2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Since the first Grand Cherokee broke through a glass wall at the 1992 Detroit auto show, it's been a hit. In every year since, Jeep can never sell enough of them. Its original design, as a lifted square box with a seven-slot grille, looks tough and upscale at the same time. Until the new Wagoneer came out, the Grand Cherokee was the most luxurious Jeep—and in the midsize segment, it's more luxurious than many other SUVs. The L lengthens the Grand Cherokee by more than 30 centimetres without sacrificing the shorter version’s classic style.

Our Hydro Blue example came with the High Altitude package that blacks out the grille, logos, and the tops of the door handles and adds gloss black interior accents. Combined with dark gray 21-inch wheels, black leather with gold stitching and matte-finish light walnut curving along the dash and doors, this Grand Cherokee L was rather bold and better for it. The U-shaped fenders and the square greenhouse are quintessential Jeep, while slim LED lighting, body-colour bumpers with integrated exhaust tips, and a mild curve to the black roofline are modern elements that together look clean and ready to last another couple decades.

The interiors on upper trims are impressive. Not every piece is Mercedes-grade, such as the hard plastics in the lower dash or the rougher-grained leather on the steering wheel, but 90 percent of it feels justified, even for a truck pushing $90,000 including fees. The polished black dash on the passenger side hides an optional touchscreen, while a thick metal dial for the gear selector and toggle switches for the driving modes and air suspension feel appropriately damped. The diamond-patterned stitching on the thin seats look as inviting as they do on the door panels. Aluminum speaker grilles add to the brightwork. It's properly classy in here if you're spending more money. Lower trims eschew these details, yet the look and feel is dramatically better than their lower-price competitors such as the Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, and anything from Chevrolet.

The weakest element in the Grand Cherokee L is the standard Pentastar V6 engine that’s shared with the Dodge and Chrysler brands. A sport mode brings out the worst qualities of this minivan-grade powertrain. The noise is well-muffled from the intake to the exhaust, but step on it and the 3.6-litre Pentastar groans and grinds its way to 293 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It's a lousy rental car engine that should have retired years ago. The replacement—a turbo inline-six found in the larger Wagoneer that's smoother, quieter, and more responsive—is not yet ready for the Grand Cherokee L. The sport mode improves throttle response but won't allow the eight-speed automatic transmission to upshift to top gear in regular driving. This is a heavy SUV that needs more low-end torque.

To that end, a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engine with 357 horsepower and 390 pound-feet is optional. We'd recommend this engine, especially if you're towing. With the V8, max towing capacity ratings are 3,265 kilograms (7,200 pounds) compared to 2,810 kg (6,200 lb) with the V6. The V8 sounds fantastic, too. A plug-in hybrid 4xe is not available; it's only available as the regular Grand Cherokee 4xe. Fuel economy on 4x4 models, the standard configuration in Canada, is a Natural Resources Canada rated 13.0 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 9.4 highway, and 11.3 combined with the V6. The V8's ratings are significantly worse at 16.7 L/100 km city, 10.9 hwy, 14.1 combined.

Saving the L from a total performance loss is the chassis, which feels solid and stiff for confident handling. With air suspension, our Summit Reserve whisked through corners without any head toss or excessive lean that's often found in luxury competitors, and yet the ride remained pliable. The steering could be quicker—the lazy turn-in requires more corrections on tighter roads—but this level of handling tops the class in everything but race-tuned Mercedes-AMG and BMW M models.

Four-wheel drive (4WD) is standard in Canada, and Jeep offers three different systems that are equipped on various trims. (In Canada, rear-wheel drive (RWD) is not offered.) Also, the Trail-Rated trim that included skid plates and all-terrain tires is no longer available. Each 4x4 system is permanent 4WD, which means all four wheels are always engaged as opposed to passive systems on most SUVs that only engage their rear axles after detecting slippage. Quadra-Trac I is a high-range only system that uses brake-based traction control to approximate the function of a limited-slip differential (LSD). An LSD is included only on Quadra-Drive II, which also has a low-range transfer case. Quadra-Trac II is essentially Quadra-Drive II without the LSD.

When used in conjunction with the air suspension, the Grand Cherokee L can cycle through five height settings for ground clearance of up to 27.6 centimetres. It can also lower the suspension at highway speeds for improved aero and lower to the bottom of its height when parking. Only a Land Rover is more sophisticated and technically adept off-road. Next to any other SUV, a Grand Cherokee L is definitely tougher than most buyers need—but that's Jeep.

The L's added length—12.7 centimetres more in the wheelbase—allows more legroom for second-row passengers. It feels cavernous even when a six-foot-plus human slides back in the first-row seats. Second-row captain's chairs come standard on all trims. Only the Summit and Summit Reserve come with a centre console with two tiers of storage, plus four-zone climate and heated rear seats (and ventilated on Summit Reserve). A 60/40 bench seat is an $895 option on all trims. The third row power folds up and down and has power-folding headrests accessible from the main touchscreen, but the second row is manual. While there's ample room to maneuver past the second row sliding and tilting seats, the two-person third row is tight for adults—it's best for kids under 12. A power liftgate is added at the Altitude trim, and a dual-pane panoramic sunroof is added at the Overland trim.

Sight lines and visibility are good from the driver's seat. Two rows of buttons surround the touchscreen. The bottom is for the audio and climate control (including climate for the seats and heated steering wheel) while the top offers handy access to the auto engine stop-start, lane-departure, traction control, hazards, parking sensors, automatic parking, and passenger screen. We noticed legibility issues with the graphics and text in the infotainment system's top menu—seat controls and other random icons that are hard to decipher—and tiny readouts in the digital instrument panel (such as the speed limit icons and air suspension levels). That's frustrating, and we can see fine without glasses.

Cargo space is aplenty. There are 481 litres behind the three rows of seats, 1,330 litres behind the second-row seats, and 2,407 litres with both rows folded. That max cargo is at the top of the class and much bigger than the Grand Cherokee's 2,010 litres.

The Laredo and Altitude trims come with an 8.4-inch touchscreen and a 10-inch digital instrument panel that can switch to a carousel layout of tiled info panels. The Limited, Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve come with a 10.1-inch touchscreen that's unavailable on the lower trims and navigation that shows full-screen maps on the instrument panel. All systems run Uconnect 5, which is generally quick and easy to use despite those legibility issues. Apps for the McIntosh sound system and 4x4 status are more gimmicky than helpful. The actual 19-speaker McIntosh sound system is good but lacks enough surround imaging from the rear speakers. This audio system (and a lesser Alpine unit) are available as standalone options on upper trims instead of being bundled with packages. Navigation is now standard on the Limited and Overland trims. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are standard fare on all trim levels.

The night vision is superb and works in the daytime by projecting the infrared image on the instrument panel and highlighting people and animals in yellow. The Active Driving Assist is also good at semi-automated control on marked highways but the dash does not show surrounding vehicles and the system will not perform automated lane changes. To us, that's not really a demerit when you should be the one changing lanes in a big SUV. The real pampering starts with the 16-way power front seats with five massage programs and a head-up display with multiple views.

The passenger screen in the dash is superb. It's only active when a front passenger is seated and is polarized so the driver cannot see the screen when in motion. That's reassuring since this screen can play video and music independently from the optional rear entertainment system. Plus, the passenger can control the navigation, activate the 360 cameras, and switch on the "FamCam," which uses two overhead cameras in the roof to watch the second and third rows. The Grand Cherokee L has so many tech features that competitors don’t have.

The 2023 Grand Cherokee L scored a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but only for models built after May 2023—that's when Jeep reinforced the frame for the SUV to score higher in side-impact tests. Check the VIN and the manufacturer label in the driver's door jamb before you buy to confirm the Jeep's build date. The L also scored five stars in every test conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration except for rollover, in which it scored four.

Driver and passenger front knee airbags are standard, while rear side thorax airbags are unavailable. Forward emergency braking, rear park assist and emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control are standard. Front cross-traffic braking, a backup camera washer, and 360-degree cameras are optional on Limited and Overland trims. Night vision is available only on Summit and Summit Reserve. The Active Driving Assist is optional on higher trims.

Base prices start at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $57,045 and go up to $84,045. There are six Grand Cherokee L models available in Canada, and compared to the regular Grand Cherokee, each L costs $2,000 more. That's a small upcharge for a lot more space. Our Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve was aptly named for being the priciest Grand Cherokee L with every option. In Canada, this vehicle as shown will crest $90,000 with destination and dealer fees, which vary across the country.

At the low or the high end, the Grand Cherokee L is a good value. The base engine is a crutch when competing against luxury brands with superior engines. Everything else is delightful. Jeep's high resale value also makes it a solid investment in the years to come.

Note: Images show a US model.