2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe First Look Review: Two-Row Goes PHEV

You’ve already seen the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the first in its line with that all-important third row. But the bigger Grand Cherokee also serves as a preview of the SUV you’re looking at now: the shorter two-row 2022 Grand Cherokee. It shares a design with the slick-looking 2021 Grand Cherokee L, but it’s a wee bit stubbier. And, if the solar-enhanced charger it’s plugged into isn’t a big hint, it’s also available as a plug-in hybrid (or 4xe in Jeep-speak).

We’re set to see the 2022 Grand Cherokee in full at the upcoming New York Auto Show, so consider these images of the 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe version as sort of a sneak peek of the new SUV. It comes on a day when Jeep parent company Stellantis is making lots of electric news, with the company announcing the likes of a Ram 1500 EV that’s due in 2024, an electric Dodge muscle car, and more. The appearance of the fully uncloaked 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe is just electric icing on the cake.

While in broad terms the 2022 Grand Cherokee looks much like its longer Grand Cherokee L sibling, the smaller Grand Cherokee 4xe seems to differ in a few respects. For one, there’s a charging port on the driver’s side front fender. There’s also a revised C-pillar design, with the contrasting roof swooping down to almost meet the bottom of the greenhouse before its chrome trim sweeps back toward the tailgate. It’s an interesting variation on the floating roof styling trope. The sharp character line that intersects the door handles of the Grand Cherokee L remains present on the 2022 Grand Cherokee, as does the javelin-like spear of chrome trim above the SUV’s rockers.

The grille and headlights appear unchanged from the L, but the detailing looks slightly different on this 4xe model. Additionally, there appears to be an extra chrome element under the lamps that reside within the SUV’s lower fascia.

What will power the Grand Cherokee 4xe? The Wrangler 4xe’s stout gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain is the likely suspect. Its total system output comes in at a very healthy 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, which is more than the 5.7-liter V-8 that powers the current Grand Cherokee pumps out. But we should note that any of Stellantis’ eTorque-equipped engines could theoretically get the PHEV treatment and subsequently power Jeep’s gasoline-electric midsize SUV. Regardless, expect more details to emerge about the 2022 Grand Cherokee model line as we get closer to its formal debut in New York.

Source: Read Full Article