Some vehicles are courting a pretty specific market, be it driving enthusiasts, families, or off-road adventurers. But others cast a wide net, looking to scoop up as many demographics as they can. When you see a Jeep Grand Cherokee for sale, you can’t be sure whether it’s going to be bought by a suburban parent, a weekend OHV warrior, or a road tripper. Since it offers such a wide array of features, it can take a while to sift through all of the information Jeep puts out about the Grand Cherokee if you’re just trying to figure out how well it performs off-road.
Today, we’re going to put all of its family-friendly, highway-safety, and luxury features aside and focus on the things that let this midsize SUV take on off-road trails. It’s time to check out five features that make the Grand Cherokee ready for rugged adventures. Even if you’re familiar with older models, you will want to give this a read because Jeep has been making a lot of changes to the Grand Cherokee recently, and some of the most useful features have been introduced during the latest generation, which debuted for the 2022 model year.
#1 – Front Disconnecting Stabilizer Bar
Let’s kick things off with something simple but surprisingly new to the model. This is one of those features that was added to the lineup when the Grand Cherokee entered its fifth generation: a disconnecting front stabilizer bar. This simple feature is indicative of what a lot of off-road features on the Grand Cherokee have in common: adaptability. Since driving on an off-road trail is very different from driving on pavement, the best way to deliver a great ride in both environments is to have features that can be adjusted, either manually or automatically, to suit the situation at hand. In this case, you can leave the bar connected to keep your ride stable when driving on paved roads, but disconnect it if you’re driving on uneven off-road terrain and need more wheel articulation, such as when you’re driving over something like a big boulder that raises up just one side of the SUV.
#2 – Quadra-Lift Air Suspension
Getting suspension tuning right is tricky with off-road vehicles since off-road capability often comes at the expense of on-road comfort. Jeep’s Quadra-Lift air suspension solves the problem using, once again, adaptability. This time, it’s in the form of a suspension system that uses adaptive dampers to provide a smooth ride over a wide variety of surfaces and has five different height settings that let you raise the Grand Cherokee up when you’re worried about obstacles in the way and lower it back down on paved roads for a lower center of gravity and better performance. The system can work automatically, adjusting the shock tuning and ride height as your speed and road conditions change, or you can control it manually if you’d rather set these things for yourself.
The Quadra-Lift suspension system, like the disconnecting stabilizer bar, comes standard on the Trailhawk trim, which wears Jeep’s Trail Rated badge. It gives the Trailhawk up to 10.9 inches of ground clearance, depending on the height setting, compared to 8.4 inches of ground clearance on the entry-level Laredo trim. It also allows for up to 24 inches of water fording, letting adventurous drivers explore even more places.
#3 – Selec-Terrain Traction Management
If you can’t get a grip on the ground below your vehicle, you’re not going anywhere. While the all-terrain tires that come standard on the Trailhawk go a long way, you’ll want more than that if you’re tackling tough trails, especially if the weather is anything less than perfect. Enter the Selec-Terrain traction management system, which electronically coordinates a laundry list of vehicle systems, including the torque split between the front and rear axles, the suspension system, brake sensitivity, throttle control, transmission shift points, stability control, and the antilock brake system. In Auto mode, the system is constantly working to sense current conditions and adjust all of these components to the right settings to give you the highest level of control from behind the wheel. You can also set it to Sport mode for increased on-road performance, Rock mode for boulder crawling, Snow mode for winter weather, and Mud/Sand mode for kicking up dirt.
#4 – Specialty Camera Views
Giving an SUV increased ground clearance means physically raising it up, and that makes it difficult to see low-lying obstacles, which can be a problem when you’re navigating tricky trails. The TrailCam Off-Road Camera, another standard feature on the Trailhawk, faces forward to give you a view of things that you can’t see from the cabin. Gridlines show you the exact path your tires will take so you can move with precision when avoiding sharp objects in tight spaces. It also comes with an integrated washer to keep it clear of mud splatter.
The available night vision camera uses infrared imaging to show you your surroundings when things get dark, such as when you lose track of time during your off-road excursion and don’t make it back to the campsite until after sunset. Since you don’t want to be staring at a screen the whole time you’re driving instead of keeping your eyes on the area lit by your headlights, the system automatically detects pedestrians and animals and gives you warnings so you can avoid collisions.
#5 – 4xe Powertrain
We’ve mentioned the Trailhawk trim a fair amount so far, which makes sense as it’s the version of the Grand Cherokee that’s the most capable off-road. You may be shocked to learn that, as of the 2023 model year, this trim is only available with Jeep’s plug-in hybrid powertrain, the 4xe. But don’t write your angry letters until you hear the details. For one thing, the 4xe powertrain offers the best stats in the lineup. While the Pentastar V6 makes 293 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, and the HEMI V8 makes 357 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, the 4xe makes 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. On top of that, the torque is available at lower speeds—Jeep goes so far as to call it “instant”—which comes in handy for rock crawling and other off-road maneuvers that require high power but are dangerous at high speeds. When Car and Driver tested the fifth-generation Grand Cherokee, they found that the 4xe had the fastest 0-60 time (5.3 seconds), beating the V6 by a full two seconds and even besting the V8 by about a second.
Dig into the details of the 4xe powertrain, and you will discover more and more practical upsides for off-roading. Its EV mode lets you operate on all-electric power for an estimated 26 miles. In this mode, you’re riding almost silently, which lets you sneak away from campsites early in the morning or come back late at night without annoying your neighbors. It can also help you get closer to wildlife without scaring the animals off. And if you’re worried that EV mode can’t handle rough surfaces, know that Jeep took the Grand Cherokee 4xe for an epic adventure to drive home the fact that it’s up for a challenge, completing the legendary Rubicon Trail in EV mode.
