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Jeep is confirming that it will debut the all-new 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee, including the hybrid 4xe version on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. This will be the fifth-generation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Jeep is promising that it will shatter expectations by being the most technologically advanced, luxurious and 4x4 capable Jeep Grand Cherokee. We already know what the electrified 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe looks like on the outside because Jeep released images of it during its EV Day in July.
The new 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe follows on the heels of the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe which has gotten great reviews. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is an incredibly popular vehicle for Jeep. Seven million Grand Cherokees have sold world-wide over the last thirty years. Jeep needs to hit it out of the park and by all indications, it will. As I wrote in July, the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe will be an engineering marvel.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe
Jeep did not confirm details of the Wrangler 4xe until production was underway. Jeep had planned to unveil the Jeep Grand Cherokee during the New York Auto Show, but that show was canceled at the last minute due to COVID. That would suggest that much like the Wrangler 4xe production underway and the final bugs have been worked out.
Plug-In Hybrid
The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe will be a plug-in hybrid. Final numbers haven’t been announced but the vehicle will travel for a certain distance on pure electric before switching over to a gasoline engine. It will be similar to the Wrangler 4xe which gives drivers a choice on when to use the electric power. The driver can wait and use the pure electric when off-roading or whenever they choose. Having the gasoline engine means that range anxiety is never a concern. Jeep Brand Manager Brandon Girmus recently told me that they are finding that Wrangler 4xe drivers are typically using the gas engine to drive to the trail and using the electric motor while off-roading because the instantaneous torque makes the rock climbing more fun.
Why The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Engineering is so Complicated
Other brands make plug-in hybrids. However, Jeep is known for its legendary off-roading capabilities. The Grand Cherokee has four different 4x4 systems. It has an incredible crawl ratio. It has best-in-class towing. A Stellantis insider told me that it was paramount for Jeep to devise a way to go electric and keep its reputation as the off-road leader.
The insider told me that it was incredibly complicated for engineers to create different calibrations for the 4xe vehicles to perform regardless of whether the vehicle was in 4-high or 4-low. Adding to the complexity, engineers had to create different calibrations for the 4xe’s different drive modes, pure electric, hybrid or E-Save. E-Save is the setting that allows the driver to wait and use the electric motor when they want to. Jeep was insistent that their vehicles outperform other brands, maintaining its legendary status, no matter what mode the driver was using.
By all accounts, Jeep was very successful at preserving the Wrangler’s legendary qualities and incorporating them into the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe. You can expect that the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe will perform in all of the categories that made the vehicle famous. The Grand Cherokee is the most-awarded SUV in history. Jeep has too much riding on the Grand Cherokee’s reputation, to not have it excel off-road.
Jeep is expanding its electrification and funding the installation of charging stations at some of the most popular trail heads in the nation. With that in mind, you can expect the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee to be a performance leader out on those trails.
Follow Mary Conway at @maryconwaymedia and send her car news tips for future stories.
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