There are basically two types of car shoppers who we think should be adding a used Jeep Grand Cherokee to their "maybe" list. First, anyone who's in the market for a Jeep Wrangler, and second, anyone with a lot of kids and pets to haul all over the place. Whether you're looking to go off-road or you want a roomy SUV that can fit a whole family, a Grand Cherokee is easily one of the most underrated options.It's big, it's comfortable, it's capable, and it's more reliable than you'd expect, based on what you may have heard of Jeeps. What's more, it's not hard to find a Grand Cherokee selling for thousands of dollars less than a comparable Wrangler. Here's why the fourth-gen Grand Cherokee, available from the 2011 through 2022 model years, is one of our favorite used family cars. A Used Grand Cherokee Is Just As Capable As A New One Stellantis In 2020, at the end of the Grand Cherokee's fourth generation, the base power output was 295 horsepower. For the 2026 model year, half a decade into the fifth generation, the base Grand Cherokee has a base power output of 293 hp. This is to say you're not missing out on much by buying a used model instead of a brand-new Jeep, and we're on record naming the 2020 model year as the best model year for used Jeep buyers.With the base V6 engine, the 2020 Grand Cherokee offers smooth power delivery, hitting 60 mph in around 8 seconds. In our own review, we found the SUV to be fairly composed on the road. It feels every bit of its curb weight (4,513 pounds, at the lightest), which lends it a planted, safe feel, for those who like to think they're driving the kids to school in a tank.We wouldn't call this a criticism, more of an acknowledgment, but Jeep suspension is a real love-it-or-hate-it sorta thing. If you're used to big SUVs that feel soft and absorbent, this ain't that. The Grand Cherokee isn't harsh in the suspension department, but it's definitely stiff. Jeep loyalists like the responsive feeling and reduced body roll that come with rigid suspension, but this could just as easily be a dealbreaker for you. What we're saying is: don't skip the test-drive. The Grand Cherokee Is A Nearly-Perfect Family Car Stellantis The Grand Cherokee is a five-seater stretching 114.8 inches, from axle to axle, or 189.8 inches, bumper to bumper. At its widest, the SUV is 76.5 inches across. The biggest downside to driving one of these in the city is going to be finding a parking space and getting in and out of that space without bumping into any shopping carts.The trade-off for its sometimes-cumbersome exterior dimensions is more interior space than you're likely to need. Back seat passengers enjoy 58 inches of room at the shoulder and 56.2 inches at the hip, plus 38.6 inches of legroom, which should seriously reduce the cries of "Mom, he's on my side of the seat!" distracting you from the road.The Grand Cherokee promises 3,500 lbs of towing capacity, and, while the Grand Cherokee isn't a segment leader in cargo space, being outpacked by the Toyota 4Runner and five-seat Ford Explorers, the Jeep's 36.3 cubic feet of storage should be enough for most road trips or family excursions into the great outdoors. The 2020 Grand Cherokee Scored Mostly Good Ratings With The IIHS Stellantis The 2020 Grand Cherokee scored a four-out-of-five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, earning a perfect five-star rating for side crash, four for frontal impact, and three for rollover. The SUV's Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report card is more of a mixed bag.The Grand Cherokee mostly held up in crash tests, and it scored a Superior rating for crash prevention. It didn't do great in either of the small overlap front tests, owing to a side airbag failing to deploy in one test, and providing inadequate coverage in another, and the front passenger door opening during the crash.Neither set of headlights impressed the IIHS, but the Poor rating was for the Laredo trim's Protech II lights, which provided inadequate visibility on curves.We wouldn't say that any of this is a serious cause for concern. The 2020 Grand Cherokee is safer than most vehicles on the road. But it's not a Top Safety Pick award winner, and we would cite some inconsistent safety ratings and limited cargo space as our only knocks against the SUV as the "perfect" family car. That, and maybe the rigid suspension, although that's more a matter of personal preference. What Will A 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee Cost You In 2026? Stellantis According to our own price trends tool, here's what you should be spending on a used Grand Cherokee, based on recent sales, for entry-level, mid-range, and top trims.To go over some current sales listings via our marketplace search engine. The cheapest model we can find is a 118,251-mile Laredo E selling for $9,940 in Florida. A 46,929 Limited X is selling for $20,499 in Florida. A 78,062-mile Limited is selling for $20,000 in North Carolina. A 99,577-mile Trailhawk is selling for $17,199 in Missouri. A 63,182-mile High Altitude is selling for $29,754 in Illinois. Note that these listings are only provided to give you an example of what's out there. You'll want to run a search of your own and find something in your area when you're ready to shop around. A Used Grand Cherokee Makes A Lot More Sense Than A Used Jeep Wrangler StellantisThe average price for an entry-level 2020 Jeep Wrangler with a 285-hp 3.6-liter V6 is $22,909, with some models selling for as much as $30,000. Some of the higher trim levels are selling for $40,000 and up. This alone makes the Grand Cherokee a more attractive used Jeep, but it's also worth noting that Wranglers are the biggest reason why Jeep has an unfair reputation for poor reliability.The 2020 Grand Cherokee scored an 82/100 Quality & Reliability rating from J.D. Power, and RepairPal puts annual maintenance costs at a very reasonable $666, with the most expensive common fix being a $1,319 replacement cost for door mirrors. If that's unreliable, then we could say the same thing about the top Lexus models.It's not that Jeeps aren't dependable. In fact, some of the most reliable engines ever built have been packed into Jeeps. But the Wrangler attracts various types of drivers. Some of them are experienced, sensible off-road enthusiasts, others would immediately outfit the SUV with a lift kit and go bouncing off of tree stumps. The reason you don't see any million-mile Jeep Wranglers has more to do with how these SUVs are driven than how they're built.A Grand Cherokee is, in many ways, just as capable in all-terrain conditions as a Wrangler, it's cheaper on the used market, and it's less likely to suffer the busted wheels, bent axles, and shot suspension you'll see in "too good to be true" listings for Wranglers. So, whether you're after a family car or an adventure vehicle, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is very easy to recommend.