![]() ![]() It helps the truck-heavy Stellantis meet increasingly stringent corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rules. Now the Grand Cherokee 4xe is Jeep’s first plug-in hybrid targeting the heart of the lucrative family SUV segment. In North America, Jeep started with its iconic Wrangler 4x4, and offers the advanced powertrain in its larger and pricier models. In Europe, smaller Jeeps – the subcompact Renegade and the compact Compass – got plug-in hybrid options first. Continued strong sales led the company to add a second assembly plant near its existing line to build more Grand Cherokees. In North America alone, the Grand Cherokee is a huge profit engine more than 7 million have been sold in 30 years, and last year alone Stellantis sold more than a quarter million. Its off-road virtues are well known, but adding a three-row model finally puts the Grand Cherokee in the sweet spot of mid-size SUV family haulers. The five-seat Grand Cherokee and the new, longer seven-seat Grand Cherokee L were entirely redesigned over the last two years. Jeep will likely update its software over time to iron these out, but it’s not as smooth as a conventional torque-converter automatic alone. It’s the penalty of using a one-motor system with a conventional automatic transmission – versus two-motor systems used by Toyota and some Fords with smoother and infinitely variable power delivery. ![]() My 4xe had a few jarring transitions among electric power, gasoline power, and regenerative braking. Operating in the hybrid mode in which the 4xe will cover most of its miles, the powertrain could get lumpy. The first propels the SUV solely on battery power, while the second retains battery charge for later use – perhaps for silent off-roading, Jeep suggested. Buttons above the driver’s left knee offers “Electric” and “e-Save” options. When starting up the Jeep, the word “Hybrid” appears in the cluster, meaning its standard mode is to operate as a gas-electric hybrid. (Miles Per Gallon Equivalent, or MPGe, is the distance a vehicle can travel under electric power on the energy contained in one gallon of gasoline.) Grand Cherokee With A Twistīehind the wheel, the usual Grand Cherokee features and fittings are supplemented by some new options. ![]() Operating as an electric vehicle, the EPA rates the Grand Cherokee 4xe at 56 MPGe. That’s four miles more than the less aerodynamic Wrangler plug-in hybrid. The plug-in Grand Cherokee 4xe offers an EPA-rated 25 miles of electric range under optimal circumstances. Combined power output is 375 horsepower, and Jeep quotes 470 pound-feet of torque from the system – more than the 5.7-liter V8 (at 357 hp and 390 lb-ft) – plus better fuel economy (EPA-rated 23 mpg in gas-hybrid mode) than the smaller, less powerful 3.6-liter V-6 (at 21 mpg). The motor is powered by a 17.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack mounted under the floor and protected by skid plates. The plug-in Grand Cherokee and Wrangler use virtually identical powertrains: a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor (of unspecified power) inserted between the engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission. ![]()
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