Jeep's Grand Cherokee L Gamble Paying Off Big Time

Mar. 19, 2022 7:38 AM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Trucks / 6 Comments

Buyers are more than willing to pay top dollar.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been around for a long time. You probably had a friend who drove a clapped-out one in high school. But the idea behind Jeep's winningest SUV is changing. The Stellantis off-road brand wants to take the Grand Cherokee even more upmarket. You'd think making a staple of the American people-hauler segment more expensive wouldn't work, but it has.

Jeep moved the Grand Cherokee upmarket and it's working like a charm. The wealthy are flocking to models like the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, a larger, three-row version of the popular SUV that starts at $46,645. But with the model's base prices spanning all the way up to $65,175 the Grand Cherokee L is pricier than ever.

2021-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Front Angle View

2021-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Lateral View

2021-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Rear View Driving

Muscle Car and Truck spoke to Jeep's US marketing director, Scott Tallon, who said the Grand Cherokee has "always been more premium than relative mainstream nameplates." Now, its simply more so the iconic American SUVit was always meant to be. And customers aren't just blindly running to Jeep for the new Grand Cherokee L, they're cross-shopping the model with premium brands like BMW and Audi.

It's almost a stereotype to say that American brands are out to get the European competition. The Jeep Wrangler practically ran the Land Rover Defender out of town until recently, after all. Now, with the Grand Cherokee a serious luxury SUV contender, Jeep has had to step up its game. The new Grand Cherokee L features swaths of open-pore wood, quilted leather, and of course, technology.

2021-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L First Row

While the Grand Wagoneer is still the king of Jeep's more upscale offerings, the Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L are putting up a serious fight. Moreover, folks that buy the Grand Cherokee are staying in it for a long time.

Tallon told MC&T that "people buy it and fall in love with it" helping the SUV to earn the loyalty of its buyers. How much more upmarket Jeep intends to go with its premium models remains to be seen.