2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L SUV

This version is essentially a longer and luxurious version of the Grand Cherokee, guess that is what the L at the end stands for. It means a long wheelbase which is a very logical move from the folks at Jeep. Who wouldn’t like a Jeep Grand Cherokee with even more practicality and ergonomics? That’s a great deal to all the buyers out there. Moreover, it competes with cars such as Kia Telluride, Toyota Highlander, and Dodge Durango.

One thing the Jeep does quite well is diversifying the portfolio as much as possible. The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L comes in as many as six trim levels with prices starting from just under $37,000 and going all the way up to $65,290. The base trim is Laredo which comes with adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, Uconnect 5 with 8.4-Inch Touchscreen, Steering Wheel Audio Controls and Wireless Apple CarPlay Support, and Android Auto Integration. Next up the ladder is Altitude which comes in at $40,195 and has features like 20-inch Gloss Black aluminum wheels, Gloss Black exterior accents and badging heated front seats and steering wheel, and height-adjustable liftgate.

The Limited trim comes next at a price of $43,995 with features like Capri Leather-Trimmed Seats and Heated Front-and Second-Row Seats and steering wheel. Next up is the Overland trim for $52,995 which has Quadra-Lift Air Suspension, Perforated Nappa Leather-Trimmed Seats, Heated and Ventilated Front Seats, and Dual-Pane Panoramic Sunroof. The Summit and Summit reserve comes in at the top and while the latter is just available with a 4X4, the former comes with both.

Which Trim should you buy?

The Overland trim makes the most sense to us as it has features like Quadra-Lift Air Suspension, Perforated Nappa Leather-Trimmed Seats, Heated and Ventilated Front Seats, and Dual-Pane Panoramic Sunroof. It also comes with an option to get the V8 motor along with the 4x4 drive train which makes it the most value for money offering in the lineup.

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is available with two engine options, a 290-hp V-6 or a 357-hp V-8 with either rear or all-wheel drive. Both of the engines come paired with an 8-speed torque converter transmission unit. Talking about the V6 first, it is quite potent but starts to become less refined as you start to climb the revs. It cranks out 290 hp and 257 lb-ft of torque which happens to be the least powerful by a very slight margin.

It's barely able to move the massive SUV and surprisingly for cities, it will be more than enough. However, it is certainly not quite on par for long highway drives. Overtaking at higher speeds takes some time as the engine needs time to build revs. If you ask us, we will definitely pick the more powerful V8 as it can provide the much-needed extra power to make the SUV feel alive. Also, it is more refined than the V6 and the sonorous rumble of a V8 makes the whole deal even sweeter.

Here, in this case, it’s the Toyota that is the most powerful one producing 295 hp and 263 lb-ft of torque and that shows in the acceleration times with the quickest 0-60 MPH time clocking 6.8 seconds. Meanwhile, the Dodge Durango is the slowest to 60 MPH which takes 7.6 seconds which is almost a second slower than its Japanese rival. The Kia, on the other hand, hits the highest top speed of 141 mph.

How well does the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L handle?

Well, SUVs aren’t meant to be corner carvers and especially large SUVs like Grand Cherokee L, meant for comfortable long highway cruises. The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is a pretty heavy vehicle and with all the seven seats occupied, it can be even heavier and with all that lateral mass traveling at higher speeds, it is practically impossible to make a corner at a fast and steady pace.

The Jeep is more at home on the highways. It rides on a high suspension setup and though the optional adaptive suspension does help a bit in making the SUV ride low and firm, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it enables it to tackle the corners easily. Moreover, it gets Quadra-Lift Air Suspension which does the work pretty well and handles great on off-road terrain as well.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Braking Performance

As mentioned earlier, the Grand Cherokee L weighs a lot and that is why the manufacturer decided to give it some serious braking hardware. It comes with 13.8-inch rotors at the front and 13-inch rotors at the back which are quite large for the segment and it is expected to offer exceptional braking power. Not just that, for the emergency scenarios, it's also equipped with Autonomous emergency braking and brake assist as standard.

The Jeep is pretty much the heaviest SUV here and that is why it can definitely use the huge braking setup. The lightest is the Toyota Highlander weighing only 4145 lbs and it also has one of the smallest brakes measuring 13.3 inches in the front as well as the rear which isn’t very surprising either. The size of the brakes are similar in both Jeep and Dodge Durango, but the Durango with its hefty curb weight is expected to come behind the Jeep.

Being fuel-efficient is not one of Grand Cherokee L's forte as it is a pretty huge and heavy vehicle that comes equipped with some thirsty engines as well. So it is quite inevitable to think that the SUV won’t be kind to the environment. It comes with EPA-rated fuel efficiency figures of 19 MPG for the city, 26 MPG for the highways, and 21 MPG for combined scenarios, and these are quite frankly not the most impressive figures, to say the least. But with a fuel tank capacity of 23 gallons, the Grand Cherokee L is able to do more than 480 miles in a single tank and that is quite good for a vehicle of its segment.

The Toyota Highlander has proved to be the most fuel-efficient SUV here but a smaller fuel tank means that you will have to take a few more fuel stops. On the contrary, Durango and the Jeep Grand Cherokee are the least fuel-efficient returning a combined mileage of 21 mpg but the Dodge Durango comes equipped with the biggest fuel tank resulting in the highest driving range.

Interior is the key highlight of the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. It only gets better with the more premium trim you buy. There are a lot of design elements that seem to have trickled down from the much expensive Jeep Grand Wagoneer, it gets even better when you consider that the Grand Cherokee L is almost half the price. If we have to talk about the materials used inside the cabin, they are pretty much of the highest quality one can think of and they do feel good to touch. The all-new leather-wrapped steering wheel which also comes with heated functionality is nice and chunky to hold and has enough heft to it. The whole dashboard is divided into two halves with the upper half-finished in dark colors while the lower half is done in beige and tan.

The seats are practically huge and can support adults of varying stature. You get heated seats right from the entry-level trims while the more premium ones get 19-way power-adjustable front row seats with lumbar support and massaging function. Further, the second-row seats can also be chosen with heating functionality and they can be either two individual captain's chairs or a bench seat. No matter what you choose though, the Palermo leather seating surface is just a delight to sit on.

There are no official figures for interior dimensions for the third-row of Jeep Grand Cherokee L but it is pretty safe to say that the Jeep is way more comfortable and premium than some of its competitors and it is certainly our pick of luxury is of utmost importance. The Cargo capacity is clearly the best in the segment measuring 36.3 cubic feet.Some of the key interior features are:

• Ventilated front seats with massage feature
• Voice Activated Dual Zone Front And Rear Automatic Air Conditioning with Front Infrared
• Interior ambient lighting
• 60/40 Split-folding rear seats
• Electrochromatic rearview mirror

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The basic system is an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment display that comes as standard in the lower trims and supports Jeep’s latest Uconnect 5 infotainment system. It is much smoother and responsive than the previous one and is also lag-free. But what is actually special is the 10.1-inch display that comes in the upper trims and that is quite a wonderful display to use. It is integrated well into the dashboard and looks a part of it rather than sticking out like in most cars these days.

The optional 19-speaker Mcintosh speakers that the system comes coupled with are the icing on the cake and take the whole experience a notch higher. Moreover, there are features like inbuilt navigation, wireless smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and an in-car wifi hotspot. Some of the key infotainment features are:

• Android and iOS App connect feature
• Bluetooth technology with audio streaming
• USB-C port
• 8.4” touchscreen display
• AM/FM
• Car-Net hotspot

The brand new Grand Cherokee L looks nothing like the normal Grand Cherokee and is a major departure from the original SUV. It looks more stately and has chiseled-out styling and that certainly works in the favor of this big brawny SUV. It is quite a few inches bigger than the normal Grand Cherokee and that gives it quite a lot more road presence too. With those slim all-LED headlamps upfront and a somewhat new Jeep grille finished in satin chrome, the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L certainly looks a lot more premium and luxurious.

The side profile reveals the longer dimensions of the SUV and while from certain angles it looks more like an estate than an SUV. The rear third profile proudly flaunts the slim taillamps and longer overhangs which shows where the extra row of seats has been accommodated. Overall it is a much more mature design and we genuinely love the way the Grand Cherokee has evolved into the Grand Cherokee L.

The Jeep is pretty much the biggest SUV here in terms of length and wheelbase. It is also the tallest but not the widest as the Telluride is 0.3 of an inch wider. Regardless, this just proves how massive the Grand Cherokee L really is. It's also nearly 400 pounds heavier than the Lightest SUV here.Some of the key exterior highlights are:

• Dual-pane panoramic sunroof
• All LED headlamps and taillamps
• Automatic headlamps
• Up to 21-inch rims
• Height adjustable liftgate

For 2021, the newer Jeep Grand Cherokee models are a lot better than the older SUV and now comes standard with a lot of safety tech. Things like adaptive cruise control with stop-go, Forward Collision Warning, Active Lane Management, Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring with Cross Path Detection, and ParkView Rear Back-Up Camera with ParkSense and Rear Park Assist are standard. 

The specific Grand Cherokee L differs from the regular Grand Cherokee and hasn’t yet been tested by either of the crash testing agencies. But we are pretty sure that with all the advanced safety tech it comes with, the SUV will be able to ace the tests easily. Some of the key safety features are:

• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go
• LaneSense Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist
• Advanced Brake Assist
• Parkview rear backup camera
• ParkSense rear park assist sensors with stop
• Switch-activated electric park brake
• Tire-pressure monitoring

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vs 2021 Kia Telluride

Before the Grand Cherokee L, it was the Kia Telluride that used to excite us the most with the interior quality and the overall comfort levels. It is still an excellent proposition when it comes to value for money but it certainly looks outdated in front of the Jeep. Precisely where the Jeep Grand Cherokee stood a few years ago when the Telluride was just introduced in the market. Now the tables have turned and the Kia is facing the same threat that the Jeep once did. For us, the Jeep is the clear winner here but we would still ask you to go and test drive both the SUVs before making any decision.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vs 2021 Dodge Durango

Under the skin, both the Dodge and Jeep are pretty much the same vehicles and they are powered by the same set of drivetrain as well. So essentially there is not a lot differentiating the two but while these SUVs ARe cousins, they are frankly quite different from each other. The Jeep is more premium and luxurious while the Durango seems more muted. The Jeep feels a lot more modern while the Durango has an old-school charm to it. One thing for sure is that you either want one or the other.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vs 2021 Toyota Highlander

The Toyota Highlander is the oldest design here and still looks modern and gets better as you move up the trim levels. Frankly, there are only a few exciting things about the highlander including the performance and the fuel economy and the only point that it holds against the Jeep is that it has got the Toyota reliability to its side and that’s it. In all other parameters except engine performance and efficiency, the Jeep clearly wins.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is what we always wanted the Grand Cherokee to be. It is exceptionally luxurious, quite spacious inside, comes with a lot of modern techs, looks modern as well, and is very well feature-packed. It is also a lot safer than the Grand Cherokee used to be and that makes it quite a perfect SUV in our eyes. So if you are in the market to buy a luxurious seven-seater, then the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L should be on your list.