The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is the first-ever three-row Grand Cherokee, and like its equally new two-row counterpart, it blends sharp good looks with a vastly upgraded interior sure to wow anyone, but especially those who ever experienced the previous-generation Grand Cherokee. While that SUV was solid, it also had become quite old by the time this new version arrived for 2022. So, how does this new Jeep measure up as a bigger, more-seat-ier Grand Cherokee? While the cabin presents well at first glance, here's what we found after spending a lot of time in it:
The Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited isn't as spacious as some of its competitors. The driver's seating position, even at its lowest setting and not stretching out the arms of a 6-foot-plus person, is solid, but the way Jeep angles the pedals nearly vertically, the angle might not be comfortable for some drivers feet. On the other hand, the seats are supportive and comfortable, though taller passengers seated in the second row might find there could be more knee room; foot room under the front seats is great, while headroom in the second row is also decent.
How about the third-row seating? Yeah, forget it for anyone taller than five feet. The room in the L's third row is clearly geared toward children. This isn't entirely unusual for the class, but there are other midsize three-rows with roomier aft quarters. With those rearmost seats in use, at least the storage area behind them isn't stupendously compromised like it can be in some three-row vehicles; obviously, folding the rear seats expands the cargo hold nicely.
The power liftgate controls are another bugaboo of the way-back space. When you need to close the liftgate, you'll find the control isn't on the liftgate itself, close to the grab handle, like on most setups of this type. Instead, Jeep installs the button on the left side of the cargo opening, by the quarter panel (this is pretty standard practice among Stellantis/Chrysler/Dodge vehicles). If you had groceries or just some tall bags on that side of the trunk, you could easily cover up the button, however, the upside is that, once you get used to looking for the button there, it's an easier reach for smaller users than it would be if it were on the end of a long, open liftgate.
A few of the Grand Cherokee L's smaller conveniences, such as the button layout on the steering wheel spokes, are just slightly off. The innermost buttons could be closer to the steering wheel rim. Even for those with slightly larger mitts, it's a reach for thumbs to reach these controls without repositioning your hands while driving.
There are also two cruise control buttons, one for the regular, old-fashioned cruise control that stays at a fixed speed, and another for the adaptive, radar-monitored version that can slow and speed the car to maintain a set velocity. On one hand, it's nice that both buttons are presented rather than using one button and requiring the driver to press and hold it to switch between fixed and adaptive settings; on the other hand, the two buttons look virtually the same. (Hint: The adaptive control is the one between the follow distance adjustments.) As there isn't any tactile difference between that button and the surrounding ones for adjusting the gap distance, if you're not looking you might accidentally disable the radar cruise.
While the placement of the lane keep, auto stop-start, parking, and other features along the top of the dashboard above the touchscreen looks slick, the buttons blend a bit too smoothly into the surrounding trim. Light shining directly on the top of the dashboard reflects off these buttons, too, which can make them harder to read. It's nothing insurmountable for an owner to get used to over time, just a first-impression bugaboo.
We found the digital instrument cluster looks great, but accessing and manipulating some of its sub-menus carries a learning curve. One standout? It is not obvious at first how one changes settings on the digital driver's display, from swapping from a digital speedometer layout to an analog-mimicking layout to choosing different blocs of information to display amongst the primary gauges (or digital readouts, depending on the view). Pressing a button on the left steering wheel spoke calls up these alternative menu items, and then you must scroll between them and select the one you'd like to jump into. In short, it's easier to do while stationary, a bit more attention-hogging when driving.
Once you get over the physical audio controls sharing the same horizontal plane as the primary HVAC controls—the fan speed rocker switch is in between the heating and cooling switches for the driver and passenger sides, and all of those are stuffed between two round knobs that are actually audio controls (volume on the left, tuning on the right)—you'll remember how nice it is to have real knobs and easy-to-thumb rocker switches in a modern interior.
As for the touchscreen above those controls, it runs Chrysler's latest Uconnect software, which is as intuitive as previous versions, all of which were among the most straightforward of their ilk. It's easy to use and looks fresher than the Uconnect setup it replaces. Our only complaints are minor: We wish the speed limit indicator were larger and easier to spot in the navigation map, and if you plan on towing and wouldn't mind seeing some auxiliary gauges like your transmission temperature, they're buried in the "off-road menu." That wording isn't exactly what comes to mind when you're looking for that kind of towing-related info, but at least it's there for the viewing.
It's a little too easy to turn the rotary shift dial for the transmission controls past your intended gear selection when noodling around at low speeds during, say, during a parking maneuver. So long as your foot is on the brake (as it likely will be if you're parking), you can twist the knob into reverse—useful for quickly shifting into reverse to, say, rock the Jeep out of a sticky situation in deep snow or sand, but it's let down by the slowish response of the transmission itself, whose shifting can lag slightly behind your knob positioning. In this Jeep and other new-generation Grand Cherokees, we've found it can take a beat before, say, the Jeep realizes you've selected park with the knob, prompting the electronic parking brake to quickly activate should you open the door to exit, a safety feature likely intended to prevent rollaways while passengers are stepping out of the vehicle.
Those handful of small user experience issues with the shifter and some buttons, all of which an owner would quickly acclimate to with daily use, pale in comparison to the impression this new Jeep's cabin leaves. The materials used inside the Grand Cherokee's interior are nice. Plastic parts don't feel like plastic, and the leather looks and feels great to the touch, save for perhaps the fake wood trim, which feels like smooth, cheap plastic despite looking nice. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels great in your hands, and the seats keep you from sliding around during hard driving despite, you know, this not being a sports car.
Everything about the Grand Cherokee L feels solid, a sensation backed up by its refined ride quality and general quietude at speed. While the model we tested had a fairly muted color scheme inside, you can get richer-looking, more expressive colorways, especially at the higher end of the lineup.