Jeep Grand Cherokee (2011 – 2020) Review

The famous US brand has the heritage to impress in the large SUV sector, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee of 2011 remains an enticing prospect over a Land Rover. Its looks are distinctive and there’s true off-road ability, too. However, compared to an Audi Q7 or the Mercedes ML it shares its platform with, it just doesn’t drive as well. Nor is it as appealing as a Land Rover Discovery, as it has to make do with five seats. Read on for our full Jeep Grand Cherokee review.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee was launched in 2011 and has a good foundation, sharing the same chassis and engines as the Mercedes ML.

Add in generous equipment levels, plus decent performance, and it has appeal as a used car. But the game has moved on considerably over the past decade, with many rivals now superior in terms of refinement and reliability.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee was extensively revamped in mid-2013, which provided improvements in all departments. You can spot the newer models by the slimmer headlights.

The updated model still offered comfortable seating for five and strong off-road ability, but the quality of the interior was hugely improved and it was much better on-road, with greater stability in corners and more responsive steering.

Under the bonnet, the strong 3.0 CRD diesel engine remained. While not the last word in refinement, it provides great reserves of low-down pulling power and delivers smooth performance through the standard eight-speed automatic gearbox. 

There’s plenty to like about the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the 2013 revisions turned what was a poor offering into a much move convincing one.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar's Jeep Grand Cherokee review.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a big car and pretty cumbersome on the road.

Slow, unresponsive steering means tackling bends with any gusto does not inspire confidence.

That’s a shame, as there’s not too much body roll in corners, but the front end doesn’t feel like it has too much grip either. It’s a lot happier cruising on the motorway.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo models come with 18-inch wheels which offer a forgiving ride, albeit at the expense of handling.

Moving up to the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited+ gets you 20-inch wheels and a much harder ride that crashes and pitches over potholes and around corners.

The big difference comes with the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland and Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit versions, which have air suspension. This gives a softer ride that cushions any shocks felt through the lower-profile tyres.

It transforms the car from feeling soft and soggy to a much sharper drive, with better steering and more front-end grip, too.

When the Jeep Grand Cherokee was revised in 2013, the revamp brought some significant changes, with a more rigid body structure and uprated suspension. The result was a huge improvement on the road.

The handling is much better, instilling more confidence in corners, with greater bite from the front tyres. The steering is transformed, too, with a touch more feel (although it’s still very light) and superior response.

As a result, you won’t find yourself having to turn the steering wheel as much on small roundabouts or in tight junctions.

The other big change was the adoption of a new eight-speed automatic gearbox, replacing the dated five-speed auto that was previously fitted. It works very well and is far smoother than the old gearbox, with quicker shifts and better kickdown.

If you’re going to regularly cover serious terrain you’ll want the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland or Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit models. These get the Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system, which comes with a rear electronic limited-slip differential.

On slippery surfaces, the system automatically redirects power between the front and rear axles, plus it includes a proper 4WD Low range.

The 3.0 CRD diesel engine offers good low-down pulling power. It’s not the most refined of engines, but it’s helped by good sound insulation in the cabin.

The entry-level Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo gets a lower powered 190PS version of this engine, but the majority of models will come with the full 250PS.

What really marks this engine out is its 570Nm of torque, which is available from just 2000rpm. There’s a predictable power delivery, helped by that new gearbox, so it pulls well but smoothly from low down, feeling strong through the rev range.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a proper off-road 4x4. It’s amazingly capable on tough terrain, and will regularly surprise you in terms of what it can tackle.

When tested by Euro NCAP in 2011, the Jeep Grand Cherokee managed a four-star rating, which was less than most of its rivals scored (the maximum being five stars).

However, it does come with seven airbags including a driver’s knee ’bag, plus adaptive cruise control and Forward Collision Warning fitted to most versions as standard.

As a tow car, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always proven popular, and this model is ideal with all that torque.

The maximum towing capability is up to 3500kg for all models, apart from the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit, which can pull up to 2949kg.

As you’d expect of a car which is almost five metres long, there’s plenty of room inside, with comfortable seating for five and a boot capable of carrying all their luggage, too.

There’s even a full-size spare wheel under the floor. After all, a can of sealant is unlikely to be much use in the middle of a Yorkshire moor.

There’s also good storage, with large door pockets and the obligatory twin cup-holders next to the gear lever. 

One feature that now feels rather dated, though, is the foot-operated parking brake. It’s clunky to use and also takes up room in the footwell.

There’s no left foot rest, either, so you find your left leg resting against the parking brake pedal, which is annoying, especially on long journeys. We’d expect an electric parking brake for a car at this level.

It’s also worth noting that the Jeep Grand Cherokee is strictly a five-seater, which will be fine for many used car buyers. However, anyone wanting the added versatility of a third row of seats will have to look elsewhere.

Jeep interiors have often had a reputation for being dated, with lots of wood and old-fashioned controls.

Fortunately, this version of Jeep Grand Cherokee tried to move things on a bit with a more modern appearance, albeit not an especially stylish one. It’s fairly standard fare with reasonable quality, but the feel of many of the switches and dials is not especially premium.

In mid-2013, the model was extensively revamped, and nowhere is this more evident than inside. Quality was vastly improved, and there were new dials and a far superior media system.

Jeep also installed a new air-conditioning system, with better controls, and a new steering wheel. However, it still came with sections of wood on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland and Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit models, which we’re not too keen on.

Dominating the dash on post-2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee models is a big 8.4-inch touchscreen as part of the Uconnect system.

All models get this as standard and it includes DAB, Bluetooth and a USB port, so there are lots of options for connecting and playing music. It’s much better than the dated system that was used before.

Unfortunately, most used models won’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as they were only added on newer cars from 2019.

Even without them, the system is simple to use, with a clear and high-resolution display. 

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Plus, Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland and Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit all come with navigation as standard too, although you’re probably better off with your phone’s sat-nav nowadays.

Depreciation has been harsh on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the result is you can find a 12-year-old example for £10,000 that has covered a mere 70,000 miles.

A car like this will be in good condition and in one of the higher spec trims, too, with the diesel engine.

Opt for something newer, and a six-year-old Jeep Grand Cherokee with 50,000 miles on the clock could be yours from £23,000.

If you want a petrol-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee, there are a few V8-powered models around and you can reckon on spending from £30,000 for the SRT8 with its 6.4-litre motor.

The appeal of a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a big V8 engine soon wanes when you realise they come with official fuel consumption claims of 20.2mpg at best, and 16.5mpg at worst.

In real use, those numbers drop by around 3mpg each, which is going to cause anyone’s wallet to tremble.

This is why the vast majority of Jeep Grand Cherokees on sale have the 3.0 V6 turbodiesel, which offers a claimed best of 40.4mpg, or 35.8mpg in its later form.

The good news here is you can expect to achieve those numbers.

When it comes to road tax, the lowest annual payment you can hope to get away with in a Jeep Grand Cherokee is £320 per year given the rates at the time of writing.

Choose a petrol-fuelled model and you’re facing a £735 bill for a year’s road tax.

For insurance purposes, the model sits in groups 36 to 50, with the SRT8 models at the highest end of the scale. Most Jeep Grand Cherokees are in the low 40s bracket, to put them on a par with their key rivals.

Servicing a Jeep Grand Cherokee will also cost much the same as a Land Rover Discovery or BMW X5. It won’t be cheap, but using an independent garage can help lessen the blow.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo comes with the lower-powered 190PS 3.0-litre CRD engine, a body-coloured grille, daytime running lights, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and 18-inch satin chrome wheels.

Inside, you’ll find cloth seats, power driver and passenger four-way lumbar adjustment, a leather steering wheel with audio controls, automatic dual-zone climate control, cruise control, hill descent control and front and rear side curtain airbags.

You also get tyre pressure monitoring, automatic wipers, Quadra-Trac II, the Uconnect 8.4-inch touchscreen system, DAB and Bluetooth.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited model adds the more powerful 250PS 3.0-litre CRD engine, a chrome grille, dual exhausts, auto-dimming exterior mirrors, a power tailgate and leather seats.

You also have power eight-way driver and passenger seats, heated front and second row seats, heated steering wheel, power steering wheel adjustment, driver seat memory, the Parksense front and rear park assist system, and a reversing camera.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited+ gets 20-inch polished alloy wheels, performance brake discs, sports suspension and sat-nav.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland has a chrome grille with black honeycomb mesh, dual-panel panoramic sunroof, deep tinted privacy glass, Nappa leather seats, leather trimmed dashboard top, door panels, armrests and console, ventilated seats, wooden insert on steering wheel, Quadra-Drive II with ELSD and air suspension.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit models add chrome fog lamp surrounds, adaptive xenon headlights, rectangular exhausts, Natura plus leather seats, faux-suede headlining, adaptive cruise control, Forward Collision Warning with crash mitigation, blind spot monitoring and a Harman Kardon surround sound stereo with 19 speakers and 825W amplifier.

As a standalone performance model, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT has a 6.4-litre V8 engine and has black exhaust tips, a rear spoiler, 20-inch Black Vapour SRT alloys, premium Laguna leather bucket seats, chrome pedal caps, carbon fibre effect interior trim and SRT leather steering wheel.

Add to that SRT performance brake discs, launch control, Quadra-Trac Active on Demand, Selec-Trac system and active damping sports suspension.