2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Reviews

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk comes from a long line of tough, off-road-focused SUVs. But does that make it unliveable in the urban jungle? We spend a week in one to find out.

Jeep has anointed the Grand Cherokee with its most hallowed symbol, the Trailhawk badge. But has the brand's flagship wagon earned it on merit?

Of course it comes from America. A five-seat, family sized SUV powered by a 700hp supercharged V8 capable of out-accelerating exotic sports cars, and probably beating their lap times at the track.

Think of Jeep and images of military-grade off-roaders come to mind. But somehow, the flagship Grand Cherokee had missed out on Jeep's tough 'trail-rated' treatment. Until now.

Australians love performance vehicles of every shape, size and colour – and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is pure performance packaged in a particularly peculiar form.

Jeep has updated the Grand Cherokee for 2017, and added the Trailhawk to the line as a full-time model. We grabbed one for a few days in New Zealand, and came away pretty impressed.

There have never been more SUVs to take your pick from. But while many are excellent, there sure are a lot out there that are a bit... samey. Well, Jeep's Grand Cherokee is a bit different.

Americans are at their very best, or at least their most prolific, at that point where simplicity meets insanity. That's why they've long specialised in making cars with outrageously large engines that can go shockingly fast in a straight line, but are rather poorly engineered for other tasks, like going around corners.On paper, the latest effort from Jeep - a company that very much embodies American simplicity - is a case in point, with the Grand Cherokee SRT powered by a 6.4-litre V8 that seems about as necessary and in sync with the current global trend towards downsizing and lower emissions as a Big Mac is with a vegan diet.There is, of course, something intriguing about a car that packs this much power into a giant, and gigantically capable, off-roader, and yet costs just $91,000. Realistically, it has no competitors that can touch it for value, or insanity. But then again, no company but another American one would really want to try.

The Overland sits high in the Grand Cherokee range and lists for $80,000, That's becoming pricey for a range which kicks off at $47,500.

From the big, bluff front to the slabby sides, the Jeep Cherokee oozes macho off-roader credentials, and it really is a good-looking machine. Could this be the vehicle to turn around the doubters?