Don’t Let the Marketing Fool You: 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review

While Jeep wants you to get excited about the all-new, super-efficient, and power-dense Hurricane 4 Turbo powerplant, there is a much deeper story here. The 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a mid-cycle refresh of a very good SUV, but it isn’t all rainbows and unicorns for the new model year.

I drove a 2026 Grand Cherokee Summit edition, a fully loaded machine, around the Malibu Canyons north of Los Angeles on a sunny afternoon, just as a massive storm was clearing. The roads were winding and wet, while the hills were vibrant green. As usual, when I have a short window to review a vehicle, my right foot was heavier than normal. Sadly, I didn’t get to take it off-road, as the prepared course was essentially a muddy lake.

In short: Less performance on- and off-road is on offer for 2026, but you do get more features for less money. While an electrified version is very unlikely to return to the lineup anytime soon, I’ve got a good hunch that on- and off-road performance versions will be back in the not-too-distant future. The 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee is still one of the best full-size SUVs on the market.

2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review

The first Grand Cherokee hit the market all the way back in 1993. Since then, more than 8.2 million have been sold globally. It has extremely loyal buyers and is the number one seller in the full-size SUV category.

What’s New for 2026

While 2026 is just a mid-cycle refresh for the Grand Cherokee, there are some notable changes. The most notable is that the 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is gone. It’s been replaced with the new Hurricane 4 Turbo engine.

Styling-wise, the Grand Cherokee gets a new face and headlamps. It also gets a slightly revised interior, with a new 12.3-inch infotainment screen — up from a 10.1-inch screen.

The model lineup has changed a bunch for 2026 as well, with Overland, Summit Reserve, and Trailhawk getting the axe. The new lineup is: Laredo, Laredo X, Limited, Limited Altitude, Limited Reserve, and Summit.

Each trim comes in a bit cheaper and/or with more standard options than on offer in 2025, up to a $6K savings. But those 2025 prices are for PHEV powertrain vehicles, which have been replaced with the four-cylinder turbo engine, so the math is a little slippery.

Hurricane 4 Power

The 2.0L Hurricane 4 Turbo is a clean sheet engine design, according to Jeep. It shares no parts with other Jeep engines, aside from the oil filter.

The new turbo-four puts out 324 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Peak torque is achieved between 3,000 and 4,500 rpm. It averages 23 mpg.

Jeep recommends premium fuel, though it says it will run just fine on regular. The quoted power and economy numbers are on premium, however.

Here’s my honest take on the Hurricane 4 Turbo: it’s competent. It easily moves this large vehicle, and has plenty of gusto for everyday tasks around town and on the highway. But, it does not move me. The sound it makes is uninspiring but not unpleasant — and yes, there’s a piped-in “tuned” engine note with active noise cancellation involved.

And, here are some useless but fun facts about the new Hurricane 4 Turbo. It’s 20% more powerful and uses 10% less fuel than the current 2.0L in the Wrangler. It has a power density of 162 horsepower per liter, which is 25% more than a Hellcat Redeye V8.

One thing I experienced is engine overrun when you let off the accelerator. Not a great feeling, but I’m guessing it was just a calibration issue on my pre-production review vehicle.

For what it’s worth, the tried-and-true 3.6L Pentastar V6 is still available on the base trim levels. It still puts out 293 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, and it gets 22 mpg.

No PHEV

Since the plug-in hybrid 4xe system is dead across all Stellantis vehicles for 2026, that includes the Grand Cherokee, where I think it will be missed. It offered 51 more horsepower and 138 more pound-feet of near-instantaneous torque — versus waiting to build turbo boost.

The 4xe powertrain also offered 56 MPGe, although real-world gas consumption is nearly identical to the new Hurricane 4, if you don’t plug in the hybrid system to charge the battery. 25 miles of all-electric range was nice, however.

The big advantage of the new turbo four powertrain over the PHEV is that it has a transmission better suited for off-road adventures. This means a torque converter and a better crawl ratio — which I believe to be 55:1. And, the 4xe reliability issues won’t be missed. Reliability is yet to be seen with the new Hurricane 4 Turbo.

Life With the Grand Cherokee

What the Grand Cherokee does extremely well is insulate you from the world. Wind and tire noise are impressively suppressed, although you do hear the engine doing its thing.

The air suspension soaks up pavement imperfections and manages body roll impressively well. It’s a class-exclusive feature.

I find the steering very good, in a direct and properly weighted way. However, it is numb and a bit vague, like most new vehicles. The steering wheel feels great, with its thin profile and large, traditional round shape.

Quadra-Drive II is the top 4×4 system on offer, and has a two-speed transfer case and a Rock driving mode. The system is standard on the Summit model I tested. But, only 35% of the torque can be sent to the rear wheels with this 4×4 system.

The seats are good, but very wide for a tall, skinny frame like mine — they are obviously designed for the average American. The Summit I drove has adjustable leg support, which I always appreciate and isn’t all that common.

The Summit also has massage seats that are quite nice, though you’ll need to dig through a couple of menu layers to turn them on — which is annoying.

Rear seats offer OK legroom, but the floor is high in relation to the seat cushion. The long-legged won’t be comfortable back there for long.

One quirk: the start button lives in the center of the dash, below the climate controls. You’ll find it eventually.

There is only one conductive charger, so you’ll have to fight over charging your phone with your co-pilot. Although they might be distracted by the available passenger-side in-dash entertainment screen.

The standard hands-free liftgate, optional heads-up display (HUD), and class-exclusive “Fam Cam” are useful features available on the 2026 Grand Cherokee as well.

Availability & Pricing

Pricing for a 4×4 2026 Grand Cherokee starts at $42,410, which includes the destination charge, and is a Laredo with 18-inch wheels and V6. The top-spec Summit model I spent time in has a sticker price of $66,180. That includes the $995 advanced tech package and $2,995 hands-free driving assist system.

The 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee is available at Jeep dealers now. Over 8,000 of them have already been built and are already headed to dealer lots.

Keep in mind that everything discussed here applies to the 4×4 models of the standard 2026 Grand Cherokee, while the base 4×2 and L models are also available. The L models of the Grand Cherokee are exactly the same, besides being longer and the addition of a third row of seating.

2026 Grand Cherokee Review: Conclusions

The 2026 Grand Cherokee is still one of the best full-size family SUVs you can buy. The new Hurricane 4 Turbo is efficient and capable. The cabin is refined, the ride is exceptional, and the tech package on upper trims is genuinely impressive.

But it’s hard not to feel the absences. No Trail Rated badge. No V8. No electrified version. No Trailhawk. No Trackhawk. No Overland. When I asked Jeep reps about these variants, they said things like “not for this model year” and “stay tuned” — which reads as clear as a canyon road after a rainstorm. It’s pretty easy to infer that such things are likely already in the pipeline but didn’t make the cut for the model-year launch.

If you need a Grand Cherokee right now, the 2026 is a very good family SUV at a fair price. If you’re chasing the full performance or off-road capability the nameplate is capable of, you might want to wait a bit, or find a deal on a used one.