM/FM/digital radio and a 10.25-Inch instrument display.

Strangely, a wireless charging pad is fitted to the Night Eagle and Limited (and L variants), but is optional in the Overland and Summit Reserve.

While the two Night Eagle models make do with a six-speaker audio system, the stereo expands to nine speakers with a premium 506W amplifier and Alpine system in the Limited and Limited L, along with active noise control.

If you want a sound smorgasbord, head to either Summit Reserve model and their McIntosh premium sound with 19 speakers and 950W amp.

No matter which Jeep Grand Cherokee or Grand Cherokee L you call yours, all have climate-control air-conditioning.

The five-seat Night Eagle, Limited and Overland have a dual-zone system, with the ‘L’ versions of each featuring a three-zone system. Quad-zone air-con is found on the Summit Reserve and Summit Reserve L.

Power adjustment of the heated, Techno-leather-wrapped steering wheel is found in Limited, Overland and Summit Reserve models (and their L equivalents), the Summit Reserve grade offering a leather and wood combo on the tiller. The Overland and Summit Reserve models also have a memory setting.

On a vehicle the size of the Grand Cherokee, especially the seven-seat L variants, a powered tailgate is vital, and all have one, with hands-free operation on the Overland, Overland L, Summit Reserve and Summit Reserve L.

Are leather seats on the wish list? Regardless of five or seven seats, here’s another standard feature, with suede and Techno-leather accents, draped over the seats in the Night Eagle. Full Techno-leather is standard in the Limited and Limited L, Nappa leather in Overland and Overland L, with Palemo leather in the Summit Reserve duo. Each model grade has matching door trims, and all have a black roof lining.

Are powered seats a deal-maker or breaker? Heated and powered front seats come standard in the Grand Cherokee range. The driver and front passenger seats are eight-way adjustable in all but the Summit Reserve and equivalent L, which have 12-way adjustment.

Rear seat heating, driver’s seat position memory and ventilated front seats all become standard from the Limited and Limited L variants, but front passenger seat memory and rear ventilated seats are only found in the two Summit Reserve models.

One-touch power windows, powered and heated door mirrors and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror are standard across the range. Auto-dimming door mirrors with memory and approach lamps grace all but the Night Eagle pair, while a digital rear-view mirror is found in the Limited and Summit Reserve.

You want privacy glass? Deep tint privacy glass is a standard item and keeping the cabin quiet is acoustic laminated front and side glass on each model, with laminated rear glass added to the Summit Reserve twins.

Manual access to the third-row seats is in the Night Eagle L and Limited L, while a power-folding function is included in the Overland L and Summit Reserve L. Other extra conveniences in the Overland and Summit Reserve, in both five- and seven-seat layouts, include rear door sun blinds and a rear-looking interior camera.

What about a sunroof? You must go for the Overland or Overland L if you want the dual-pane sunroof.

Differentiating the variants, the Night Eagle, Limited and Overland (plus their L equivalents) all have 20-inch alloys finished in gloss black, machine finished and polished respectively, with the Summit Reserve twins’ alloys growing to 21 inches.

Self-levelling, dusk-sensing, auto high-beam LED headlights, LED tail-lights, LED daytime running lights, LED front and rear fog lamps and indicators are a standard feature on every variant.

Cornering headlights start with the Overland and Overland L, along with exterior door handle approach lamps, door courtesy lamps and proximity approach lamps. And all Grand Cherokees except the Night Eagle models have multi-colour LED interior ambient lighting.

Other distinguishing exterior features on the Night Eagle and Limited include black paint for the wheel-arch flares, front and rear fascia and door and low rocker panel cladding. These elements become body-coloured on the Overland and Summit Reserve.

The Summit Reserve models are the only ones with a black-painted roof, platinum chrome trim, bright-painted door cladding and silver and gloss black roof rails.

With the WL Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L, all models bar the five-seater Summit Reserve 4xe are powered by a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine that produces 210kW of power at 6400rpm and 344Nm of torque at 4000rpm.

The Summit Reserve 4xe has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged plug-in hybrid powertrain, delivering a combined 280kW and 637Nm.

There is no diesel or V8 petrol engine option.

Across the board is an eight-speed automatic transmission with permanent four-wheel drive and, assisting with off-road duties, low-range gearing.

The five-seat and seven-seat Night Eagle and Limited use a Quadra-Trac I 4x4 system – aided by Selec-Terrain Traction Management in the Limited and Limited L – while the Overland and Summit Reserve in both seating configurations feature the Quadra-Trac II system. The latter includes Quadra-Lift air suspension, active damping and self-levelling rear suspension, all designed to improve ride comfort on all terrains.

There’s no denying the new Jeep Grand Cherokee has decent on-road presence, thanks to its length of 4914mm for the five-seaters and 5204mm for the L versions.

All share the same 2149mm width, with the five-seater having a height of 1799-1801mm depending on the model and L versions measuring 1815-1817mm, once again, depending on the model.

Running ground clearance differs, with five-seater Grand Cherokee models offering 215mm – considerable higher than their long-wheelbase peers at 194mm.

Gross vehicle mass ranges from 2948kg for the Grand Cherokee models to 3039kg for the L versions.

Towing capacities are also different, with the five-seaters varying from 2272kg to 2813kg, while all L versions have 2813kg capacity. And all share a 750kg limit for an unbraked trailer and a tow ball downforce of 281kg.

Cargo capacity in the five- and seven-seater Jeep Grand Cherokee is identical. Behind the first row of seats it is 2395 litres, behind the second row it’s 1328L and behind the third row in the L variants it is 487L.

Greater versatility is available with the new-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee due to the five- and seven-seat ‘L’ configurations – and once that decision is reached, it gets down to budget and wants.

For an entry model, the Night Eagle and Night Eagle L are well specced, but for a small price increase you do get a lot more kit in the Limited duo.

The Overland and Overland L are a big step up dollars-wise, but with a corresponding leap in features and equipment and key mechanical components such as air suspension, which makes the ride extremely comfortable on all surfaces.

You’d really only go for the Summit Reserve if you are set on its plug-in hybrid system.

Therefore, the one I’d slip into the shed is the five-seater Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland.

How much does the 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee cost?
Night Eagle – $77,950
L Night Eagle – $82,750
Limited – $83,950
L Limited – $88,750
Overland – $98,450
L Summit Reserve – $119,450
Summit Reserve 4xe – $129,950
*Prices exclude on-road costs