The Wrangler may win all the popularity contests, but let’s face it: 99 per cent of the time, it’s a chore to drive. So, if you find yourself in this dilemma — you’re willing to sacrifice some of that off-road prowess for a little extra refinement, plushness, and efficiency, the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe and its mouthful of a name should fit the bill quite nicely.
The Grand Cherokee may not have been around for nearly as long as the Wrangler, but some three decades after it first launched, it’s established itself as Jeep’s jack-of-all-trades. It could be as basic or luxurious, as off-roady or as sporty as you wanted it to be. For a while, Jeep was even willing to stuff the Hellcat’s fire-breathing V8 under the hood, but sadly, those days are behind us.
The Trailhawk is a relatively newish addition to the Grand Cherokee lineup. Having originally debuted in 2017, the Trailhawk lives on for 2023, this time available exclusively with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. It starts with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, itself putting out 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. That’s teamed to two electric motors and a 17.3 kWh battery pack, all working together to produce 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque.
If those numbers seem familiar, that’s because the 4xe has as much horsepower as the old 5.7-litre Hemi V8, and as much torque as the 6.4 monster. But the experience is completely different — there’s enough oomph to get this big brute going, but lean into it too hard and the turbo-four takes over with a coarse-sounding soundtrack that’s completely out-of-character for a Grand Cherokee. It gets better when the electric half kicks in, quieting things down and also improving performance. When everything is working together, the Grand Cherokee 4xe sure isn’t slow, but despite the V8 numbers, it doesn’t make us giggle like a V8 does.
Of course, the whole reason you’d go for the hybrid is the fuel economy, but getting the most out of the Grand Cherokee depends on how often you plug in. Officially, the 4xe is rated at 10.3L/100 kilometres in the city, 9.7 on the highway, 10.0 combined. It also has an electric-only range of 42 kilometres. If you sit in traffic a lot, have easy access to a charger, and keep the battery topped up — a 100% charge from zero takes about two and a half hours on a Level 2 charger — then your visits to gas stations will be few and far between.
But if you’re not plugging in often, and you do a lot of highway driving, your real-world numbers will be higher. After we used up the initial 40-ish kilometres of electric-only range, we treated the Grand Cherokee 4xe like a conventional hybrid — that is to say, not plugging it in — and spent a lot of time on the highway. Ultimately, we averaged 11.6 L/100 km. Quite a ways off the official numbers, but it’s certainly a lot more efficient than eight cylinders.
Beyond the powertrain, the Grand Cherokee impresses. There’s some extra road noise on account of the Trailhawk’s Goodyear all-terrain tires, but beyond that, wind noise is minimal, the air suspension soaks up bumps and rough pavement incredibly well, and steering is light but responsive. The Grand Cherokee has always been known for its cool-as-a-cucumber highway manners, and this latest-gen model is no exception.
Visually, the easiest way to tell the 4xe apart — aside from the badging and charge port on the front fender — are the blue tow hooks. On top of that, the Trailhawk adds the requisite badging, a matte black hood accent, in addition to a handful of tweaks under the skin, including Jeep’s more advanced four-wheel-drive system, an electronic limited-slip differential out back, a disconnecting sway bar up front, and the aforementioned all-terrain tires and air suspension. It’s a handsome SUV — certainly evolutionary compared to the outgoing Grand Cherokee — and the Trailhawk’s light blue accents contrast nicely against our particular tester’s dark blue paintwork.
Stepping inside, the Grand Cherokee 4xe was actually a bit of a letdown. Materials feel cheap, and given the handful of loose trim pieces throughout the cabin, overall fit-and-finish isn’t what we expected, especially since higher-spec Grand Cherokees — like the Summit — punch in well above their weight. The questionable decisions don’t end there: the gloss black trim on the centre console is a dust- and fingerprint-magnet, and after sitting in the sun for hours, the metal-coated shift dial can probably burn off your fingerprints. Oh, and shorter drivers will likely smack their calves on the lip of body cladding jutting out from the bottom of the door jambs.
It’s too bad, because the rest of the Grand Cherokee’s interior is a lovely place otherwise. The seats are comfortable, visibility all around is great, and there’s plenty of headroom legroom, and cargo space. The blue stitching and patterned trim pieces on the dash and doors are attractive touches. Controls are a mix of physical switchgear and digital menus buried in Jeep’s Uconnect 5 infotainment; it’s responsive, intuitive, and the wireless CarPlay (and Android Auto) connection is very quick to boot up, but you might have a tough time finding the volume and seek buttons on the steering wheel. The 10.1-inch central touchscreen is augmented by an all-digital instrument panel and a questionably useful 10.25-inch display for front passengers.
On price, the Grand Cherokee covers a broad range of dollars and powertrains, starting at $57,240 for the base Laredo with the V6 engine and topping out at $93,685 for a fully loaded Summit Reserve 4xe, all including destination. The Trailhawk is available exclusively with the 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain and occupies the higher end of the lineup; it starts at $77,595, although our particular tester was loaded up with about $8,500 worth of options, bringing the grand total to $88,170 with destination, but before taxes and other fees.
There’s a lot to like about the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe — it’s handsome, capable, comfy, and roomy — but it’s let down by its less-than-refined powertrain, interior appointments, and steep price tag. Not to mention, whether the price-versus-fuel-economy trade-off is justified depends on where you do most of your driving, how easily you can plug in, and how long you keep your cars. If a plug-in hybrid isn’t a must-have, you may be better off with a higher-spec Overland or Summit with a V6 under the hood.
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