No more waiting: All-new Jeep Grand Cherokee L priced

Twelve years after making its world debut, Stellantis South Africa has officially revealed price and spec details of the all-new, fifth generation Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Carrying the internal moniker WL, the Grand Cherokee debuts with the L suffix affixed to its moniker, meaning the first time availability in South Africa of seven seats as per the designation denoting a long wheelbase model. For now though, the standard five-seat Grand Cherokee is a no-no.

Said to have been “designed and engineered to deliver an unmatched combination of even more legendary 4×4 capability and superior on-road refinement”, the Grand Cherokee L rides on the outgoing Giorgio platform used by the Alfa Romeo Giula, Stelvio and Maserati Grecale, with the following measurements;

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• Overall length: 5 204 mm
• Wheelbase: 3 091 mm
• Width: 2 149 mm
• Height: 1 816 mm – 1 817 mm

Able to tow a braked trailer of up 2 813 kg, the Jeep Grand Cherokee L has a claimed boot capacity of 484-litres with all seven seats up, which increases to 1 328-litres with the third row down. With the second-row also folded flat, cargo capacity tops-out at 2 395-litres.

For South Africa, Stellantis has opened the door to all three four-wheel-drive systems available in the United States, namely the Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II and the Quadra-Drive II, the latter additionally equipped with an electronic limited slip differential.

Additional carryovers are the Selec-Terrain system with five modes; Auto, Sport, Snow, Rock and Mud/Sand, and the Quadra-Lift air suspension that raises the ground clearance from the standard 216 mm in Aero mode, to 277 mm in the more strenuous Off-Road 2 setting.

In its regular form, the Grand Cherokee L’s wading depth comes in at 530 mm, before increasing to 610 mm in the mentioned Off-Road 2 setting.

Approach, breakover and departure angles also vary from 20.6-degrees, 18.2-degrees and 21.5-degress in Aero or Normal modes, to 28.2-degress, 22.6-degrees and 23.6-degress in the Off-Road 2 configuration.

As speculated earlier last month, Jeep has opted for a single powertrain spanning the three model Grand Cherokee L line-up, namely the stalwart 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol outputting 210kW/344Nm.

Down on the 216kW/347Nm made by the Wrangler and Gladiator, the unit, which delivers one more kilowatt but three Newton Metres less torque than in the outgoing WK2 Grand Cherokee, is matched to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with Jeep claiming a combined fuel consumption of 10.6 L/100 km.

On the specification front, the Limited once again serves as the entry-level derivative and the sole version to ride on 18-inch alloy wheels and do without the Quadra-Trac II or Quadra-Lift systems.

It does, however, feature a tyre pressure monitor, dual-pane panoramic sunroof, Capri perforated leather seats, a leather wrapped multi-function steering and illuminated cupholder, as well as the following:

• 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system
• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite navigation
• tri-zone climate control
• electric fronts with memory function for the driver’s seat
• nine-speaker sound system
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• electric tailgate
• wireless smartphone charger
• heated and ventilated front seats
• auto on/off LED headlight
• ambient interior lighting
• heated second-row
• rain sense wipers
• memory function for the steering column
• heated steering wheel
• auto adjusting and folding mirrors with memory function
• LED daytime running lights

Standard on the safety side Hill Start Assist, Trailer Sway Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking with Cyclist and Pedestrian Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control and Driver Attention Alert, as well as:

• Active Lane Keep Assist
• 360-degree camera system
• Rear Seat Alert
• front and rear parking sensors
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Pre-Collision Brake Assist
• Hill Descent Control

Stepping-up from the Limited is the largely over-road focused Overland, which, apart from the mentioned go-anywhere hardware, also boasts adaptive dampers, a heavy-duty alternator and a more powerful battery.

Specification-wise, the Overland receives Nappa leather seats, 20-inch alloy wheels, an electrically folding third-row, hands-free electric tailgate and one-touch up/down all-around  electric windows, plus:

• 10.1-inch Uconnect infotainment system
• 19-speaker, 950-watt McIntosh sound system
• Heads-Up Display
• 10.25-inch display on the front passenger’s side
• Active Driving Assist
• Highway Assist Control
• Park Assist

Surprise omissions include the wireless charging pad, Active Grille Shutters, Blind Spot Monitoring, Front and Rear Park Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Sitting at the peak of the range is the Summit Reserve, a moniker that debuts in South Africa for the first time in spite having been on offered in Europe, North America and Australia for a while.

In its most luxurious spec, the Grand Cherokee L’s spec sheet includes gloss black or silver roof rails, standard seating for six in Palermo leather, second-row window blinds, illuminated door sills, a leather or wood trimmed steering wheel, plus quad-zone climate control.

Also standard is twelve-way electrically adjustable front seats as opposed to the eight-way of the Limited and Overland, front seat massaging function, Driver Attention Alert and an electronic remote release for the second row.

On the colour side, Jeep has availed five standard shades for the Grand Cherokee L; Silver Zenith, Diamond Crystal Black, Bright White Clear Coat, Velvet Red Pearl Coat and Baltic Grey Metallic Clear Coat.

Reserved for the Overland and Summit Reserve is a two-tone option that combines the white, silver, grey and red with a black roof.

Price

Included with each Grand Cherokee L’s sticker price is a five-year/120 000 km warranty as well as a five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.

• Grand Cherokee L 3.6 Limited – R1 299 900
• Grand Cherokee L 3.6 Overland – R1 479 900
• Grand Cherokee L 3.6 Summit Reserve – R1 679 900