Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe set to battle luxury rivals
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe’s price puts it in the same class as luxury SUVs, making drivers pay less attention to its considerable off-road prowess.
Test driving the new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is a wonderful, world-widening experience. One moment, I’m climbing it over rocks and dodging boulders as I make my way deep into the Grand Canyon. Then, suddenly, magically, I take a sharp left-hand turn and I’m carving through the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert in the Aussie Outback.
How did I manage to leap across continents? Well, that’s because I’m test driving the new plug-in hybrid Jeep in my mind, which, according to the brand, is what most of its buyers do.
Rick Crichton, a product manager at Jeep Australia said: “They’ve actually done research globally that says 90 per cent of Jeep owners only go off-road in their mind. But they like the idea of it, of adventure.”
Sure, the brand is synonymous with serious off-roading, dating back to the original US Army Jeep, but these days the American icon is trying to reposition itself as a luxury rival to the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. And no, I’m not imagining that part.
The new Grand Cherokee 4xe is priced from $129,950 (plus on-road costs), which puts it in the same territory as the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class and Audi Q7. That’s a tough market to crack, and a big ask for a vehicle coming off a challenging decade.
The previous generation Grand Cherokee made a strong first impression with its tough looks and strong value, but after notching record sales, it quickly became one of the most recalled cars on the market. A series of problems drove down consumer confidence and sales, leaving Jeep in need of a fresh start for its big SUV.
The arrival of the new model certainly provided that, with a more refined appearance and a more pampering cabin. However, the fact remains that Jeep is simply not a brand that can compete on even footing with the likes of BMW and Benz. Jeep is hoping that by introducing the plug-in hybrid (PHEV), as part of its 4xe electrification plans, that buyers will be wooed by the technology.
Which does raise the next obvious question: is an electrified off-roader an appealing proposition?
PHEV is a hard technology to sell, because it’s seen by many as a halfway house between a fully electric powertrain and a conventional internal-combustion engine. It means you’re carrying an electric motor and battery pack that runs out of charge after just 52km, and then you’re relying on the 2.0-litre petrol engine.
On the flipside, the line Jeep is pushing is that a PHEV provides the best of both worlds. If you’re using your Grand Cherokee for urban duties of less than 52km per day, like your commute to work, then you can drive on battery-power alone (potentially for free if you have solar panels and a home charger).
Then, when you need to take that weekend trip to the farm or camping in the bush, the petrol engine can help get you there with ease. The official claimed fuel consumption is just 3.2 litres per 100km, which is an astonishing figure for such a huge SUV, but sadly it’s another one of those things probably most likely achieved in the mind rather than reality.
The good news is that actually driving the Grand Cherokee 4xe for real is actually a pleasant experience. The hybrid powertrain works in a variety of modes, allowing you to either run on electric power alone, petrol power or a combination of both, depending on your preference or the conditions.
Around town it feels refined, quiet and offers easy performance, thanks to its 280kW of power and 637Nm of torque. The eight-speed automatic gearbox shifts smoothly, too, leaving you to relax and enjoy the journey.
For those that do actually want to take their Jeep off-road in the real world, there are some benefits to the 4xe powertrain. Specifically, assuming you can save some charge on your way to the trails, you can climb over rocks and wade through rivers in near-silence. There’s no engine noise to distract you, just the gentle hum of the electric motors, so you can hear the leaves crunching as you drive over them.
The near-instant torque of electric motors also makes off-roading easier, effortlessly guiding you through the countryside.
But as nice as that is, it does bring us back to the start of the story. Even Jeep admits most buyers won’t take their now very expensive Grand Cherokee off-road, so its prowess on unsealed surfaces becomes something of a moot point.
Instead, with its price, it needs to compete as a luxury SUV against European rivals, and that seems like an obstacle not even this very capable car can climb over.
