The Jeep Grand Cherokee grows in many ways for 2021
By Larry Printz
HELSEA, Mich. — Ask Mark Allen, who runs Jeep design, what he finds amusing, and he’ll tell you it’s that Americans prefer sport utility vehicles and crossover utility vehicles to sedans, coupes, convertibles and station wagons.
“I was told over and over and over, and read it in magazines, that in the American market you can’t sell a five-door hatchback. That’s every CUV on the road. Take a hatchback, jack it up, put a meaty tire on it, and suddenly it’s OK,” he says.
Need proof ? Manhattan is one of the Jeep Wrangler’s biggest markets.
Regardless, Americans are convinced that station wagons with 8 inches of ground clearance and all-wheel drive are the ideal form of transportation in 2021.
And that’s what makes the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee the perfect vehicle.
For 2021, the Grand Cherokee will be offered as a two-row or longer three-row model, the latter known as the Grand Cherokee L. Jeep added the three-row model and 15 inches in length as three-row SUVs account for the lion’s share of
Base price: $58,995
Engine: All-aluminum DOHC 24 valve 3.6-liter V-6
Horsepower/Torque: pound-feet
EPA fuel economy (city/ highway): mpg
Fuel required: 87 Octane
Length/Width/Height: 204.9/76.7/71.5 inches
Ground clearance: 10.9 inches
Payload: 1,210 Pounds
Cargo capacity: 17.2-84.6 cubic feet
demand in the GC’s market segment. It also explains why it debuts ahead of its two-row companion, coming soon as a 2022 model.
Three all-wheel-drive systems are offered: the Quadra-Trac I, QuadraTrac II and Quadra-Drive II with a rear electronic limited-slip differential. Underpinning it all is an independent front and rear suspension with an available Quadra-Lift air suspension that lifts the vehicle a little more than 4 inches, along with electronic adaptive damping that provides a sublime combination of off-road agility and on-road driving dynamics.
All of it merely sets the stage for what comes next.
But this is more than a family bus. Tromping around Jeep’s off-road proving grounds in Michigan, the Grand Cherokee easily bounded over boulders, waded through water and traversed logs with an ease you’d expect from Jeep.
But the first thing most buyers will notice is the Grand Cherokee’s updated appearance, which blends the brightwork from the Compass with a lean-forward grille that harks back to Jeep’s first three-row SUV, the Wagoneer, along with other styling nods to Jeep’s past.
It continues inside, with a new horizontally oriented instrument panel, a clear nod to Jeep’s past. The instrument panel benefits from a digital gauge cluster, infotainment system touch screen and an optional head-up display.
There’s bountiful space, with the second row gaining two inches of legroom thanks to seats that slide forward, back and tilt, making third-row access a snap.
Of course, it’s comfort, space, technology and foulweather capability that drive consumers to choose a Grand Cherokee, and who can blame them? This is one fine ride.