We’re spending a week with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, and it’s pretty shocking. We aren’t trying to bother you with Dad jokes and puns here, but it’s difficult to explain this Jeep PHEV in other ways. The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is loaded with surprisingly cool features.

What is the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe?

First, we need to clear things up. People have been dissing the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe because it’s electric. Jeepers are passing on it because they think you have to charge it and want to stick to gas.

But the 4xe is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. It has a gas engine and an electric motor. It uses gas and electricity, and you can control how these sources are used. The SUV can be driven with gas-only. You don’t have to plug it in.

There are three different hybrid driving modes:

• The Hybrid mode uses gas and electricity to provide the optimal performance with instant torque for the best acceleration.
• The Electric mode uses your electric charge before switching to gas. The automatic transition from electric power to gas is incredibly smooth.
• ESave Mode uses gas and saves your electric charge for later.

You get up to 25 miles of electric range on a single charge. Also, the regenerative brakes return an impressive amount of energy to the system. We are averaging about 19.0 mpg with just gas.

The Grand Cherokee 4xe has so much tech

I know, it’s bad journalism to switch between I and we. However, I’m used to a 1996 Jeep Cherokee that doesn’t have cup holders or a radio, so experiencing the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is mind-blowing.

The head-up display features the speed limit, navigation directions, and the name of the street you’re on. Plus, the built-in navigation system displays the weather radar, so you know the exact moment when you’re about to hit rain.

The digital gauge cluster has a night vision camera that can detect animals and pedestrians up to 150 feet away. It also shows you how much electricity and how much gas you’ve used between fill-ups.

You can adjust the ambient lighting to display two different colors, but pink isn’t an option. That’s rude, Jeep. If you can offer a Pink Tuscadero Wrangler, then we should get a pink ambient lighting.

Both the digital gauge cluster and infotainment system can be easily customized to display crucial information, including your pitch and roll while off-roading.

The Quadra-lift adaptive air suspension can be adjusted to five different heights. The highest setting raises the SUV to 11.9-inches for off-roading. Lowering the suspension makes loading heavy cargo or large dogs much easier.

The passenger screen is a moody teenager’s dream. It has an HDMI port and can connect to Amazon Fire TV. It allows the passenger to connect their own headphones to tune the driver out. Plus, they can see the navigation and camera views.

The Grand Cherokee 4xe is huge

The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is long with abundant passenger and cargo space. The seats in the front and second row are plush, well-padded, and large. There’s plenty of space for adults.

This isn’t the Grand Cherokee L, with its third row, but there is enough room for one. According to Edmunds, you can access 37.7 cubic feet behind the rear seats and up to 70.8 cubes total. Plus, the center console is deep, and the door pockets are large.

You can sense how big the 4xe is while you park, but the 360-degree camera and parking sensors help you avoid obstacles. Also, the 4xe has a smooth ride with responsive handling and very little body roll. You don’t feel its heft around sharp curves.

The acceleration is very smooth, but the brakes are a little grabby. Typically hybrid vehicles have soft brakes. Also, there is a bit of noticeable wind noise at higher speeds.

This is a lot of 4xe information to take in, but all of the tech can be surprising. In fact, it’s a little distracting at first. But it works quickly, and it’s intuitive.

Stay tuned for our full 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe review as we learn more about it. We’ve been putting the miles in all over North Carolina, from the mountain tops to downtown areas.