2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee Plug-in Hybrid Review

At first glance, you might wonder what’s special about the Jeep Grand Cherokee you see here. It looks almost exactly like any other Grand Cherokee, until you spot the additional fuel door on the left-hand side front quarter panel.

This is the Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe, the first-ever plug-in hybrid, or PHEV, Grand Cherokee.

It sits at the pinnacle of the four-tier Grand Cherokee range and ditches the 3.6L Pentastar V6 petrol engine for a downsized 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol mated to a plug-in hybrid system.

Don’t let the smaller engine fool you either because the Summit Reserve 4xe produces a healthy 280kW of power and 637Nm of muscly torque – 70kW more than the V6 and almost double the torque.

It also has a claimed electric-only driving range of 52km courtesy of the two electric motors and 17.3kWh battery underneath the boot.

So, what is like compared to the regular petrol-only variants. We spent a week in one to find out.

How much is the 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe?

The Grand Cherokee range kicks-off at $69,450 plus on-road costs for the Night Eagle before moving up the range with the $72,950 Limited and $80,450 Overland.

The Night Eagle and Limited are also available as either five- or seven seats, while the Overland is a five-seater only.

The V6-powered Summit Reserve which shares it spec-sheet with the 4xe comes in at $90,450.

It’s a big jump into the 4xe though, with the electrified Jeep asking $110,850 before on-road costs.

2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee pricing (excluding on-road costs):

• Grand Cherokee Night Eagle: $69,450
• Grand Cherokee Limited: $72,950
• Grand Cherokee Overland: $80,450
• Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve: $90,450
• Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe: $110,850

What do you get?

The Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe comes standard with:

• 21-inch alloy wheels
• Air suspension
• LED headlights
• Black roof with roof rails
• Panoramic sunroof
• Rear privacy glass
• Hands-free power tailgate
• Four-zone climate control
• ‘Palermo’ leather seats
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Front seats massage function
• 25-inch digital instrument display
• 1-inch touchscreen with built-in sat-nav
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 19-speaker 950W Mcintosh sound system
• Active Noise Control System
• Jeep Connected Services app
• Surround-view cameras
• Mode 2 charging cable

Interestingly, you’ll have to option the $5,500 Advanced Technology Pack to get a head-up display and wireless phone charger when these should be part of the equipment.

You do however get a night vision camera along with a front passenger touchscreen with the pack but we feel these should be in a separate option pack.

There are eight colours to choose from with all but Bright White (solid) costing an additional $1,490:

• Diamond Black – solid
• Midnight Sky – metallic
• Baltic Grey – metallic
• Silver Zynith – metallic
• Hydro Blue – pearl
• Rock Mountain – pearl metallic
• Velvet Red – pearl

What’s on the inside?

The Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe comes only in short wheelbase which means it’s a five-seater only.

Like we have mentioned in our previous review, Jeep has gone upmarket in its cabin presentation and there are plenty of lovely wood finish and quilted leather.

There are massaging front seats, suede headlining, and the optional front passenger screen – while gimmicky – provides a touch more premium feel to the interior presentation.

However, we can’t help but also notice some cheap plastic on the steering wheel and along the transmission tunnel, as well as squeaky trims here and there.

The driver’s digital instrument cluster is packed with trip information, vehicle status displays and if optioned, a night vision camera view which highlights pedestrians and animals in the dark.

The central touchscreen offers wireless smartphone mirroring, native sat-nav and more drive system and 4×4 information. We also like the permanent short but menu at the bottom of the touchscreen that provides quick access to regularly used submenus.

Similarly, we are glad that Jeep has kept regular buttons and dials for the climate controls, seat heating and ventilation, as well as various drive and safety assist features such as the air suspension and lane assist.

There are plenty of room both front and back along with amenities such as rear window shades, USB-A and C ports, rear climate control as well as heated and cooled outboard seats at the back.

The 4xe has the same cargo capacity as the V6 with 1,067L with all seats in used, and 2,004L with the rear seat backs folded.

What’s underneath the Summit Reserve 4xe’s bonnet?

The PHEV powertrain is consist of a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol producing 200kW/400Nm, and a pair of electric motors churning out 100kW/265Nm for a combined output of 280kW and 637Nm.

They are mated with an eight-speed torque converter automatic and Jeep’s Quadra-Trac II 4×4 System.

While it produces more power and torque than the Grand Cherokee V6, it also has a weight penalty of 369kg due to the electrical goblins. As such, don’t expect it to be much quicker than its regular petrol-powered counterpart.

The electric motor is fed by a 17kWh lithium-ion battery offering a claimed 52km of electric-only driving range. However, in the real world it’s closer to 45km depending on the driving conditions.

You’ll also have to lock the vehicle into EV mode as the car defaults to its hybrid setting that stretches out the battery range.

There is no range anxiety with a PHEV either because the engine will kick-in when the batteries are depleted it will run like a regular hybrid by keeping a small amount of energy in reserve via regenerative braking.

With a 72-litre fuel tank, the Cherokee 4xe should have at least 700km of driving range.

Jeep claims its large SUV will return a combined 3.2L/100km but our weeklong test sees it sitting around the 8.5L/100km mark, as the batteries drain relatively quickly due to the Jeep’s heft.

This is also assuming you keep the Jeep charged regularly to top up its batteries.

Another way to reduce fuel consumption is to use the ‘E-Save’ mode that switches to using just the engine. This is especially useful when on the freeway where it sips the least fuel, while conserving the battery for use in the city.

However, that is still 4.5L/100km lower than the V6 we tested last year.

How does the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe drive?

At first it feels a little strange as there is no engine noise at start up. At least in a Jeep anyway.

And as you pull away, all you hear is the hum of a four-cylinder petrol engine, which again feels rather out of character with what you would expect to hear in a Jeep. But you very quickly get used to it.

The default Hybrid mode works well with the electric motors doing most of the propulsion duty if there’s enough charge. However, once the electrons are depleted, fuel use quickly climbs due to the 4xe’s 2,536kg weight.

And when the engine takes over, it works hard to get all that mass moving.

Like its petrol counterpart, the 4xe is comfortable around town, thanks to the Jeeps height-adjustable air suspension with rear self-levelling, making it an excellent tourer.

It’s also pleasing to see the 4xe hasn’t lost any of its off-road prowess, retaining Jeep’s Quadra-Trac II active full-time 4×4 system with wheel-specific torque distribution, terrain modes that automatically dull the throttle response and disengage the ESC for sand, rock and snow.

That’s on top of the availability of a low-range gear that can be easily engaged via a button on the centre console.

Together with the air-suspension that is capable of raising the Jeep by up to 276mm off the ground, the 4xe losses out nothing to its ICE counterpart.

Its batteries are also protected by a watertight casing and has its own heating and cooling circuit to enable a claimed wading depth of 610mm.

For those who regularly hit the road with a trailer or caravan, the 4xe has a 2,722kg braked, or up to 750kg unbraked towing capacity, with a maximum towball load of 272kg.

How safe is the Grand Cherokee 4xe?

The Grand Cherokee 4xe was awarded the full five-star safety rating by ANCAP in 2022.

Standard safety features include:

• 10 airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with
  • Cyclist, junction and night-time awareness
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go
• Blind spot alert
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane-centring assist
• Lane-departure warning
• Road sign recognition including speed limit assist
• Driver attention warning
• Rear-seat occupant warning
• Automatic parking assist
• 360-degree camera
• Front and rear parking sensors

Ownership

The Grand Cherokee 4xe comes with a five-year or 100,000km warranty, with the batteries getting eight years or 160,000km.

It requires a services every 12 months or 12,000km with each service capped at $399 for the first four visits.

Verdict

2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe pricing and specification