Casual review of the 2022 GC 4xe Summit
A little bit of a long post highlighting first impressions of my new to me 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe Summit. Some of my comments are related to the 4xe powertrain in general, some are related to the Grand Cherokee in general, and some are specifically towards the Summit trim and its offerings.
I traded my 2021 Mustang Mach-E for this one owner, no accidents, 57k on the clock, bumper-to-bumper warrantied until 97k miles, Grand Cherokee because I wanted something that was more suitable and comfortable for frequent road trips. However, I wanted a PHEV due to the fact that my commute one-way is 2 miles, and I already have a level 2 charger at home. This is my second Jeep, first being a 2017 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara which I loved but ultimately dumped it at the end of the lease because of how uneconomical it was.
Performance and Driving
- It hauls ass. The straight-line performance reminds me of an inline-six BMW X5. Doesn't sound nearly as good as the X5, but it goes like a bastard considering its weight and size.
- The handoff between gas and electric can be pretty jumpy. You have to learn how adapt the way you hit the gas pedal in order to smooth it out. And even then, it's still not perfect.
- Maneuvering in tight parking garages is rough. The brakes are incredibly touchy, and the electric motors don't "crawl" smoothly when you creep off the brake pedal.
- Adaptive cruise control is alright. The shortest setting brakes way too late/harshly, and the second shortest setting stays too far back. It behaves exactly like my mom's 12-year-old 2014 Grand Cherokee Summit. Funny how they haven't improved that.
Interior, Tech, and Audio
- The seats are beyond comfortable and highly adjustable. Between the power-adjustable thigh extenders, side bolsters, and manually-adjustable 4-way headrests, they're great. However, pushing $80k new, the headrests should be power-adjustable like its X5 xDrive50e or GLE450e competitors. Still, they're great seats and the lacking power headrests is absolutely a first-world problem and I see that.
- The Uconnect 5 system is pretty responsive, and I haven't dealt with any freezing or random reboots yet. The 19-speaker McIntosh sound system is really good. Though, it's not a massive leap over the old WK2 Summit's Harman/Kardon Logic7 system. Bass and mids are good, highs are just okay.
- Cargo area is beyond usable. The air suspension lowering to entry/exit mode makes it even easier to load and unload from the cargo area.
The Annoying Shit
- The headlights are good at best. It's ridiculous that a $74k MSRP "luxury trim" SUV doesn't have auto-leveling/steering-responsive projector headlamps when the 2014 Summit did. Also, having to physically push the stalk back to activate auto high-beams is stupid. The 2014 Summit requires the same thing. Every other car I've owned just respected the "Auto High Beams: Enabled" setting in the infotainment system.
- In tight spaces, there's a brutal 3-4 second delay between the front sensor ParkSense alert and the 360 cameras popping up. My Mach-E and previous BMW 330i did it instantly. Seeing the front camera pop up instantly allows me to get super close to an object, before backing up and finishing my maneuver. Now, I just hit the camera favorite button on the Uconnect screen before I know the ParkSense will go off.
- The Jeep app fucking sucks. End of story.
- A locking gas flap, but not a locking EV charging flap is odd to me. Cost cutting?
- Piano black trim is fucking stupid no matter what car its in. I'm incredibly careful, yet I've already noticeably scratched the gloss black around the shifter three times in a week. It's inexplicably plastered on every high-touch surface: the doors, steering wheel buttons, and sunroof controls. WTF.
My verdict is it's a phenomenal vehicle that legitimately gives the PHEV SUV offerings of traditional "luxury" brands a run for their money. Yet, it still drives like a Grand Cherokee which is why I bought it. Jeep should have made the 4xe powertrain smoother and more seamless to drive, especially for $74k on a Summit (not even a Summit Reserve, mind you.) However, the ride and build quality are great. I plan on keeping it long-term, or at least until the warranty expires, and look forward to many great road trips in it.