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Payne: Jeep Grand Cherokee L is a first class road trip
Posted by Talbot Payne on November 5, 2021
Charlevoix — At first blush, the new, 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L looks familiar.
On a road trip Up North, the SUV brand’s ubiquitous, best-selling vehicle barely turned a head. Seven-slot grille. Body chiseled as if from granite. V-6 engine purring under the hood. This being Michigan, a couple of car guys noticed something different — like the local book club noticing one of its own just got their first Botox treatment.
“That’s the new Grand Cherokee, isn’t it?” said the owner of a blood-red Corvette C7 after I parked next to him on Michigan Beach. The thinner front headlights tipped him off.
“The Grand Cherokee’s gotten longer,” said my neighbor Jon as I drove up.
Correct on both counts as Grand Cherokee designers took advantage of the latest advances in lighting technology, while brand marketers saw a sales opportunity by offering the Grand with three rows for the first time. L-yeah!
Open the door to check out the three-row execution and the new stuff hits you like a tidal wave.
“Whoa! That’s nice. Where’s the umbrella in the door?” laughed Jon, referencing the Rolls Royce Cullinan I recently tested — complete with the Brit brand’s signature rear-door parasols.
Jeep has longed bridged the mainstream and luxury segments — its powerful brand cross-shopped by Mercedes and Toyota owners alike. It’s a rare talent shared by Detroit Three pickups and Mazda. The 2021 Grand Cherokee goes all-out luxe. Its handsome, thin infotainment screen spills down the console like a black waterfall. Behind the bronze-trimmed steering wheel is a configurable digital dash that would be at home in a Bimmer. A head-up display floats over the dash like a Caddy.
Much of this is made possible by modern electronics, which have democratized vehicle brands. But the Jeep backs this capability with carefully paced materials. Lush wood sprawls across the dash from A-pillar to A-pillar. At night, cool blue trim lights circle the cabin like a Merc. The leather seats on my Summit tester were laced with stitching that extended to the third row, where my sprawling 6’5” frame sat behind myself with ease.
I was sometimes lulled into complacency by the rich details.
Lounging in the third-row thrones, I simply pulled the seat tab in front of me and the entire second-row seat folded forward — opening a passageway out like Moses crossing the Red Sea. On my way out, I carelessly cut my foot on the seat’s bottom plastic frame. Careful, Payne! This is still a vehicle, not your living room.
Dropping my kids at the airport on the way north, we unloaded the enormous cargo hold stuffed with luggage — including sub-cargo beneath the trunk floor. Jeep has thoughtfully placed a throw carpet over the cargo floor so the base carpet doesn’t get ripped up by repeated luggage tosses (I wish my thinly carpeted Tesla trunk had one of those).
But I neglected to make sure the carpet was in place after disgorging our cargo. I pushed the automatic (of course) trunk close button and jumped back in the car. Unbeknownst to me, the lid bounced off the carpet and re-opened so that I exited the airport with rear wide open.
The automatic wizardry extends to the road, were the big Jeep boasts one of the best semi-autonomous driving systems on the market. The system lane-centers beautifully, even holding mild curves on I-75. On long road trips, it makes it safer for an attentive driver to eat a meal or check the phone for a message.
Speaking of safety, electronic suspension systems have made big vehicles remarkably nimble, something I first experienced on a GMC Sierra pickup with magnetic shocks years ago. The L benefits from this revolution, and I actually enjoyed driving — not wrestling — the Jeep through M-32’s curves once I exited I-75 and head for the Lake Michigan shore.
The old school V-6 drivetrain competently motivates this rolling furniture showroom.
Such luxury doesn’t come cheap, of course, and my Jeep L stickered for a healthy $66,985 — $23K over the Atlas Cross Sport tester that I returned home to after my Up North trip.
That’s a luxury-like gulf (credit wood trim, head-up display, third-row accommodations) between two mainstream brands.
Jeep has come a long way from its humble World War II origins.
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L
Vehicle type: Front engine, rear- and-all-wheel-drive, seven-passenger SUV
Price: $41,425, including $1,695 destination fee ($65,775 Summit Reserve as tested)
Powerplant: 3.6-liter V-6
Power: 293 horsepower, 260 pound-feet torque
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.7 seconds (Car and Driver est.); Towing, 6,200 pounds
Weight: 5,068 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 19 city/26 highway/21 combined
Report card
Highs: Roomy three rows; luxury interior
Lows: Gets pricey
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.