MC&T Staff 
With the debut of the new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, we’re treated to the most exquisite and technically advanced Jeep ever produced. The state of the art technology packed into the new Grand Cherokee is at the forefront of every interaction drivers and passengers will have with the vehicle.
Jeep is billing it as the most advanced, safest, and high-tech vehicle in class. There’s 110 safety and security features, including many firsts not just for the Jeep brand, but across the FCA portfolio.
For starters, the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets FCA’s advanced Uconnect 5 system which operates on an 8.4-inch or 10.1-inch digital touchscreen. According to Jeep, Uconnect 5 offers operating speeds five times faster than the previous generation system thanks to an Android based operating system. It boasts over-the-air (OTA) updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a fully customizable home screen, and simultaneous connectivity for two Bluetooth-enabled phones. There’s also an all-new Uconnect mobile app, Alexa “Home to Car” functionality, SiriusXM 360L platform, TomTom navigation with predictive search, natural speak and live traffic updates, plus a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot which can connect up to eight wireless devices.
Front-row passengers are treated to an available dual device wireless charging pad, along with standard dual USB Type C ports that enable four times faster charging speeds. In total, the Jeep Grand Cherokee L delivers 12 USB Type A and Type C across all three rows, a class-leading figure no doubt.
Standard on all 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L models is a 10.25-inch frameless digital instrument cluster which offers real-time, animated 3D graphics, and nearly two dozen different menus from which users can select, customize and save their settings. Menus include media settings, speed, drive modes, tire pressure, navigation, off-road vehicle metrics and access to the entire suite of driver-assist technologies.
Speaking of driver assist technologies, the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L features Active Driving Assist, which is FCA’s name for Level 2 (L2) automated driving capability. The new Jeep enables hands-on-wheel and eyes-on-road automated driving by partnering lane-centering technology with adaptive cruise control. The system will use multiple sensors, radars and cameras to dictate appropriate activation. Unfortunately the technology will only be available on Overland and Summit models. If you can wait until model year 2022 FCA is promising hands-free L2 assisted driving on approved roadways The incoming system will have the ability to predictively slow the vehicle down in tight curves and automatically resume control following a driver override.
Aslo exclusive to Overland and Summit models is FCA’s new Night Vision Camera, which uses thermographic technology to increase the reach of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L’s LED headlamps. An array of infrared sensors search for the heat signatures of pedestrians and animals ahead. It can see a distance up to 219 yards (200 meters) and when it locates a target it presents an alert in the instrument cluster with positions relative to the vehicle.
Organizing key information is a full-color Head-up Display (HUD) available on Overland and Summit models. The system provides the driver with up to five different information streams, including Active Lane Management, adaptive cruise control, turn-by-turn navigation, current speed, current gear and speed limit. The HUD can be widened up to 10-inches.
Standard on Summit models is Intersection Collision Assist which uses four radar sensors and one camera to detect vehicles approaching from the driver’s left and right at a crossroads. If a collision appears imminent the vehicle will provide audio and visual prompts before automatically braking if the driver doesn’t respond.
Another feature that comes standard on the top shelf Summit Jeep Grand Cherokee L is Drowsy Driver Detection. It tracks vehicle movement, such as lane deviation, and driver interaction, such as steering-wheel input over time in order to determine if the driver is showing signs of exhaustion. Audio and visual alarms ask the driver to pull over.
Available on the Limited trim and above there is an optional Digital Rearview Camera system which replaces the conventional rearview mirror with a 9.2-inch-wide Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) that shows real-time video from a rear-facing camera.
Traffic Sign Recognition comes standard on Summit models and uses a forward-facing camera to read traffic signs in case you’re not capable of doing that on your own.
Available on Limited and Overland, standard on Summit models, the Surround View Camera offers 360-degree, bird’s-eye views of the vehicle and its surroundings, enhanced by dynamic gridlines displayed on a 10.1-inch digital touchscreen. There are front and rear lens washers to keep the systems vision clear. Summit models also get standard Parallel and
Perpendicular Park Assist, which employs ultrasonic sensors to guide the Jeep Grand Cherokee L into parking spaces. FCA claims its the first automaker to use this technology.
Limited, Overland and Summit models equipped with the 10.1-inch touch screen offer an available rear-seat monitoring camera system. It provides a clear view of second-row, rear-facing child seat occupants, a split-view display and a “zoom-to-seat” function which parents will come to appreciate. The camera is positioned on the headliner between the second- and third-row seats and uses three infrared lights to illuminate the cabin in low-light conditions.
Among the standard safety features across the Jeep Grand Cherokee L lineup are: Full-Speed Collision Warning with Active Braking and Pedestrian/Cyclist Detection, Rear Cross Path detection, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go, Active Lane Management, LaneSense Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist. There’s also Advanced Brake Assist, Blind-spot Monitoring, ParkView rear back-up camera, and ParkSense rear park assist sensors with stop. All Jeep Grand Cherokee L models will feature eight airbags, including full-length side-curtain airbags, seat-mounted side thorax airbag and active head restraints.
Also standard across the entire Jeep Grand Cherokee L model lineup is a full suite of LED lighting, front and rear, plus side lighting which promises to improve visibility while cornering. Overland and Summit models get approach-lit door handles and puddle lighting projected from the mirrors.
All models will get new customizable interior LED lighting with daytime/nighttime settings. Overland and Summit models add a five-color selection feature. Summit models also get four-zone automatic temperature control, which lets each of the first and second row passengers select different climate and fan settings.
The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L brings the automotive debut of a McIntosh audio system. The handcrafted, made-in-the-USA home audio company uses 19 custom-designed speakers, including a 10-inch subwoofer, to bring a high-end surround-sound experience. The system is powered by a 17-channel, 950-watt amplifier which was designed to provide clean, crisp high notes and deep, low frequencies throughout the cabin.
The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is also the first FCA vehicle to feature electronic controls to quickly fold the second row seating flat. There’s also a programmable height feature that allows customizable tailgate opening along with hands-free, foot-activated operation. All that goes without even mentioning the copious amount of technology baked into the driveline and suspension, including Selec-Terrain traction management system with five terrain modes, and Quadra-Lift air suspension with electronic adaptive damping and adjustable ride height.
Other features include optional driver and front passenger seat massage, an all-new multifunction steering wheel with paddle shifters, an all-new drive control center with a backlit, metal rotary shifter which is flanked by the ride height and Selec-Terrain switches. The front seats are length adjustable in Overland and Summit models and feature 16-way adjustable position with memory and lumbar, heated and ventilated seats in the first two rows.
This thing seriously packs more technology than your friendly neighborhood Apple store, we’re pretty stoked to get the chance to fiddle with all these tech goodies once the time comes.
– By Michael Accardi
Scary reliability makes FCA a total pass for a new vehicle. Now they are owned by Renault!
All Vehicles have reliability problems some more than others I found the jeep brand very reliable and hold it’s value much better than most other brands been in the car business 48 years and I’m not seeing a auto manufacture make a better product include your imports in your high-end German automobiles.