Jeep wowed everyone with the Grand Cherokee L for several reasons. In addition to a seven-seat upmarket interior, the mid-size utility vehicle is underpinned by the Giorgio platform developed by Alfa Romeo with a lot of help from Ferrari. Not long now, the long-wheelbase variant will be joined by the regular-wheelbase Grand Cherokee for 2022.
The best-selling Jeep nameplate in the United States of America will further sweeten the deal with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, currently undergoing high altitude testing in Colorado. Andre Smirnov from The Fast Lane highlights the “interesting wheels” with a five-spoke design and a quirky tailpipe, along with the shorter rear overhang in comparison to the three-row variant.
For the entire length of the video, even when the vehicle reverses out of the parking spot and puts the pedal to the metal in order to escape from prying eyes, the prototype runs on electricity. That makes it a little harder to guess what kind of engine we’re dealing with, and it’s also hard to guess which axle is driven by the electric motor. In any case, an electric-only powertrain isn’t on the cards because the Giorgio platform wasn’t developed for EVs.
The Wrangler 4xe, which features body-on-frame construction, combines a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with two electric motors for a grand total of 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) of torque. An eTorque motor-generator unit replaces the alternator, and the second electric motor is mounted in front of the transmission case. A 17-kWh battery pack and an eight-speed automatic transmission also need to be mentioned.
When it comes to unibodies, the closest thing to the Grand Cherokee 4xe in the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles lineup is the 2022 model year Maserati Levante Hybrid. The hybrid-only utility vehicle marries a torque-converter automatic with a 2.0-liter turbo, a 48-volt electrical system, and an electric supercharger for 325 horsepower and 332 pound-feet (450 Nm) of torque.
As for the internal combustion-only variants of the Grand Cherokee, the 3.6-liter Pentastar and 5.7-liter HEMI will have to suffice until the 6.2-liter Hellcat returns to the fray with a more efficient emissions system.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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