For those about to rock

Carrying the internal moniker WL, the Grand Cherokee debuts with the L suffix affixed to its moniker, meaning the first time availability of seven seats as per the designation denoting a long wheelbase model. For now though, the standard five-seat Grand Cherokee is a no-no.

Said to have been “designed and engineered to deliver an unmatched combination of even more legendary 4×4 capability and superior on-road refinement”, the Grand Cherokee L rides on the outgoing Giorgio platform used by the Alfa Romeo GiulIa, Stelvio and Maserati Grecale. The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is able to tow a braked trailer of up 2 813 kg, has a claimed boot capacity of 484-litres with all seven seats up, which increases to 1 328-litres with the third row down. With the second-row also folded flat, cargo capacity tops-out at 2 395-litres.

Stellantis has opened, for our market, the door to all three four-wheel-drive systems available in the United States, namely the Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II and the Quadra-Drive II, the latter additionally equipped with an electronic limited slip differential. Additional carryovers are the Selec-Terrain system with five modes; Auto, Sport, Snow, Rock and Mud/Sand, and the Quadra-Lift air suspension that raises the ground clearance from the standard 216 mm in Aero mode, to 277 mm in the more strenuous Off-Road 2 setting. The Grand Cherokee L’s wading depth comes in at 530mm, before increasing to 610mm in the mentioned Off-Road 2 setting.

Approach, breakover and departure angles also vary from 20.6-degrees, 18.2-degrees and 21.5-degress in Aero or Normal modes, to 28.2-degress, 22.6-degrees and 23.6-degress in the Off-Road 2 configuration. Jeep has opted for a single powertrain spanning the three model Grand Cherokee L line-up, namely the stalwart 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol outputting 210kW/344Nm. Down on the 216kW/347Nm made by the Wrangler and Gladiator, the unit, which delivers one more kilowatt but three Newton Metres less torque than in the outgoing WK2 Grand Cherokee, is matched to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with Jeep claiming a combined fuel consumption of 10.6 L/100 km. On the specification front, the Limited once again serves as the entry-level derivative and the sole version to ride on 18-inch alloy wheels and do without the Quadra-Trac II or Quadra-Lift systems.

Standard on the safety side are a combination of a Hill Start Assist, Trailer Sway Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking with Cyclist and Pedestrian Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control and Driver Attention Alert, as well as an Active Lane Keep Assist, a 360-degree camera system, Rear Seat Alert, including front and rear parking sensors. Stepping-up from the Limited is the largely over-road focused Overland, which, apart from the mentioned go-anywhere hardware, also boasts adaptive dampers, a heavy-duty alternator and a more powerful battery. Surprise omissions include the wireless charging pad, Active Grille Shutters, Blind Spot Monitoring, Front and Rear Park Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Sitting at the peak of the range is the Summit Reserve. In its most luxurious spec, the Grand Cherokee L’s spec sheet includes gloss black or silver roof rails, standard seating for six in Palermo leather, second-row window blinds, illuminated door sills, a leather or wood trimmed steering wheel, plus quad-zone climate control. Included with each Grand Cherokee L’s sticker price is a five-year/120 000 km warranty as well as a five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.