2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Flips the Script on Performance
By Edward A. Sanchez – Oct. 9, 2021
Jeep’s redesign of the Grand Cherokee departed convention by the long-wheelbase L variant coming out first as a 2021 model, with the two-row, short-wheelbase model arriving as a 2022 model, which was just unveiled this week. While many probably expected the standard-wheelbase model would mirror the configurations and powertrains offered on the L, there are a few significant differences, the most noteworthy being the offering of a 4xe plug-in hybrid model, which may also eventually be offered in the L model.
However, the most interesting wrinkle in the story is that for now at least, the 4xe is the most powerful Grand Cherokee variant you can buy. Like the Wrangler 4xe, the Grand Cherokee has a turbocharged 2.0L I-4 mated to an electrical motor where the torque converter would usually be in an automatic, paired with a 17 kWh battery. The combination yields the same 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque as it does in the Wrangler.
I can personally attest to the muscularity of this powertrain, as I briefly drove a Wrangler 4xe at an electric car show a few weeks ago. The next most powerful powertrain offered in the Grand Cherokee is the 5.7L Hemi V-8, making 357 hp and 390 lb-ft. The bread-and-butter powertrain that will likely represent the majority of Grand Cherokee sales is the tried-and-true 3.6L Pentastar V-6, rated at 293 hp and 260 lb-ft in this application.
Offering a Trailhawk version, Jeep is insistent that the Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid is just as capable as its pure-ICE counterparts.
You may be wondering, “Why am I reading about a plug-in hybrid on a blog that I thought was supposed to be about EVs?” Well, here at The Watt Car, we take a broad view of electrification, which for us encompasses everything from (non-plug-in) hybrids, PHEVs, fuel cells, and full battery-electric vehicles. The reason why we’re writing about the Grand Cherokee 4xe specifically is that it is probably the first step toward conditioning Jeep customers to view the electrified option as the “top” option.
The traditional domestic performance adage is “there’s no replacement for displacement,” meaning the top engine offering is either the largest displacement from a cubic inch standpoint, or fortified with forced induction, as in the case of the Hellcat supercharged Hemi V-8.
Jeep is moving toward electrification, with the Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid being the most recent step.
In the case of the 4xe, an engine roughly one-third the size of the 5.7L Hemi V-8, the electrified combination produces 18 more horsepower and a substantial 80 lb-ft higher torque output than the big motor setup. Granted, until we have final specifications including weight and instrumented testing, we can’t definitively say whether the 4xe would outrun the Hemi. There’s a chance that the 4xe, despite its significantly smaller-displacement engine, may be the heaviest model, thanks to the battery and associated PHEV hardware.
And truth be told, the V-8 model also holds a 1,200-pound advantage in towing capacity over the 4xe, with a maximum capacity of 7,200 pounds, compared to the 4xe’s still-respectable 6,000-pound rating.
But what’s the next step? A 600 hp (or more) all-electric model? Will the flagship be a full BEV?
Just a few years ago, electrified Jeeps were unimaginable. Now, Jeep is diving into electrification with an expanding 4xe plug-in hybrid lineup.
While the traditionalists may balk at battery power, we’re already in an era where 800, 900, and even 1,000 horsepower is no longer beyond the realm of believability with full battery electrics. Those figures are nearly unheard of in the internal-combustion realm, aside from six and seven-figure exotics, and Stellantis’s own Hellcat V-8, which is considered by many to be on the ragged edge of controllable output for a mass-production street-legal car.
The idea of a fully electric Jeep, whether a Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, or something else, may seem heretical or even irrational to the old-timers, for which a carry-along gas can is both a badge of honor and requisite hardware for off-road adventures. Rivian has already proven that a battery electric vehicle can be highly capable off road. The only use case in which full BEVs might prove a little challenging is overlanding. But you can bet that in time, with advancements in solar panel technology, battery storage, and lightweight auxiliary batteries, that barrier will ultimately be conquered as well.
We can’t wait.
(Images courtesy Jeep)
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