About Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee made one of the most theatrical entrances in automotive history. At the 1992 Detroit auto show, Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca drove the first one up the steps of Cobo Hall and through a plate-glass window. The stunt suited the vehicle, which blended real off-road capability with the comfort and polish of a sedan and helped turn the sport utility vehicle into the default family car in America. More than three decades later, it remains the backbone of the Jeep lineup and one of its most profitable models.
Each generation has added muscle and refinement. The original ZJ offered a V8; the WJ that followed brought new four-wheel-drive systems. The WK and the long-running WK2, developed during the Daimler years, shared engineering with Mercedes-Benz and spawned outrageous performance versions, from the SRT8 to the supercharged Trackhawk. The current generation, launched for 2021 as a three-row Grand Cherokee L and followed by a two-row model, added a more upscale cabin and the 4xe plug-in hybrid, which can run short trips on electricity before the gas engine wakes up.
The Grand Cherokee competes with an unusually wide range of rivals, from the Ford Explorer and Toyota 4Runner to the Toyota Grand Highlander, Kia Telluride and even entry luxury SUVs. Its strengths are a refined ride, available off-road hardware such as air suspension and the Trailhawk trim, and towing capacity few crossovers can match. Its weaknesses have included rising prices, reliability concerns and a long list of recalls in recent years. It is built in Detroit, and it is sold in markets around the world, often as Jeep's flagship.
This feed tracks the Grand Cherokee's reviews, model-year changes, recalls, sales results and pricing moves, along with news of the next generation and the electrified versions that will define its future. It also catches the comparisons with family SUVs, the used-car advice on which years to seek out or avoid, and the occasional Trackhawk that still turns heads at a drag strip. Owners of earlier models will want to keep an eye on the recall notices, which have been frequent enough in recent years to merit a regular check.