Verdict: The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is a pricier but more powerful alternative to a gasoline-only Grand Cherokee, and going all-electric off-road is pleasant. On-road, however, I longed for a V-8 Grand Cherokee.
Versus the competition: More refined than the Wrangler 4xe, the Grand Cherokee 4xe lacks any other off-road-oriented hybrid competition, and while it holds its own against gas-only competition like the Land Rover Defender, it doesn’t outshine it.
Following a successful launch of the four-door Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Jeep’s march toward electrification continues by placing that 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain into the iconic, redesigned-for-2022 Grand Cherokee. As does the Wrangler 4xe, the Grand Cherokee 4xe produces a combined 375 horsepower and 470 pounds-feet of torque via a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, two electric motors and a 17.3-kilowatt-hour battery.
Related: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review: Grander Across the Board
The 4xe is available in base, Trailhawk, Overland, Summit and Summit Reserve trims. We drove a 4xe Trailhawk around Chicago and on an off-road course to see how it compared to the gas-only, V-8-powered Grand Cherokee Summit we tested earlier this year.
Pleasing and Frustrating to Drive
Given the biggest change to the Grand Cherokee 4xe is under the hood, let’s start with the driving experience. On pavement, the off-road-oriented 4xe Trailhawk had some pluses and some minuses. The SUV is surprisingly quick when the electric motors and gas engine are working together. Instant torque from the electric motors helps the 4xe get off the line quickly, and at highway speeds, the four-cylinder provides enough oomph for passing and merging. The plug-in-hybrid Grand Cherokee is probably not as quick as the last-generation SRT trim, and it’s certainly not as quick as the bonkers Trackhawk, but it felt faster than the V-8 Summit, even with the Trailhawk’s knobby off-road tires.
The sound of the hybrid drivetrain, however, is much, much worse than the V-8. Where the V-8 produces a sonorous rumble from its exhaust, the 4xe’s dominant sound is an angry buzzing from under the hood that only gets worse during hard acceleration. It’s not the worst sound in the world, but it doesn’t fit the vehicle or its performance.
The driving experience on pavement is otherwise almost identical to a gas-powered Grand Cherokee: comfortable and composed. The Trailhawk’s tires have larger sidewalls than those on the conventional Summit I drove, improving isolation over bumps. The air suspension shared by both SUVs does a good job reducing body roll, but it has a stiffness that makes bumps seem harsher. The 4xe’s brakes feel a bit mushier and less linear than those in its gasoline counterpart, likely because of the PHEV’s regenerative braking. I wish it had true one-pedal driving instead of just an extremely aggressive regen braking setting, but one-pedal driving is more common in full EVs than in PHEVs, where it remains rare.
Off-road, the Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk is quite capable, making short work of a relatively easy off-road course. That said, acceleration can be difficult to modulate when using full hybrid power — that is, when the gas engine and electric motors are working together. There are, however, three 4xe-specific drive modes to the left of the steering wheel: Hybrid, which employs the gas engine and electric motors; Electric, which lets the 4xe operate under pure electric power; and eSave, which lets the 4xe operate solely under gas power to save the battery’s charge for later use. Switching from Hybrid to Electric mode reduces available power but makes the 4xe much less twitchy, which is useful on difficult terrain (and also eliminates the four-cylinder’s annoying noise). I had a harder time modulating the throttle using full Hybrid power while off-roading, where smooth and steady is usually the ideal.
The Trailhawk’s standard Quadra-Drive II 4WD system is the most advanced of three 4WD systems available on the Grand Cherokee. It has a two-speed transfer case and rear electronic limited-slip differential, and it features a variety of terrain-specific driving modes.
One of the chief reasons to buy a plug-in hybrid is to save gas; if your daily driving route is short enough, and you have home charging, you might need the gas engine only for longer trips. The Grand Cherokee 4xe has an EPA-estimated all-electric range of 26 miles, which isn’t the longest among new PHEV SUVs, but it’s not the shortest, either. In my experience, though, electric range dropped quickly.
The EPA rates the Grand Cherokee 4xe at 56 mpg-equivalent using both gas and electric motors, 23 mpg combined when relying solely on its internal combustion engine. That 23 mpg is the highest combined fuel economy rating of any new Grand Cherokee, which is notable because the Wrangler 4xe’s hybrid-only rating offers no advantage over the Wrangler’s non-hybrid engines.
Mostly the Same Interior, For Better and Worse
Not a lot differentiates the 4xe’s interior from the conventional Grand Cherokee, but it does have unique charging-status indicator lights atop the dashboard, three PHEV-specific drive mode buttons to the left of the steering wheel, a button for controlling regenerative braking force and some PHEV-specific screens in the touchscreen display. Beyond those, the differences are only cosmetic, with light blue accents on various buttons and surfaces (because light blue is apparently the official color of hybrids everywhere).
The 4xe enters the market at a fairly strong position because it’s not very different from the gas-powered Grand Cherokee. Its control layout is intuitive, and its materials have a price-appropriate upscale feeling. The 10.1-inch touchscreen display running Uconnect 5 is clear and easy to use — provided it isn’t glitching or lagging, which are issues that carry over from the 4xe’s non-hybrid counterpart.
Other advantages include comfortable front and rear seating, plus high-tech goodies like a 10.25-inch touchscreen for the front passenger (it’s not visible to the driver) that can control in-car entertainment, navigation, and available dual screens for backseat passengers with built-in Amazon Fire TV.
Besides tech issues with the main touchscreen, my biggest complaint regarding the interior transcends Grand Cherokee generations: From my driving position, visibility is hindered by the A-pillars and rearview mirror. This could just be a “me” issue, though, so be sure to sit in a Grand Cherokee before you buy to make sure it isn’t a problem for you.
Safety
Grand Cherokee 4xe buyers get a host of standard safety features, as do buyers of the gas-only version. These include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian and cyclist detection; adaptive cruise control; a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert; and much more.
As of this writing, the Grand Cherokee 4xe has not been crash-tested by either the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Choose Your Own Adventure
Is the Grand Cherokee 4xe the right SUV for you? Is it even the right Grand Cherokee for you? One of the nice things about the 4xe is how much it mimics the gas version, but with improved fuel economy. According to EPA fuel-cost estimations, buyers save $2,100 per year driving a 4xe instead of a V-8 Grand Cherokee. The 4xe also adds quickness, but its four-cylinder makes a racket, and the hybrid is pricier than its gas-only counterparts (at least, before tax credits are factored in). The cheapest 4xe is priced from $63,495, and our test 4xe Trailhawk was $64,280 before adding $7,510 in options (prices have risen since our test drive, with the 2022 an 4xe Trailhawk now starting at $67,055). The cheapest 2022 Grand Cherokee that can have a V-8 is also the Trailhawk, where that engine is a $3,795 option that brings the total price to $59,825. It’s definitely cheaper, but saving $2,100 a year in fuel costs would cover the difference in just over two years.
Could I live with a Grand Cherokee 4xe? Yes, especially considering the money-saving potential over the long term. But because the 4xe is so similar to the gas-only Grand Cherokee, but sounds worse, I’d opt for a V-8 Grand Cherokee if all else were equal. In the current car market, however, things aren’t always equal. For 2023, the only Grand Cherokee Trailhawk will be the 4xe version, so if you want the most hardcore off-road Grand Cherokee, it’ll have to be a plug-in.
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