First Look Review: 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe retains class & appeal

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been updated once again, this time for the 2024 model year, and it’s on sale at dealerships across the U.S. Three years into the launch, is the plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV still worth the dough? I checked out a Diamond Black Crystal Pearl-coat unit recently in the standard spec, and here’s what I think about it:

Line-up

The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is available in standard (featured in the story), Trailhawk, Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve trims, all carried over from the previous model. There’s also a new ‘Anniversary Edition,’ released as a replacement for the old model’s 30th Anniversary Edition. The features are almost the same, though.

Design

The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe has no design changes from the previous model year. Its boxy, distinctly American exterior includes subtle touches to communicate the eco-friendly nature of the powertrain.

There’s a tiny “e” badge on the push-open/push-close cover securing the charging port on the left front fender and a 4xe logo on the left side of the tailgate. Both these elements, as well as the brand emblems and tow hooks, are blue-accented, which I found easy on the eye. With the 2024 model year update, the Trailhawk trim has gained new 18-inch black wheels, and that’s the only exterior tweak.

In my opinion, it’s good that Jeep didn’t make changes to the Grand Cherokee 4xe. The outside look couldn’t speak any louder about how it’s made for outdoor adventures and that it can handle tough landscapes. Yet, it still looks nice enough to take you to a fancy dinner downtown on a Saturday evening.

Interior

Stepping inside, the 2024 Grand Cherokee 4xe is easy to get in and out. The plug-in hybrid SUV offers a commanding view of the surroundings, and from the driver’s seat, I’m able to easily spot the edges on the front of the vehicle. While high beltlines and sleek windows might be trending in the auto industry, Jeep prioritizes form and function over aesthetics. Compared to the fourth-gen Grand Cherokee, this model actually has a lower beltline, leading to improved exterior visibility.

There’s nothing new in here to look at for the 2024 model year, but if you ask me, things are just as appealing as when I first saw it in 2021. Jeep designers haven’t succumbed to the trending minimalist approach in the auto industry. The dashboard is sleek yet hefty enough to give the feeling of being in a tough SUV. Open-pore wood trim, metallic inserts, and soft-touch materials are in abundance, giving occupants the impression of sitting in a luxury model. I think the quality of the trim and materials is out of the top drawer.

The 10.25-inch front passenger display can be quite useful in everyday life; it’s not just a party trick that everyone forgets after the vehicle launch. For example, I think it can be quite useful for the driver to get route planning easily done by the front passenger. The 10.1-inch central display appears to float partly above the dashboard and partly above the bridge-type center console.

I’ve used both these touchscreens to understand their ease of use and swiftness and concluded that they function beautifully. They offer the option to add Pages, meaning you could customize the screen to have the apps and functions that you most want. The I used the knurled rotary controller on the center console and felt that it offered tactile feedback.

Jeep’s Uconnect 5 system allows saving up to five different driver profiles, understands natural voice commands, and supports technologies like Amazon Alexa, wireless Apple CarPlay, and wireless Android Auto. Jeep Connect brings a suite of connected vehicle services like app-enabled remote start, remote lock, real-time traffic and weather updates, tow-specific navigation, and more.

Jeep offers many fabric options for the seats of the Grand Cherokee 4xe. The company has replaced Capri leather with Capri leatherette with the 2024 model year update, but the new fabric looks and feels quite premium. Like Capri leather, it can be specified with suede or in a perforated version depending on the trim. The Anniversary Edition also features the new seat fabric, and that’s its only difference from the 30th Anniversary Edition, which had Capri leather.

I’m sure Jeep designers intended the 2024 Grand Cherokee 4xe to be comfortable on long journeys, with features like powered front seats with heating, ventilation, and massage functions and rear seats with heating and ventilation functions. However, as a six-footer, at the rear, I find the headroom just adequate and knee room to be tight with the seat ahead set to my position. I certainly would feel more at home in the front seats on a roadtrip.

Driving impressions

The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe has no mechanical updates, meaning it has a 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine assisted by two electric motors and connected to the 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. This setup gives the vehicle 375 hp and 470 lb.-ft. of torque.

A 17.3 kWh traction battery pack residing under the rear seat stores energy for electric propulsion. It gives the PHEV a pure electric driving range of 26 miles, which is not high by 2024 standards but not bad either. A bigger battery pack would make the PHEV too heavy, and a more advanced battery pack with a higher energy density would shoot up its price to an absurdly high level.

The standard, Anniversary Edition, and Overland trims have the Quadra-Trac II active 4WD system. Overlanding customers who require more capability can choose the Trailhawk, Summit, or Summit Reserve trim, which includes the more advanced Quadra-Drive II 4WD system along with a rear electronic limited-slip differential.

The 2024 Grand Cherokee 4xe’s main highlight is its EV-only drive mode, which customers find useful particularly when off-roading with fellow enthusiasts on a trail, on a private wildlife safari with the family, or driving back home in the neighborhood at late hours. Other driving impressions also suggest that the electric propulsion in this midsizer is quite responsive and punchy. Switching to hybrid or gas-only operation and the smoothness quickly fades, for obvious reasons.

One aspect Jeep would want to improve in the Grand Cherokee 4xe is the smoothness of the hybrid drive mode. On suddenly flooring the pedal while the speed is slow and so only the electric motor is running, the gas engine doesn’t kick in as quickly as it should. That’s a quirk I expect Jeep to fix when it gives the model a facelift, probably in 2025.

As for the ride quality, the air suspension keeps the car feeling smooth for the most part. Given the size and shape of the vehicle, there’s obviously some body roll around the corners, but nothing alarming or out of the ordinary. The steering setup is good, too, and not just because it feels responsive and precise but also because it feels solid and is thus confidence-inspiring.

Price

The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe’s prices start at USD 60,490 and go up to USD 79,150, excluding a standard USD 1,795 destination charge. Rumor has it a first-ever Toyota 4Runner Hybrid is coming later in 2024, but there’s no direct rival with a plug-in hybrid system in sight.

Also See: 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe: First Look Review

TopElectricSUV says

The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is an excellent entry-luxury mid-size SUV for adventure-minded customers who don’t need three rows of seats and feel the need to preserve the nature they so much love as much as they can. It’s stylish, comfortable, very capable, and a great urban vehicle that can double as an occasional light (Jeep-light) off-roader. However, its powertrain still needs some improvements to be as refined as one would expect at this price point, which we must say is quite high.

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