2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Jeep says the Grand Cherokee’s headlights, grille, and lower front fascia are new for 2026, but even by the standards of midcycle refreshes, the changes are hard to spot. That’s okay, though, because the current-generation Grand Cherokee is a handsome SUV that makes a stronger visual statement than its competitors. Even though it’s been around since the 2021 model year, we haven’t gotten sick of looking at it.

Perched atop a jutting brow, the thin grille and headlights give the Grand Cherokee a substantial, wide-track look. The traditional Jeep trapezoidal wheel arches and the straight body lines that frame them build on that, while the proportions of the hood and the roofline recall classic Jeep models. The shark-nose angle of the front end and the canted rear mean the Grand Cherokee doesn’t just look like a box. Competitors try to dress up softer, more-car-like shapes with big grilles and cladding, but the Grand Cherokee doesn’t need that to explain what it is.

Full Canadian specifications were not available for the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee at publication time. We expect seven trim levels: Laredo, Laredo X, Altitude, Limited, 85th Anniversary, Limited Reserve, and Summit. Lower trims have 18-inch wheels, while 20-inch wheels are either available or standard on higher trims. The top Summit trim level will likely align with the U.S. model’s 21-inch wheels and black roof.

The interior looks a little more plain now that the smaller Jeep Cherokee has copied parts of its layout. However, this SUV still justifies its “grand” billing with smarter materials and more equipment, albeit only at the upper reaches of the lineup. We expect Laredo and Laredo X models to have cloth upholstery, the Altitude, Limited, and 85th Anniversary to have leatherette, and the Limited Reserve and Summit to have genuine leather upholstery. Single-pane and dual-pane sunroofs are available on certain trims, and they're cheaper than they were on 2025 models.

The biggest news for the 2026 Grand Cherokee is under the hood, where the Hurricane 4 Turbo engine joins the lineup. This is not the same 2.0-litre turbo-four found in a Wrangler. Advanced features such as a variable-geometry turbo and pre-chamber ignition help extract more power. The Hurricane’s 324 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque (on regular gasoline) are 54 hp and 37 lb-ft more than the Wrangler can muster. Plus, this engine gets a cool name shared with the inline six-cylinder engine used in the larger Grand Wagoneer (although the two engines share little else).

The Hurricane engine is expected to be standard in all Grand Cherokee trims except the base Laredo and Laredo X, which will continue with the Pentastar 3.6-litre V6. This naturally aspirated engine produces 293 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are paired with eight-speed automatic transmissions and, in Canada, standard four-wheel drive (4WD). They’re the only options for 2026 as the 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain was abruptly discontinued, as was the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 prior to that.

Other midsize SUVs such as the Ford Explorer and the Chevrolet Traverse have adopted downsized four-cylinder engines (although Ford still offers a 400-hp twin-turbo V6 on some models), but the Hurricane 4 is among the best of the bunch. It makes peak power across a broad range of rpm, so there's rarely a wait for the turbo to build boost and deliver thrust. Passing cars on an uphill grade, the Grand Cherokee feels not just confidence-inspiring but genuinely quick. While we didn’t have the opportunity to hitch up a trailer on this test drive, the Hurricane 4 provides the same 2,810-kilogram (6,200-pound) towing capacity as the Pentastar V6. That’s tops among midsize SUVs.

The rest of the Grand Cherokee driving experience hasn’t changed. It’s fairly easy to guide through corners for a vehicle of its size, but its lazy steering and suspension that's a half step behind body motions still make it feel truck-like. The standard steel suspension on our U.S.-spec Limited Reserve test car was well-tuned for comfort, though. Bumps and other road imperfections were absorbed without any wobbling or pitching. (Height-adjustable air suspension is available on the Summit model.)

Jeep is known more for off-road capability than on-road handling, but the level of capability depends on which Grand Cherokee you choose. The base Laredo is expected to come with Jeep’s Quadra-Trac I 4WD system, but buyers have to upgrade to get the Selec-Terrain system, which adds multiple drive modes for different surfaces such as snow, mud, and sand. In addition to air suspension that jacks up the Grand Cherokee to increase ground clearance, the top Summit trim level also is expected to come with a more sophisticated Quadra-Drive II 4WD system with a two-speed transfer case. However, even this model lacks the sway-bar disconnect, all-terrain tires, and skid plates of the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, which has disappeared along with the 4xe powertrain.

The standard Grand Cherokee has two rows and five seats, but Jeep still offers a three-row Grand Cherokee L model. Up front, the Jeep offers similar headroom to other midsize SUVs, while legroom ties the Honda Pilot but trails other competitors. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel were standard in Canada in 2026, and we expect that to continue into 2026. Shoppers will likely have to step up to the Limited Reserve for ventilation and the Summit for massagers.

It's a similar story in the second row. Headroom largely conforms to segment norms, but legroom exceeds only one competitor, the Ford Explorer, and the Chevy Traverse offers an additional 8.3 centimetres of legroom in its second row. Second-row heated outboard seats are available on higher trims. Buyers opting for the three-row Grand Cherokee L will again find competitive headroom but sub-par legroom in the rearmost seats.

Two-row models have 1,067 litres of cargo space behind the second row and 2,004 litres with the rear seats folded, which is less than that of a two-row Honda Passport. Similarly, the Grand Cherokee L’s 487 litres with all seats in place, 1,328 litres with the third row folded, and 2,395 litres with all back seats folded trails most of the three-row competition with the exception of the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Grand Cherokee doesn’t have the Hyundai’s prominent dual wireless device chargers, but there are plenty of places to stash a phone as well as a deep centre console storage bin. That’s despite the rotary shifter and the drive mode selector being positioned in a way that’s visually interesting but not especially practical.

For 2026, a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen is now available on higher trim levels. The lower models continue with a 10.2-inch touchscreen, and all trim levels have a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. Audio systems range from an unbranded six-speaker system to a 19-speaker McIntosh system on the Summit, which also has a 10.2-inch front-passenger touchscreen.

Jeep continues to rely on the long-lived Uconnect 5 infotainment system, which still has an easy-to-use interface with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The Off-Road Pages display, which includes the likes of an inclinometer and the distribution of power through the 4WD system, is also a great feature for an off-road SUV. That said, the main touchscreen’s home menu is a bit cluttered, the digital instrument cluster is a disorganized collection of widgets no matter which configuration you choose, and the front passenger screen seems unnecessary. We certainly didn’t miss it in our Limited Reserve test vehicle.

Like many modern vehicles, the Grand Cherokee is available with a surround-view camera system, but Jeep enhances functionality with night vision and a low-angle off-road camera for spotting obstacles on trails. A digital rearview mirror is also available along with the Fam Cam, which lets parents check on kids in the back seats.

We expect the usual array of driver assistance features to remain standard, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and lane departure warning. Jeep also makes blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors standard, all very helpful features for a vehicle of this size.

Active Drive Assist, a hands-free highway driving system similar to the Super Cruise and BlueCruise systems available on the Chevy Traverse and Ford Explorer respectively — albeit not as feature-rich — is also available. For 2026, Jeep says it improved the behaviour of this system to more seamlessly transition to lower levels of automation when needed, but we didn’t have a chance to test that out.

Crash-test ratings for the 2026 Grand Cherokee from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) were not available at the time of writing. However, the federal safety agency gave the similar 2025 model its highest five-star overall safety rating, including five stars in front and side crash tests and four stars in the rollover evaluation.

The 2025 model was also an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 2024 Top Safety Pick, but the IIHS has changed its criteria since then. For now, the institute has only confirmed top “Good” scores in the small overlap front and updated side crash tests and a “Marginal” score for seat belt reminders.

Official fuel-economy ratings weren’t available at the time of writing, but Jeep expects the new Hurricane four-cylinder engine to return fuel economy as low as 8.7 litres per 100 kilometres combined. That’s a meaningful improvement over the V6 engine’s 10.9 litres per 100 kilometres combined (12.3 city, 9.2 highway) and better than the turbo-fours in the Chevy Traverse and the Ford Explorer or the Honda Pilot’s V6. However, it can’t beat a Hyundai Santa Fe or a Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid.

Jeep’s three-year/60,000-kilometre basic warranty and five-year/100,000-kilometre powertrain warranty match those of most other mainstream brands. Jeep is also competitive with most other brands on pricing, with the Laredo trim starting at $59,995 (pricing with destination charges and other fees has not yet been announced). The three-row Grand Cherokee L is an extra $2,500. The top Summit trim comes in at $82,995 before fees.

Few vehicles offer the ability to off-road or tow comfortably at the price of a well-equipped Grand Cherokee. The new-for-2026 Ford Explorer Tremor is more exhilarating to drive on the road thanks to available 400-hp twin-turbo V6, and it can get pretty darned far into the wilderness — but it can’t tow as much as the Jeep. For buyers who simply need the most space for the least money, the hybrid powertrains available from Hyundai and Toyota are more logical choices. These brands’ crossovers might not be as rugged as the Grand Cherokee, but they make more sense where most utility vehicles actually live.