2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The L means long. Compared to the standard two-row Grand Cherokee, the L is 29 centimetres longer to accommodate third-row seats. The wheelbase also stretches 12.7 cm for more second-row legroom and wider rear doors. The extra mass and bigger caboose blend into the body so well that the L makes the standard Grand Cherokee look like Jeep lopped off its tail. That's partly Jeep's fault, because it introduced the L first, as an all-new 2021 model, and waited almost a year to release the two-row Grand Cherokee as a 2022 model.

It's a good fault to have. The GC L is elegant and recognizable as a Jeep from any angle. The seven-slot rectangular grille, U-shaped wheel arches, and blunt front end are all Jeep, though the lighting is modernized to be slimmer and brighter, while the paint finish and panel fit are markedly better. Whether the base Laredo or the loaded Summit Reserve, all Grand Cherokee L trim levels look impressive. The high-end Summit and Summit Reserve finish the design with black roofs, larger wheels, and more chrome.

The interior goes further. Yes, this Jeep is roughly 25 grand more than a loaded Kia Telluride, but the dual high-resolution screens, real wood, aluminum, Palermo leather seating, faux-suede roof, and the general interior layout feel like money well spent. The last Grand Cherokee was based on a Mercedes. This new one is every bit a Mercedes, in style and tactile quality—without sharing any parts.

Even in all-black, there's enough detail and contrast to keep passengers comfortable and visually stimulated. Order the lighter tan leather and you'll be asking passengers to wipe their hands and feet before stepping inside. It's properly lux.

Two familiar engines are available: a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 or a 5.7-litre V8, both paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. In Canada, four-wheel drive (4WD) is standard with three different systems available, while rear-wheel drive (RWD) is not offered in our market.

A 48-volt hybrid system pairs to these same engines on Ram pickup trucks but is unavailable in the Grand Cherokee L.

Our test Jeep had the V6, which we found wanting on a vehicle this heavy. All 293 horsepower requires big revs to summon, and the same goes for the 260 lb-ft of torque. It's insufficient when driving alone, and will get annoying quick when the Jeep's filled with six or seven people. While Jeep is generous with insulation, the engine noise pours through the cabin under acceleration, and it's wheezy and coarse.

The transmission's early upshifts don't do the engine any favors, and what Sport mode fixes by keeping the revs high it takes away by never letting the revs settle. We favoured manual mode with the paddle shifters, but ultimately, the transmission programming cannot sync with this weaker engine.

Choose the V8 powertrain, which has a healthy 357 hp and 390 lb-ft, and sounds fabulous. The V8 is available only on the Grand Cherokee L Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve trims.

Fuel efficiency is decent with the V6, at a Natural Resources Canada rated 13.0 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 9.4 highway, and 11.3 combined. The V8 engine is notably worse at 16.7 L/100 km city, 10.9 hwy, 14.1 combined.

But the sad V6 is saved by the grace of the chassis. In a word, it's stellar. Ride composure and steering feel are incredibly taut and direct for a vehicle this large. The optional air suspension is like someone is changing your mattress from underneath. It varies between down-pillow soft and a medium-firm memory foam with the flick of the driving mode switch. Body roll, pitch, and dive are practically banished. The previous Grand Cherokee was a better performer than the one before it. This one steers and handles with more precision than the crazy 702-hp Trackhawk version of the previous-generation Grand Cherokee. We can only imagine what a new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk would be like on this new platform.

What's also great about the Jeep's air springs are their five ride height settings. An Access height lowers the SUV almost two inches so stepping in and out is just as easy as with a smaller crossover. The default Aero mode keeps the truck below the standard 21.5 cm height to promote aerodynamic efficiency at higher road speeds. Finally, two off-road modes raise the ride height allowing for up to 27.6 centimetres of ground clearance in the Off-road 2 mode, according to Jeep.

Jeep's driving modes are like Land Rover's: You select the desired terrain and the truck modulates the throttle, transmission, axle lockers, torque split, suspension, and other systems for you.

We don't recommend taking a Grand Cherokee L on rougher trails without all-terrain tires, which come on the Overland trim level with the Off-Road Group option package. That's the only trim that earns the Jeep Trail-Rated badge. It also includes skid plates and smaller 18-inch wheels that won't get scuffed as easily as our test vehicle's 21s.

Any Grand Cherokee L will handle lousy roads—the approach and breakover angles are laudable—but compared to a Wrangler, this is a family vehicle optimized for on-road comfort. Jeep quotes a maximum towing capacity of 3,265 kilograms (6,200 pounds).

Jeep went for simplicity and straightforward graphics for the Grand Cherokee L's Uconnect 5 infotainment system. This has long been a hallmark of Uconnect, only now the interface is sleeker and sharper to the eyes. But Jeep also cares about the physical switches, which separate the climate, seat climate controls, and stereo functions from the touchscreen. Not only are they easy to use, every switch twists, pulls, and slides with a damped click. A row of buttons above the touchscreen are handy for adjusting other necessities, like deactivating the auto stop-start, parking sensors, and traction control. The central rotary shifter takes no time to learn, and there's a large bin for wireless phone charging and a big central cubby under the armrest.

The Laredo and Altitude trims come with an 8.4-inch touchscreen and a 10-inch digital instrument panel. The Limited, Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve have an available 10.1-inch touchscreen (standard on Summit Reserve) that's unavailable on the lower trims. We noticed some legibility concerns with tiny graphics and text, particularly for the speed limit signs and air suspension modes. Also, in Jeep's 4x4 app, the buttons and menus were washed out by the background graphics. The system occasionally lagged when switching menus in various parts of the interface as well.

The Grand Cherokee L offers plenty of space in all directions, in all rows—even the third row can fit an average adult for an extended time (how much is up to those adults who drew the short straw, but it's not a penalty box). Second-row seats are captain's chairs as standard for six-person seating, while a 60/40 split bench rear seat is an option on all trims. A sweeping panoramic roof, large windows, and ample USB ports help make long journeys a breeze. However, there's an issue with the actual breeze. The air vents appear to be too small and don't direct enough air flow to the cabin. That forces the driver to keep the fan on high, and that fan is quite loud.

Spend and you shall receive. Upper trims have available niceties to match premium nameplates, including multiple massage modes for the 16-way power adjustable front seats, a head-up display, night vision with pedestrian and animal detection, crystal-clear 360-degree camera system, and an Active Driving Assist system that does a great job steering the Jeep on marked highway lanes. The navigation can take over the instrument panel and it's zoomed in enough so you can preview the next corner—very handy on dark, twisty roads. When you have an active route set in the factory system and then plug something into your phone, UConnect will cancel the nav and automatically bring up your preferred app (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless, and two phones can be connected at once).

Adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, and rear parking sensors come standard. Our test vehicle didn't have Active Driving Assist, so we were unable to try it out.

Automatic parking, intersection collision assist, driver attention monitor, traffic sign recognition, and four-zone climate control come standard on the Summit trims, and some of these features are optional on other trims. A rear-facing camera in the ceiling can show what's going on in the second and third rows via the touchscreen. The Summit Reserve comes with the 19-speaker McIntosh audio system that's good, but not as great as the bigger, more powerful system in the Grand Wagoneer. Lower trim levels get nine-speaker or six-speaker no-name stereos.

Pricing for the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee starts at $53,545 for the Laredo trim while a loaded Summit Reserve starts at an MSRP of $83,535. Destination charges vary from $1,895 to $2,795.

The significant upgrade in technology, lavish interior appointments, and off-road capability justify this Jeep's premium over other midsize three-row SUVs like the Hyundai Palisade. The new Grand Cherokee L is even a better alternative to luxury models like the Mercedes-Benz GLE or Audi Q7. But if you prefer more on-road grunt and sportiness, a BMW X5 or Acura MDX will wet your whistle.

If you'd like to save money and don't need the extra space, read our review of the 2022 Grand Cherokee two-row model.

Note: Images show a US model.