The original Jeep Grand Cherokee is arguably one of the vehicles most responsible for today’s onslaught of ruggedized SUVs being pressed into family duty. Flashing forward to 2022, we find the off-road brand with a freshly refurbished Grand Cherokee, one which is offered with a myriad of powertrain options.
Bookending the spectrum of tried-and-true and latest innovation are the available 3.6L V6 gasoline-powered engine and brand-new plug-in hybrid system, the latter of which is denoted by Jeep’s fresh ‘4xe’ moniker. While this particular V6 mill has been around the brand for about a decade and offered in just about every model in their catalog, the 4xe and its electrified guts is a relative newcomer.
Jeep makes both engines available across a wide variety of trims on the Grand Cherokee and, as any good scientist clad in a lab coat will tell you, the elimination of variables is key to a successful test. In this instance, the eggheads would be proud. Our tester vehicles were identically optioned Overland models, right down to their Velvet Red Pearl paint, and we sampled them over similar routes in equal weather conditions. One easy way to spot a 4xe? Look for telltale bright blue trim accents, showing up on the front tow hooks.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland V6
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
The venerable 3.6L V6 engine, often spoken of as the ‘Pentastar’ engine by car nerds like us, makes 293 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. It’s hooked to a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, runs just fine on 87 octane regular gasoline, and (speaking from your author’s personal experience) is generally dirt cheap to service. The latter is largely thanks to this mill finding its way into a wide variety of vehicles in the Stellantis family, meaning parts are abundant and even Joe Mechanic operating from his shed will be familiar with repair procedures. Its technology, in other words, is reassuringly familiar.
But, as with most older items in this world, it can’t equal the efficiency of newer equipment. NRCan estimates a 2022 Grand Cherokee powered by this V6 engine will burn through about $2,180 of gasoline when faced with run-of-the-mill Canadian driving made up of a mix of urban and rural roads, shaking out to an overall fuel economy rating of 10.9 L/100 km. Separately, this combo should return 12.9 L/100 km efficiency when wheeled in city environs and 9.2 L/100 km on the highway. This discrepancy is thanks to a gasoline-powered engine’s propensity to be more efficient when operating at a consistent speed compared to the stop-and-go grind of city driving.
Behind the wheel, this power team is a pleasant companion that goes about its business like a dutiful butler who refills your water glass without being asked. Weighing just shy of 5,000 pounds in this particular trim, the V6-powered Grand Cherokee Overland had no issue propelling itself around the hilly Utah landscape — both during on — and off-road maneuvers. The old-school Pentastar somehow manages to make decent exhaust noises despite not being a hairy-chested V8 engine, though no one will ever mistake it for a supercharged Hellcat.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4xe
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
In order to dip its toe in the waters of electrification, Jeep has chosen to pair a 2.0L four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and 17.2kWh lithium-ion battery. Total power output of this team is an impressive 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. Both those figures not only outstrip the V6 in this comparison but the brand’s 5.7L Hemi V8 engine as well. An eight-speed automatic, tuned for plug-in hybrid duty, handles shifting duties.
According to the crew at NRCan, adding electrification technology to the new 2022 Grand Cherokee pays big dividends in terms of fuel economy. They estimate a yearly spend of $1,516 on fuel based on typical Canadian driving habits, aided in part by the ability of the 4xe powertrain to travel approximately 40 kilometres solely on its battery. If one rarely ventures outside that fence, it’s reasonable to expect fuel costs to be even lower. And even though our country rarely focuses on the statistic of overall COs emissions, Johnny Polar Bear will feel it’s worth noting NRCan estimates the 4xe will spew less than half the pollutants of a V6-powered model.
Even though the electrification guts of Jeep’s 4xe system adds about 500 pounds to a Grand Cherokee Overland compared to a V6 unit, the extra grunt provided by the hybrid powertrain more than makes up for any weight penalty. Hills are dispensed with a flex of your big toe and passing that slow coach in the right lane is handled with ease. There are a trio of drive settings for the 4xe: one which permits electric-only cruising, one to encourage use of the battery system in certain low-stress situations, and one which primarily runs the gasoline-powered engine to ensure the lithium-ion hybrid battery is constantly being charged. The latter might seem superfluous but can be quite useful if the driver wishes to save the battery juice for silent all-electric running when they reach their low-speed urban or off-road destination.
Which is, of course, precisely what we did during our drive in the 4xe. Other authors at Driving have waxed at length about the off-road chops of the new Grand Cherokee bearing the vaunted Trail Rated badge but this writer will reiterate the novelty of utterly silent off-roading, an activity in which one can hear details like pebbles skittering over the Moab rock or an errant bottle of water sloshing about in the cargo area. Electric powerplants are known for their right now levels of torque, a trait which ends up being a double-edged sword while wheeling off-road. The accessible power is welcome but its delivery tends to resemble the immediacy of a light switch.
Back on tarmac, the 4xe powertrain makes for a tremendous cruising partner, wafting through hybrid modes and drawing on the electric gubbins when needed. The transition from electric to gasoline power isn’t always smooth, however; it’s easy to catch the gasser napping in certain situations, such as when accelerating out of a side street onto the uphill section of a main road. In that scenario, the four-banger awakens with a jolt as if it had been startled from a midday dozing session. Other than this quirk which only happens in a specific situation, the powertrain shines.
Further Thoughts
Seeking to move the Grand Cherokee up the SUV food chain, Jeep has priced the 2022 models accordingly. Overland trims sit just one rung away from top-tier Summit models and are available with natty options such as night vision technology and supple thrones trimmed in Nappa leather.
Overland models with a V6 engine start at $71,240 plus destination. Our option-laden tester rang the bell at $80,215. Fronting for an Overland 4xe, which Jeep interestingly lists as a completely separate model and not just a powertrain option, picks up where the V6 leaves off at $82,195 plus destination. Ladling on equivalent options such as those snazzy leather seats and night vision, raises the total to a heady $90,175. Like for like, the 4xe powertrain is roughly a $10,000 proposition on the 2022 Grand Cherokee.
Is it worth the cheddar? Your bed-wetting accountant will say “no” since it’ll take roughly 15 years of fuel savings to pay off the price premium using NRCan’s numbers. However, the amount of power on tap in the 4xe and the allure of all-electric stealth is an intangible one that won’t be found on an Excel spreadsheet.
Keyword: Trusty V6 or cutting-edge PHEV? Which Jeep Grand Cherokee powertrain is right for you?