Well, I went the wrong way. And while my future is likely littered with wrong turns, the left (as opposed to the Jeep-prescribed right) I made that gorgeous November morning proved illuminating. But before we get to the specifics of my directionally challenged adventure, we should back up a bit.
It's always magic hour in Moab, Utah and I'd arrived the previous afternoon. I'd come, along with a gaggle of automotive press, to experience the latest incarnation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Now, I'd been to this breathtaking area of the country before, to drive the 2015 Cherokee Trailhawk, and it was no coincidence that I was here with Jeep again. Because as stunning as the Beehive State's desert is, and as ethereal as the light play on the rock formations might be, when you get past the postcard-quality vistas, the landscape is what Yeats might have described as a "terrible beauty." This is the unforgiving terrain where Ma Mopar's engineers test Jeeps, and conquering it is how the rigs earn their celebrated Trail Rated badges.
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The first Grand Cherokee debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show. To kick off the event, then Chrysler President Bob Lutz entered Detroit's Cobo Hall by driving a Colorado Red model up a flight of stairs and through a plate glass window. Subtlety has never been Lutz's style, but the stunt proved a fitting introduction for what would become the most award-winning line of SUVs in history.
For the fifth generation of this American icon, Jeep went with a clean-sheet approach, and it's safe to say that the resulting vehicle is one formidable piece of kit.
Even before you climb inside, the new Grand Cherokee is already impressive. While it retains the boxy dimensions of a traditional SUV, the sheet metal has been smoothed and sculpted to provide a more aerodynamic profile, and the gun-slit headlamps which proved so controversial back in 2017 have evolved into slender LED units that perfectly flank the seven-slot grille. The beltline is also lower than the outgoing model's, which means more glass and more visibility from the cabin. I particularly liked how the hood is now flat, as opposed to angled forward, and how the downward slope of the new roofline gives the Jeep an athletic silhouette. Along with giving a more aggressive stance, the widened track also means better stability on road and off.
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That said, don't let the pretty face fool you, because under the skin, there's loads of beefy bits and cutting edge tech working in harmony to ensure the Grand Cherokee will go wherever you point it, whether that's up a mountain or through a stream. Every trim level features an active transfer case which pipes torque to the wheel with the most grip, and the dynamic air suspension features five ride heights, and (in Trailhawk trim) provides for 11.3 inches of ground clearance and 24 inches of water fording.
Drivers can select from five distinct traction settings, including Auto, Sport, Rock, Snow, and Mud/Sand, and for particularly tricky terrain, the front sway bar can be disconnected with the touch of a button. To keep drivetrain vibration to a minimum, the Jeep engineers actually ran the front axle through the engine's oil pan, which ensures the connection between the front and rear differential is laser beam-straight. When properly equipped, the new Grand Cherokee is capable of towing a class leading 7,500 pounds.
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But when I made that wrong turn? I wasn't thinking about any of that. I was thinking about how luxurious the cabin of my top-spec Summit Reserve trim Cherokee was. The leather seats were a lovely golden hue called Tupelo Honey, and the warm swaths of natural-finish wood along the bottom of the dash provided a brilliant contrast to the elegant piano black accents around the 10.1-inch central screen.
By design, I couldn't see it from the driver's seat, but there was also a 10.25-inch display in the dashboard in front of the passenger, a class-exclusive feature that allows anyone riding shotgun to stream their own music or even watch a movie. Given that I'm a music nerd, I had the magnificent McIntosh stereo system bumping New Order's "Blue Monday" on the satellite radio, and became mildly confused that the on-road portion of the drive, which was programed into the navigation, seemed to be taking me further and further from pavement.
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The stretch I was on was called Sand Flats Road, and while it wasn't overtly technical, it was more trail than road. There were long sections of washboard-graded dirt, skinny, one-lane sections where two-way traffic was impossible, and bumpy, rocky parts where I had to carefully pick a line to avoid large boulders.
A couple of times, I found myself navigating slender passages with rock faces towering on both sides, and it made me feel like Indiana Jones. Often, the shoulder was non-existent, and straying from the path would have meant taking a burly drop into the valley. I should stress that it was never scary. Rather, it provided some of the most stunning views I experienced during the trip, and the Jeep handled it beautifully. Even when I was ripping along on uneven dirt, I didn't hear a single squeak or rattle inside the cabin, and overall, the Grand Cherokee exhibited an incredibly solid, hewn-from-one-block-of-metal feel that proved as comfortable as it was confidence inspiring.
When I reached the midway point of the morning's drive, one of the support staff asked me how my first leg was, before informing me I'd come in from the wrong direction. Turns out, about half of the assembled media had done the same thing. After some back and forth, we figured that the Jeep's navigation had looked at the programmed route, and determined Sand Flats Road was the faster path, and taken us that way. Personally? I couldn't have been happier about it.
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After lunch, I got to experience the actual off-road portion of the day, which was rugged, and well beyond what I imagine most Grand Cherokee buyers will tackle with their rigs. For this bit, I swapped my Bright White Summit Reserve for a Trailhawk, and proceeded to the base of a steep, rocky hill. Then, a member of the Jeep Jamboree crew ensured that I was in 4-Lo, with my sway bar disconnected, to make sure I was ready to make the climb up the boulder-peppered path. It's worth mentioning that even if you own a vehicle with four-wheel drive low, there's a good chance you've never engaged it. Because it's not something you'll need under normal, or even moderately challenging driving conditions. Once you do so, the character of the drivetrain changes immensely, and every throttle input is magnified, which means it's best to manage the gas with one foot and the brake with the other.
The trip to the top of the hill was bumpy, to say the least. At the start, I was wearing a ball cap, and had a pen wedged behind my ear. After it got shaken out for the third time? I just tossed it into the center console. For much of the trip, the windshield was filled with blue sky, with the helpful hands of the Jeep Jamboree guides entering the frame to direct me along. Honestly, this is not the type of terrain I would want to traverse without a spotter, but if I'd been down to try, the Trailhawk's front camera system (which highlights the path of the wheels over the ground), would have made it possible. Like it always is in technical off-road sections, slow, steady application of the throttle was key, and while I could feel wheelspin, and would occasionally slide back a bit, the Cherokee was unfazed by the trip, and happily clawed its way to the crest with little fanfare.
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At dinner after the day's drive, I kept thinking about how I'd gone the wrong way that morning, and while it wasn't my intention to go off script, I believe it made for a far better evaluation of the Jeep. Because I don't think many new Grand Cherokee buyers are going to take their shiny new machines rock crawling, even if the Jeep will handle it in stride. Those folks are far more likely to take them up a snowy highway, down a bumpy desert trail, or along a deeply rutted logging road. And if they do? Their Grand Cherokee will deliver the kind of performance that's made Jeep America's off-road performance benchmark for eight decades.
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2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Powertrains, Trims, Pricing, and Availability
At launch, the Jeep Grand Cherokee will be available with two engines. The first is the award-winning 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which comes packing 293 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. The bigger option is the 5.7-liter V8, which is rated at 357 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are paired with a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission. Both those will arrive at your local AutoNation Jeep dealers by the end of the year. Early in 2022, the 4xe model will be available. Jeep expects this plug-in hybrid electric powertrain to provide for 25 miles of full electric driving, and up to 57 miles per gallon.
The entry-level Laredo trim will start at $37,390 for 2x4 models and $39,390 for 4x4 models. Limited models will start at $43,710, the beefy Trailhawk will come in at $51,275, and the Overland model will start at $53,305. The Summit edition will start at $57,365 and the top-spec Summit Reserve raises the cost of entry to $63,365. All are well equipped and comfortable, so head to your local AutoNation Jeep dealer to determine which flavor of Cherokee is right for you!
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John Coyle | Nov, 15 2021
