The Jeep® Grand Cherokee is an incredibly popular mid-sized SUV. Since the debut of the original “ZJ” Jeep Grand Cherokee in 1992, the model has always been a luxurious, capable family SUV. Now in its fifth generation, the newest Grand Cherokee looks to continue the tradition.

Exterior – 

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The all-new exterior features the traditional Grand Cherokee proportions, but the styling language has moved up-market. Our two-tone Summit Reserve tester finished in Velvet Red with a Gloss Black roof, drew some comparisons to a Range Rover.

Up front, you have the traditional Jeep seven-slot grille, LED headlights, and LED fog lights. The parking sensors and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) are smartly hidden within the lower grille area. Around the side, our Summit Reserve tester features 21-inch x 9-inch Machined Face/Painted aluminum wheels, body-colored moldings, Passive Entry on all doors, Gloss Black mirror caps, and the aforementioned Gloss Black roof.

Out back, you have slim LED taillights tied together by a black bar in the middle of the hatch with dual exhausts integrated into the bumper. Of course, the hatch is powered and can be opened by the keyfob, a button on the hatch itself, or kicking under the bumper, which is helpful if your hands are full. 

Overall I think the new Grand Cherokee is a beautiful SUV with an upscale presence. If you’re looking for a bit of sportiness with the design, check out the High Altitude package. 

Interior – 

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If there was one area that the previous Grand Cherokee needed help with, it was the interior. While not a bad place to be, the basic design was a decade old and had been leapfrogged by the competition with newer technology and much more modern designs. But, Jeep has addressed that with a world-class interior in the new Grand Cherokee.

Since the brand has been moving upmarket, they have adorned the interior of the new Grand Cherokee with top-notch quality materials. This Summit Reserve tester featured beautiful high-quality leather adorning almost every surface and nicely integrated real wood trim. The Global Black interior features Brown contrast stitching and a diamond stitch pattern in the seats and door panels.

Front and rear seats in the Summit Reserve are heated and cooled, with the front seats also gaining a massage function for 2022. The driving position is excellent, with great visibility all around. Although I did find the seats a little on the firm side, most passengers I had didn’t seem to agree, so that might have been just me. At 6’1, I could sit behind the driver’s seat in my position with room to spare. While the rear seats don’t slide fore and aft, they have a recline function, and I found them quite comfortable. Rear passengers also get manual sun shades in the doors, new for 2022 for Grand Cherokee. 

The rear cargo room is increased slightly for 2022, so as always, there is room for five people and all their luggage for a weekend getaway or those weekend trips to Home Depot. 

Technology – 

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Technology gets a massive bump in the fifth-generation Grand Cherokee. With a Night Vision Camera, Active Drive Assist System, and Passenger Side Screen as available equipment, the Grand Cherokee is lightyears ahead of the previous model. As for infotainment, the new Grand Cherokee features the new Uconnect 5 system with wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto. While I encountered a few bugs in the Grand Cherokee L, I drove late last year with Uconnect 5; the system performed flawlessly in this tester. We have been assured that the company has been working hard on software updates to improve the system’s stability, and we can see the results. 

The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster is fully digital and customizable; you can display the navigation map on the cluster and can switch between analog or digital gauges. When selected, the night vision camera also shows in the instrument cluster and can identify hard-to-see people or animals at night. (Make sure to watch the video review up top to see it in action.) A heads-up display (also new for 2022) displays the speed and speed limit right on the windshield for easy viewing and can also show navigation directions. 

Our fully loaded Summit Reserve also featured customizable ambient lighting and the awesome 19-speaker 950-watt Mcintosh high-performance audio system, which sounds much better than the 19-speaker Harmon/Kardon system in the outgoing Grand Cherokee. 

Driving Impressions – 

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Simply put, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee is a pleasure to drive. It rides on an all-new platform for the first time in over ten years, and Jeep has made some slick engineering decisions to improve handling and NVH. Up front, the engine is now mounted lower in the vehicle, which allows for a lower center of gravity and lower hood line. Our tester had the optional air suspension, which offered a firm but comfortable ride with minimal body roll or pitch under hard braking. 

Under that hood, our tester had the optional 5.7-liter HEMI V8 which in Grand Cherokee duty puts out 357 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque with a tow rating of 7200 lbs. Grand Cherokees powered by the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 carry a tow rating of 6200 lbs, and 4xe models carry a tow rating of 6000 lbs. Strong numbers across the board.

The V8 and V6 Grand Cherokees are paired with the excellent 8HP70 8-speed automatic transmission, with 4xe models paired with a plug-in hybrid-specific version of the 8-speed automatic. (We hope to get behind the wheel of a 4xe soon and will bring you all the details when we do.)

Over the week, I appreciated the way the Grand Cherokee drove. Comfortable and refined is the name of the game here. The Grand Cherokee goes about its business in comfortable refinement, with everything working harmoniously. Nothing at all stood out in a bad way about the drive; Jeep has this thing sorted out. While real-world fuel economy was just acceptable in this V8-powered Grand Cherokee, it has near best-in-class towing capability. 

For a more in-depth review of the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve, be sure to watch the full video above. 

Also don’t forget that if you are an owner, future owner, or fan of the new Grand Cherokee (WL), to check out our dedicated website WLJeepForum.com. It’s the epicenter of information, surrounding the all-new WL lineup.