Table of Contents
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit: Review, Specs & Interior – The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the only midsize SUV that offers the widest range of options and features. The Grand Cherokee L can have two or three rows. In Summit and Overland trims, it can also be an all-terrain, plug-in-hybrid monster. Other trim levels are positioned somewhere between the two and have a positive impact. You can enjoy its beautiful interior with excellent tech, regardless of the version.
Review
Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is only available in 2024 with a 4xe Plug-in Hybrid Powertrain. The Limited and Overland trims of the Grand Cherokee L and Grand Cherokee now include the 10.1″ touchscreen as standard, and the Alpine and McIntosh sound systems (Limited, Overland, and Summit) are available separately.
Standard Grand Cherokee interiors are attractively designed but lack features. They feature a lot of gloss black accents and have smooth surfaces. The base model includes a heated steering wheel, and the higher trims add heated seats. Summit Reserve’s interior is almost decadent.
The Grand Cherokee can be equipped in a variety of ways, from a conventionally technological vehicle to showcasing the latest gadgets. Base Grand Cherokee features an 8.4-inch Uconnect system that includes wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and 6-speaker audio. This system can be upgraded with a 10.1-inch touchscreen and navigation system as well as with either a top-of-the-line McIntosh or Alpine audio system. The Grand Cherokee offers Bluetooth, WiFi, USB A, USB Type-C, and HDMI inputs.
The Grand Cherokee L with rear seat entertainment and the Summit Reserve package will have more USB ports (please prove us wrong). The 10.25″ passenger-side infotainment option provides entertainment options and comfort for the front-row passengers, without distracting the driver.
It is difficult to describe how the Grand Cherokee handles because there are so many variations. The base V6 Laredo will be very different than a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit powered by a V8 with air suspension. Both of these vehicles are going to be incredibly different from the Trailhawk 4xe. Expect the Grand Cherokee, in general, to feel more refined and robust than, for example, a Kia Telluride, or Honda Pilot. Even though it’s geared for off-roading and has knobbier wheels, the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, with its extra noise, is still perfectly civilized, despite the additional wallowing around corners. The civility of any Grand Cherokee is further enhanced when the air suspension height can be adjusted. This was shown in the photos above at its full lift (Summit Reserve, above left).
The standard V6 has a power level that is similar to mid-size crossovers with two or three rows. It’s a perfectly acceptable amount of power. Hemi’s V8 sounds and performs much like a heavy-duty freight train. You’ll need to fill it up with gas like a train. We choose the 4xe because it has a smooth and effortless electric motor, paired with a turbocharged powertrain. It also offers more torque and horsepower than compared to the V8. The 4xe is heavier, yes, but the weight of that extra mass has been shifted to the rear, lowering its center of gravity and giving it a more refined, robust feel.
If you are looking to venture off-road then the Trailhawk will be the vehicle for you. The standard suspension is height-adjustable, so it can be raised higher than the Wrangler Rubicon. The top-of-the-line Quadra-Drive II system is also included, which includes all-terrain rubber, locking differentials, and a front swaybar that can be disconnected to increase wheel articulation. The Trailhawk will only be available in a 2xe configuration for 2023. If you don’t want it (for example, you prefer a Grand Cherokee L with three rows), then any four-wheel drive Grand Cherokee is more capable than Telluride or Pilot. Its low-range transfer case is capable and it has excellent clearances.
Design
Grand Cherokee SUVs are midsize SUVs that come in a two-row body style (above, left) and a three-row Grand Cherokee L body style (above, right). It adds 10″ to the overall length of this SUV, most of it dedicated to its third row. The Grand Cherokee, which is technically classified as a three-row SUV with a unibody frame, has the same size. However, its rear-wheel drive powertrain elevates the floor to reduce third-row room compared to a Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot. The Ford Explorer, which is rear-wheel drive and similar in size, can be compared.
Grand Cherokee models with two doors also have a slightly higher load floor. The cargo capacity remains strong. The space behind the 2nd row is not as large as a Toyota 4Runner, or Honda Passport. However, 37.7 cubic feet still represents a lot of room for a midsize vehicle. With the L model, the amount of room behind the second rows is increased dramatically. It’s also quite good behind the third row. With 17.7 cubic feet, the cargo area behind the third row (below right) is a good compromise between the Pilot (16.5″ cubic feet) & Explorer (18.2″ cubic feet). Telluride has more than 21 cubic feet of space in the back.
Engine
The 2024 Grand Cherokee comes with V6, plug-in-hybrid, and V8 powertrains. Standard 3.6-liter engines produce 293 horsepower and a torque of 260 pounds-feet. Standard is an eight-speed auto and rear-wheel driving, but various 4-wheel-drive options are available. (See below). At the time this article was written, fuel economy estimates for 2023 Grand Cherokees were not available. However, the ones that were essentially the same as the 2022 figures. We’ll be sharing them here. The Grand Cherokee V6 is the average for this segment, delivering 19 mpg in the city, 26 on the highway, and 22 combined mpg for a two-row, four-wheel drive model. The rear-wheel-drive model is essentially the same. However, the Grand Cherokee L three-row loses one mpg in combined fuel economy regardless of the drivetrain.
Only the Overland Summit and Summit are available with the 5.7-liter engine. It is only four-wheel drive. The engine produces 357 horsepower and 390 pounds-feet of torque. The V6 can tow 6,200 pounds, while the 7200-pound SUV is capable of pulling 7,200. The fuel economy isn’t great. The combined fuel economy for the two body styles is 17 mpg.
The 4xe Plug-in Hybrid combines a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 with an eight-speed auto and four-wheel-drive standard. The system’s total output is 375 horsepower and 470 pounds-feet of torque. The maximum towing capacity is 6,000 pounds. This is more than what the Kia Tellurides can do. Last year, the 4xe was estimated to go 26 miles on electricity alone and was rated at 56 miles per gallon combined. If you don’t recharge, then the 4xe will get 23 combined mpg.
Jeep is the American 4×4 brand of choice. It offers 3 named systems, but two are very similar mechanically. One of the four-wheel drive systems available on Laredo and Limited (Quadra Trac I), which is similar to mainstream all-wheel drives, distributes torque between the front and rear wheels according to conditions. The Trailhawk comes with the more traditional Quadra-Trac II system, which has a 2-speed transfer case. This allows for a low mode to be used when rock climbing. In the Trailhawk, Summit, and Overland models, an electronic limited-slip differential can be added. Jeep calls this Quadra-Drive II.