Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland review reveals luxury personified

There is currently a bargain deal available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, where opulence has gone up a notch but hauling power has dropped.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee is available with a V6 petrol or hybrid drivetrain.

Grey nomads have been embracing the Jeep Grand Cherokee for years.

Previous diesel models were sought-after towing vehicles for their ability to lap Australia in comfort for less than a Toyota LandCruiser.

While the fifth generation Grand Cherokee WL-series has all-new architecture, seven-seat variants along with a plug-in hybrid option, the famed oil-burner has been ousted. Diesel is on the nose overseas and there is no V8 on the horizon as Jeep, and all manufacturers, look toward electrification and alternative fuels.

Towing capacity has also dramatically decreased – down about 700kg to 2813kg from the industry benchmark of 3500kg.

Hauling ability may be down but Jeep has gone big on luxury.

On-road pricing starts from about $80,000 for the Night Eagle, with the Overland we tested usually closer to $105k. Jeep currently has a deal whereby the Overland can be in your driveway for the price of the mid-spec Limited variant – about $90,000 depending on options.

Cabin features of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Picture: Thomas Wielecki

What do you get?

Plush black nappa leather seats welcome you into an opulent cabin where the leather extends onto the dash and doors, moulding with classy woodgrain inlays. Meanwhile, a central 10.1-inch central touchscreen and a driver 10.25-inch instrument cluster garner attention.

Other highlights are heated seats front and back (ventilated as well upfront), hands-free power tailgate, smartphone mirroring apps, panoramic sunroof and a nine-speaker sound system.

White is the only free external colour and those wanting silver, blue, black, grey or red will need to pay a $1750 premium.

Those wanting to inject additional tech smarts, including 12-way power driver and passenger seats with memory and massage functions, four-zone climate control, ventilated outboard second row seats, digital rearview mirror, wireless phone charging and embedded second row window shades will have to pay an additional $4500.

Those wanting to get off the bitumen would need to fork out $2750 for an off-road pack, which drops the alloys down from 20-inch to 18 with Goodyear all-terrain tyres, electronic slip differential, additional underbody protection and a 230mm rear axle.

The luxurious 2023 model Jeep Grand Cherokee.

How was the drive?

While a plug-in hybrid has also been launched, the primary drivetrain option for most will be Jeep’s husky Pentastar petrol V6.

The Grand Cherokee, which is made in Detroit, now rides on a new unibody architecture and the Overland model has air suspension as well as a sophisticated 4x4 system.

Sounding hairy-chested, the performance is steady off the line as it takes some work to gain momentum. Once under way it’s a cushioned and easy drive with inclines handled like shelling peas.

Selec-Terrain functionality makes tackling the tough stuff easy. It feels almost counterintuitive to take the luxury beast off road but, with 276mm of ground clearance and 610mm of water fording ability, there is no doubting it’s capable.

Surging rural drives highlight wallowy suspension performance with reasonable roll in the bends.

With a turning circle of more than 11.5m the 360-degree camera view is an ally in tight carparks. Official average fuel consumption is less than 10L/100km, but our test over more than 600km saw it finish at 12.3.

Going off-road is well within the Jeep Grand Cherokee remit.

Would you buy one?

Kel: Despite the dimensions, I found the Grand Cherokee surprisingly easy to drive. That stereo was awesome and I loved pumping the beats while the cabin was luxurious. Despite the fact I can appreciate the off-road ability, it’s probably wasted technology for me so Jeep would be hard-pressed to lure me away from a prestige brand for similar money.

Grant: Australia is an automotive minnow so it’s easy to see why the diesel business case no longer stacks up. That’s a shame for so many who loved the oil-burner combined with lashings of grandeur. It remains a supremely comfortable tow vehicle if you only need the capacity to haul 2.8 tonnes. For me, I’d still lean toward a Toyota LandCruiser for doing the tough stuff or a Range Rover in the luxury realm.