2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The 2021 Grand Cherokee offers the same 295 hp, 3.6-liter V6 and a 390 hp, 5.7-liter V8 under its hood. Power from both the engines is sufficient, but the fuel-economy figures aren’t great from either. The ride quality is particularly stiff by current standards, although the cabin has kept up well with time and looks up-to-date. Starting at as low as $36,970 for the base trim, the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s rivals have grown to include Kia Telluride, GMC Acadia, and Ford Explorer.

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 8 trim choices spread across a price range of $36,970 to $57,985 has its customer spoilt for choice. The base trims are competitively priced, but as you go higher up, there is a steep price increase, and it starts breaching the price bracket of SUVs in the higher segments. Irrespective of the trim you chose, a 295-hp, 3.6-liter V6 is standard across the range. An optional 360-hp, 5.7-liter V8 is available for a couple of thousand dollars extra on the Trailhawk, Overland, and Summit trim. All the trims offer RWD as standard except for the Trailhawk trim that only comes in 4WD configuration. 4WD configuration can be had on the other trims for $2,000 extra.

The Grand Cherokee in the base trim packs in all the day-to-day necessary features, while the higher trims add features that enhance the comfort and luxury of this SUV. Standard features include a 7-inch touchscreen, six-speaker stereo, keyless entry and push-button start, fabric upholstery, halogen headlights, etc. But the main concern here is that only a few safety features are part of the standard list, and the majority of the active safety and driver-assist features are either available in higher trims or packages. Adding packages to access safety features shoots up the price of lower trims and altogether defeats the logic of competitive pricing.

Few of the packages worth mentioning include Sun and Sound Package for $1,840 that adds a nine-speaker sound system and a dual-pane sunroof, Premium Lighting Package for $1,095 adds all-LED exterior lighting, ProTech II Package for $875 adds driver-assist features that are not part of the standard features list on the base trim, etc.

We Recommend:

There are so many trim options available for the Grand Cherokee that it becomes really difficult to suggest one particular trim, but still, we will give it a try. For the buyers of this segment, the newly added Laredo X trim makes a lot of sense. It gets all the features of the base trim and adds a few more comfort and convenience features, all this under the price of $40,000. 

While the majority of the peers of the Jeep Grand Cherokee have downsized and added a turbocharger to their engines, the big-old Grand Cherokee is still going strong on a 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine. This engine manages a decent 295 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque channeled through an 8-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. The 4WD is available on all the trims, but you have to pay extra for it. The V6 engine is sufficient for daily duty and can also tow up to 6,200 pounds.

The engine of the Grand Cherokee feels peppy to drive around town, and the surge of torque from the V6 is addictive. The V6 powered Grand Cherokee manages a 0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 15.2 seconds. There is also an optional 5.7-liter V8 that puts out 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. V8-powered Jeeps shave off a few seconds from the speed runs, but the major benefit it has is the higher towing capacity of 7,200 pounds over the V6.

Except for the Kia Telluride that gets a V6, the GMC Acadia and the Ford Explorer get a turbo-four under their hood. The Explorer’s turbo-four churns out the best 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Although the GMC Acadia does the fastest 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds and covers the fastest quarter-mile in 14.7 seconds. When comparing the price range, GMC Acadia is the most expensive option in the competition.

Ride and Handling:

Being a crossover, the ride quality is expected to be plush as a norm these days. The rivals of the Grand Cherokee and itself fall under that category, so the stakes are high here. The Grand Cherokee, as we all know, is nowhere close to offering a ride as good as say the Explorer or the Telluride. Although the Grand Cherokee hasn’t lost its tough Jeep underpinning, and this helps it shine on the off-road and off-beaten paths. 

Over the years though, Jeep has tweaked the handling of the Grand Cherokee, and the result is that the steering feels more responsive and the Grand Cherokee has transformed into a mile-muncher. That said, the significant body roll in the Grand Cherokee is yet to be addressed. Except for that, the Grand Cherokee may ride a bit harsh, but the overall handling is above par in the segment.

Braking:

The big and burly Grand Cherokee, just shy of two and a half tons, can get tricky to stop. Jeep has figured that out well and thus provides a 13-inch disc brake on all four corners. The brake pedal is easy to modulate but takes time getting used to it as it is a bit loose for the initial few inches and only when pressed a little bit more it firms up. Although this setup suits the Grand Cherokee as you don’t want an over-sensitive brake that may result in you getting rear-ended.

The Kia Telluride comes with the biggest set of front brakes and has the shortest stopping distance of 118 feet. The GMC Acadia sports the smallest set of discs among all, and as a result, braking from 60-0 mph takes only 130 feet in the Acadia. When comparing the curb weight of the SUVs in the competition, Grand Cherokee is the heaviest. 

A big V6 under the hood pulling a two-and-a-half-ton SUV isn’t the ideal setup for delivering fabulous gas mileage figures. The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee has an EPA estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. Opting for the 4WD setup takes down the gas mileage to 18/25/21 mpg in the city/highway/combined, respectively. As for the optional V8-powered Grand Cherokee, you can expect something close to 14 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. 

The rivals, as expected, offer better gas mileage compared to the Grand Cherokee. Except for the Kia Telluride which has a lower gas mileage on the highway compared to the Grand Cherokee. Among the rivals, the GMC Acadia with 22/27/24 mpg of gas mileage in city/highway/combined and a 22-gallon fuel tank will not only offer better fuel numbers but also better range from a tankful of gas.

When it comes to interior quality and fit and finish levels, the Jeep hasn’t cut corners. The major touchpoints are either in soft-touch plastic or covered with leather, the latter is only applicable for higher trims. The layout is pretty basic with no fancy design elements on the dash. People familiar with older Jeep cabins will be at home inside the Grand Cherokee. The all-black interior theme gives the Grand Cherokee a sporty look but does ensure you have the panoramic sunroof fitted, otherwise, it gets very gloomy and claustrophobic inside. 

The seats of the Jeep Grand Cherokee offer good support and are well cushioned, so they won’t tire you out on long hauls. The rear seats are in the same league as the front ones. The rear seats offer a 60/40-split for added usability of the boot space. While the base model feels very bare-bones in terms of equipment lists, the higher trims boast power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seats, panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, upgraded leather upholstery, etc.

Except for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, all the other SUVs in this comparison offer three rows of seating, with the Kia Telluride boasting of seating up to eight passengers. Being a two-row SUV has an obvious advantage for the Grand Cherokee in the form of 36.3 cubic feet of cargo area behind the rear seats, while rivals like the Telluride with all seats up manage 21 cubic feet of cargo space only. That said, the major drawback of the Grand Cherokee is the cabin space which is lower than its peers. Speaking of cabin space, Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride have better space management and offer segment-best space in all three rows. Key highlights of the interior features include:

• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Power-adjustable front seats
• Keyless entry and push-button start
• Heated and ventilated front seats (available)
• Heated rear seats (available)
• Panoramic sunroof (available)
• Heated steering wheel (available)

Infotainment System:

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee comes with a Uconnect infotainment system. The base trim gets a 7-inch touchscreen, while the higher trims get an 8.4-inch touchscreen unit. Both the displays are almost similar to use and are fairly easy to operate even while driving. Except for the bigger screen size, there is no major difference between the two units. Moving ahead, the 7-inch touchscreen unit comes with standard features like a six-speaker stereo, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio, etc. The 8.4-inch touchscreen unit adds a nine-speaker sound system, navigation, WI-Fi hotspot, HD Radio, etc. Optional features include 19-speaker Harman & Kardon sound system, rear-seat entertainment, etc.

Key highlights of the infotainment include:

• 7-inch touchscreen w/ UConnect
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Six-speaker stereo
• Nine-speaker sound system (available)
• Harman & Kardon premium sound system (available)

Just remove the headlights of the Grand Cherokee, and not many will be able to tell whether it's a 2021 Grand Cherokee or an older model. Iconic Jeep design has stuck so badly on the Grand Cherokee that except for minor changes especially the front fascia the SUV hasn’t seen a major change in a couple of years. But deep down, everyone knows that change or no change, the Grand Cherokee rocking the old style still looks dapper and has aged like wine. That said, modern times warrant some modern touch-ups, and the 2021 Grand Cherokee has this covered by offering features like all-LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, a dual-pane sunroof, etc.

Two SUVs in this comparison will blow away your mind on how well designed their cabin space and dimensions are. The first one is the Ford Explorer that is the longest, widest, tallest, and has the longest wheelbase among all. The second one is the Kia Telluride, which has an almost similar wheelbase as the Grand Cherokee but has three-row seating instead of two-row seating like the Grand Cherokee. Even after the extra row, the cabin space inside the Telluride is similar to the Explorer. The only feather in the Grand Cherokee’s hat for this comparison is its class-leading 8.6-inches of ground clearance. Key highlights of the exterior features include:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Halogen headlights
• Sunroof
• LED brake lights
• Air suspension (available)
• LED headlights (available)

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee got mixed reviews in its crash-test ratings. NHTSA has only praises to shower upon the Grand Cherokee as it got a full five out of five-star overall crash rating, while the 2WD models got four out of five-star overall crash rating. But the IIHS has a different opinion here as it got a ‘Good’ rating in four out of six parameters. The driver-side small overlap test was rated the second-lowest ‘Marginal’ while the same test for the passenger side was rated the lowest ‘Poor’ rating. The headlights of the base model were rated as ‘Poor,’ while the higher trims headlights were rated as ‘Acceptable’. Key highlights of the safety features include:

• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Rear parking sensor
• Rearview camera
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane keep assist (available)
• Automatic emergency braking (available)
• Adaptive cruise control (available)
• Park assist (available)

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Vs 2021 Kia Telluride

There is a reason why the Kia Telluride won the ‘World Car of the Year’ award. The Telluride has all the boxes ticked when it comes to a common customer’s expectation from a crossover. It is spacious, it has lots of features, under the hood it carries a big V6, the ride quality is supple, and on top of that, the pricing is very aggressive. The Jeep Grand Cherokee in its arsenal has only one weapon, which is off-roading prowess, and that is not at all sufficient to counter the onslaught from the Telluride.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Vs 2021 GMC Acadia

The GMC Acadia in the true sense is a mediocre crossover in this comparison. It doesn’t have any big power and torque figures, a spacious cabin, or a big boot. The very crucial three things which every crossover is expected to have. Although the GMC Acadia is very fuel-efficient, courtesy of its small-displacement turbo-four engine, only a good fuel economy won’t cut some slack for the Acadia here. By all means, the Grand Cherokee is a superior offering over the Acadia here.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Vs 2021 Ford Explorer

The Ford Explorer has upped the ante in the midsize crossover segment. It is spacious, it is powerful, it offers fabulous fuel economy, and is cheaper than the Grand Cherokee. The above line is enough to explain why if you don’t frequently go off-roading, the 2021 Ford Explorer makes much more sense than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

With more and more customers opting for the crossover SUVs, the characteristic of a true-blue SUV has watered-down. As the majority of these SUVs are mall-crawlers that barely see the light of an off-road trail, that’s where the problem has started for the Jeep Grand Cherokee as it is yet not comfortable or refined enough to be a comfortable daily driver. Although it is a very capable off-roader, there are few takers for that these days. So we feel in the current scenario, SUVs like Kia Telluride and Ford Explorer will reign over the likes of Grand Cherokee until Jeep decides to do something about it.