Best SUVs of 2021 and 2022

[MUSIC PLAYING] TRAVIS LANGNESS: At Edmunds, we were big fans of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and its previous generation. We liked the multiple engine offerings and the premium interior. But over the years, it kind of waned in favor. The V6 became less impressive against class rivals. And the ride quality honestly wasn't that good compared to more modern SUVs, stuff like the Kia Telluride and the Honda Pilot. Thankfully, the decade-old design of the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been completely thrown out the window, and there's a brand new one behind me-- the bigger-- and we'll find out if it's any better-- Grand Cherokee L. It's the new three-row version of the Grand Cherokee. It's come to market before the standard Grand Cherokee. And we're going to take a look at all the new stuff up close and personal. A little bit later on, it's going to be raining, and then before that it won't be raining. And then I'll be standing here with an umbrella for no reason. The continuity police, you can just leave now. We don't need you. I almost forgot, before we get to that, click Like and Subscribe below. [BELL RING] Click the link for the article with all the details and the specs on this new Jeep Grand Cherokee L. And for a cash offer on your car today, go to edmunds.com/sellmycar. [MUSIC PLAYING] So how much does this cost? Well, base versions are going to start around $38,000. And the higher -end versions will work their way up to $67,000, around there. And they've changed a lot about the looks. It looks sleeker. It's got active grill shutters and thinner headlights. And the profile, even though it's longer-- duh, it's a three row-- looks just as sleek as the previous generation. Honestly, I think they've nailed the looks on the outside of this thing. It's got all the Jeep character you expect. And it remains bulky but somehow still stylish. I'm a big fan of the looks. Under the hood of this particularly wet Jeep Grand Cherokee L is the 3.6-liter V6. This is a carryover engine, just like the optional V8. And horsepower ratings are vaguely similar to the previous generation, around 290 and 357 horsepower, I think, for the V8. And these have carried over, but some things about them have changed. Jeep says the tuning has changed, so they're getting similar MPG figures to the previous generation, even though this is a bigger, heavier vehicle. And they've changed the mounting points, changed a lot of things that affect noise, vibration, harshness inside the vehicle to make it more comfortable when you're out on the highway. Also, next to production will likely be the 4xe version of the Grand Cherokee-- yep, the plug-in hybrid. We drove one a few weeks ago with the Wrangler. And honestly, I really like that powertrain. I think it is impressive not only in terms of power, but in terms of on-road comforts and in terms of fun quotient. It gives you a little bit more Wile E. Coyote kind of feel to the whole thing. And if they can apply that same feel to this Grand Cherokee L, they've got a winner on their hands. Plus, maybe because it's bigger, they can fit more battery cells and get a little bit of extra battery range out of it? I don't know-- fingers crossed. Out on the highway, one of the things that we noticed with the previous generation Grand Cherokee that is definitely improved on this model is ride comfort and noise levels. This is a much more comfortable ride. The one we're in currently has air suspension, so it does have a bit of a floaty feel over big bumps on the highway. But on B roads, 55 mile an hour speed limit, it's really comfortable. And it's not noisy at all. It's super quiet in here. Even on the highway at 75 miles an hour, this is a really hushed interior. So if Jeep is going for that luxury vibe, which they kind of have to be when the top end prices of this vehicle are bumping up against $70,000, they're getting it right with the noise levels. This thing is super quiet. And I'm a big fan of that. You want to be quiet and comfortable on the highway. The combined radar and camera systems in this Jeep do a really good job of, A, keeping you in your lane or assisting to keep you in your lane, and, B, keeping a good distance with the vehicle up in front. Now they call this a hands-on system, which is the right thing to call it. And it means you want to keep at least one hand on the wheel. And really, it keeps you pretty centered in the lane. It's not a lot of ping ponging off the lines. But the lane keep assist is not aggressive, but it's not too weak. There's a balance to find there with these assist systems. And this one finds a really good balance. And then there's the adaptive cruise. I've been cut off a few times in traffic while using it. You set it to 70, the speed limit, but then someone moves over in front of you going 65. And one of the pitfalls that these systems can have is it hits the brakes really hard. With this system, it seems to know that there's enough distance and it slows down with some relative ease. It's pretty smooth. They say that once all of the systems are turned on, they'll have level 2 capabilities, which means basically you're doing hands on with driving assist. Jeep has programmed in an interesting warning system. Now some cars will do a vibrating seat, some will beep at you on the dash. Jeep has multiple levels where the colors on the dashboard will change letting you know that, hey, pay attention, put your hands on the steering wheel. And what they've actually built in are pressure sensors to the steering wheel to know whether or not you've got your hands gripped on it. And eventually, the Jeep will brake check you. If you're driving long enough paying no attention or with your hands off the wheel, as you absolutely should not be, then the Jeep will brake check you to essentially wake you up. It's really a helpful way to make a luxury interior feel even more luxury. You get the tech right, and it feels like you've spent your money well. If you're thinking about getting this system or maybe opting for a trim level without it, I would consider it a must have, especially if you're going to go on long journeys, you're loaded up with lots of kids and lots of luggage. Anything you can do to contribute to the lack of fatigue, go ahead and check that option on the sheet. One of the things that the Grand Cherokee, and this new one the Grand Cherokee L, the fifth gen, has always had going for it is the impressive towing numbers. This generation with the V6 can max out at 6,200 pounds of towing-- and with the V8, 7,200 pounds of towing. And that's really impressive for this class of vehicle. Now if you get something with a truck chassis, body on frame, those numbers are going to go up. But you're going to lose comfort a little bit. The thing that you get here is a nice balance of impressive towing numbers and on-road comfort. So you don't get beat up as much as you would in something larger and more robust, but you still get really impressive towing numbers. And you can pull something like a boat behind you. Where rivals like the Explorer, for instance, can only tow 5,600 pounds and the Telluride can only tow 5,000 pounds. If you want to go with the V8 and a 7,200 pound rating and tow your big pontoon boat to the lake for the weekend, go for it. Combined with all the active driving aids that you get standard or optional on the Grand Cherokee L, how easy is it to drive? Well, honestly, it doesn't feel any bigger than the previous generation. And it's just as easy to drive as a compact crossover. Sure, the dimensions are a little bit different from when you're parking, but there's really good visibility, big side mirrors. Jeep has worked to get the belt line or the bottom line of the windows really low. So you have good side visibility when you're driving. On a tight, curvy road, you can see where the edges are. Forward visibility is good. Hood is kind of long, can't really see very close in front of you, but you expect that in this class. And rear visibility is really good too. I can see directly into the back window. There's a button here to fold down the headrests in the third row. So you can do that without having to climb back there and fold them down yourself. And really, this is not any harder to drive than the previous generation. [MUSIC PLAYING] I really like the interior of this Grand Cherokee L. It is such a nice place to be and just look at. We are in the Summit Reserve, which is the topped out trim level. This one's priced up almost all the way to $65,000. There's not a lot of options it's missing. But it's got this amazing open-pore wood, these really nice compound curves. And the dash-- really nice stitching along the doors and the dashboard as well, a low dashboard that you can see over really easily. This really nice, bespoke set of Macintosh speakers, which is exclusive to the Grand Cherokee L. And then you've got all sorts of enjoyable tech. You've got stuff like then 10-inch center screen, the 10-inch driver screen. And it's optional, we don't have it on this trim, but there is a available 10-inch head-up display, full color, configurable. All of that combines to make a really luxurious feeling or upscale feeling interior. You hop in here and you look at this screen and you don't think rugged, American made. You think luxury German made. And that might be a misnomer or a misconception that we need to do away with in the American market. This stuff is super high end. The materials here are really nice. Yes, there are a lot of piano blacks. You will get sticky finger marks on things, especially after eating fast food and with three rows of kids in the car. But at first glance, this is all very nice. And I really like the driving position too. These seats are comfortable. It's got enough bolstering for the sides. Steering wheel is tilt and telescope as well. UConnect has been Jeep's infotainment system for quite some time. This is the fifth iteration of it, UConnect 5. And it is super quick to connect to smartphones. The buttons respond to your commands very easily. These are some of the best graphics that you can get on a screen today-- really impressive, really crisp. And that makes it easier to see stuff at a glance. So when you're looking down and changing the radio station, you don't have to take your eyes off of the road for as long. There are also a lot of duplicated buttons or buttons that have redundant features that are also inside the touchscreen. So stuff like heated and ventilated seats, the volume knob, the tuner knob, those are all duplicated on the touch screen and in physical controls. So that if you're looking ahead and you just remember where the control is, easy to draw your hand to it and make the command. There are lots of nice little storage cubbies. These all pop up. There is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connection. So that means you can connect your smartphone from the moment you get in the car. There's wireless cell phone charging, two USBs, two USB-C ports. There's more storage in here, plenty enough four large water bottles, and decent-sized door pockets. But all of that notwithstanding, this is a three-row SUV, so we want to take a look at what's going on in the back. How do I fit behind myself, and behind myself myself, and whatever-- how I fit in the third row. And now we're in the second row. So this is where you will put perceivably your friends or your kids or whatever. Plenty of space back here, lots of room underneath the seat for my feet, lots of leg room. If I move the seat all the way back, so far that I can't even reach the center console, and plenty of headroom, hip room, lots of places for your stuff. There's center console cup holders here, as well as a place for tablets, books, smartphones, whatever. Two USB and USB-C ports-- so that's four charging ports on top of the three-pronged plug, plus a nice center console where you can take out this bit and make it larger for more stuff. Now this is optional. This is the captain's chairs, but you can get a bench seat here for seating more passengers. Let's take a look what it's like in the third row. So put that second row seat in place, sitting behind myself myself, this is the inception of rows, the third row. And I have plenty of space back here. There's a little bit of limiting space for foot room, but I could definitely sit next to another adult here. And plenty of headroom, plenty of elbow and arm room. And this is a comfortable seat. Now you're not going to store a lot of stuff behind me if you got three rows of passengers, but this is a really nice place to be. And in the third row, you've got a pair of USB and USB-C ports. So you can charge four more devices back here. How many devices do you need? [MUSIC PLAYING] So on the freeway, on back highways, it's just a big comfortable, easy to pass other vehicles, three-row SUV. It's exactly what you want for your family. And now that we've done plenty of on-road driving, let's take it for some off-road driving. We are in 4 low rock mode in the-- let's do the surround camera, not that that will help-- Overland trim level of the Grand Cherokee L in a pouring thunderstorm in the outskirts of Michigan outside of Detroit. I'm being guided up a rock course. This is just the greatest thing ever. We're in the highest suspension mode. We are also in rock mode, which controls the suspension, and in 4 low. Now this does have a transfer case, unlike some of the other crossovers in this segment. Woo hoo hoo. I hope that's a skid plate. Oh, there we go, a lot of funky sounds. Left, right, left, right, OK. I mean, I'm glad this isn't my car, I'll say that much. And this is a really-- Oh, there it is-- frightening section. Can't see what's going on, trying to pay attention to the spotter, and not the cameras. This is harrowing stuff. And in the rain with no traction on these rocks, it's even wilder. This is an inch-by-inch thing. This is some of the scariest driving you can possibly. Oh, and it sounds like it's breaking everything. Wow, this Grand Cherokee is really holding up to this abuse. Thank you cameramen for standing outside and getting that. Oh, that's frightening. [MUSIC PLAYING] It stopped raining, so I don't need this umbrella anymore. But it's still really humid outside. Anyways, there's more tech, more power trains, more roads than ever before. And the Jeep Grand Cherokee definitely stands within a shot of knocking competitors right off the top of the podium. There are a few things standing in its way though. The high pricing on the top end means it competes with luxury rivals and bigger more capable three-row SUVs that are built with body-on-frame technology. But really, this is a very enjoyable, likeable SUV to drive. And I can't wait to get It in-house at Edmunds. Want to see what it's like up against the Telluride, in particular, and rivals like the Pilot and the CX9. I think it'll do really well in a comparison test, plus it tows a lot more. For more information on the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, click the link below. Click Like and Subscribe too if you like these kinds of videos. And for a cash offer on your car today, go to edmunds.com/sellmycar. [MUSIC PLAYING]