Not long ago, one morning I made my way up to a country club just north of Dallas to see and drive something special. The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The setting could not have been more perfect because it looked right at home amid the county club scene.
The Grand Cherokee L is special for two reasons. It's the first Grand Cherokee with three rows of seating, hence the "L" designation. It also debuts a completely redesigned Grand Cherokee from the outgoing generation of the two-door Grand Cherokee.
The new exterior design is really impressive. It's polished, sleek and sophisticated with a tapered roof, benefiting a vehicle that belongs in the valet lane. The Overland-badged trim shown in Bright White rides on unique 20-inch fully-polished aluminum wheels and comes with chrome accents, a gloss black roof rack and chrome front tow hooks. A two-toned version with a black roof is available.
The Overland's luxurious interior impresses with its black Nappa Leather seats and door panels and An-Teak accents. The cushiony seats even offer 12-way power plus massage (part of an optional package) and a new front seat cushion extender, two things that always win points with me.
One of my favorite features is the multi-textured leather-wrapped steering wheel. I really like how they integrated all the different trim pieces. Everything in the cabin is well designed using premium materials.
An all-digital frameless 10.25-inch instrument cluster display displays great graphics and when equipped with the Advanced ProTech Group III, it can show a map in-cluster display. An available premium 19-speaker McIntosh sound system makes its debut on the Grand Cherokee L and it's certainly a stand out feature.
The "L" Overland seats up to six passengers. The second row with bucket seats is very roomy and passengers can control their own A/C. The third row bench seat also did not disappoint when it came to room -- and yay! It's power folding. There are A/C vents and USB ports back there, too along with cupholders.
The rear cargo area houses a new electronic remote release that folds the second row flat.
Standard features in the Overland model include ventilated front seats, Uconnect 5 with premium navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, three-zone climate control, a hands-free power liftgate, front and rear floor mats, ambient lighting and a large dual-pane sunroof.
My first drive was brief but it left a good impression. It was smooth, with great handling, confident braking and I found it easy to maneuver.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is on sale at dealerships. The Overland model with 2WD and a V6 starts from $52,995. It's also available with four-wheel drive and a V8 engine. That combo starts from $58,290. This model is well-equipped with some optional features so check with your Certified CarPro for exact pricing on your Jeep Grand Cherokee L build.
CarProUSA Radio show host Jerry Reynolds does a full video review of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit model next week, so don't miss it.
