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Inside The 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit L From Trims To Real-World Impressions · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:00
  Don Armstrong: And a happy fourth of July to you.
• 0:02
  Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
• 0:05
  Don Armstrong: Had a chance to drive the twenty twenty-six Jeep Grand Cherokee.
• 0:09
  Don Armstrong: Whew.
• 0:10
  Don Armstrong: This thing has got an interior like you wouldn't believe.
• 0:13
  Don Armstrong: Here are the available trim levels the Laredo, the Laredo X, the Laredo Altitude, the Limited, Limited Reserve, 85th Anniversary Edition, and the Summit.
• 0:27
  Don Armstrong: I happen to have the L for long summit four by four.
• 0:33
  Don Armstrong: This is a standard SUV seat six in this particular configuration in three rows.
• 0:40
  Don Armstrong: You can get a bench seat in the second row if you want, but that does away with the console, and I think I would prefer the three-row all buckets.
• 0:50
  Don Armstrong: Anyway, fifth generation.
• 0:52
  Don Armstrong: It was all new in 2021.
• 0:55
  Don Armstrong: So it is five years old as far as the design is concerned, but it is updated this year.
• 1:01
  Don Armstrong: Exterior features, one of the best looking SUVs in the market, in my opinion, with a modern seven-slot grille, typical for Jeep.
• 1:11
  Don Armstrong: Conservative design throughout the body, squared off wheel openings, contributes to its off-road demeanor.
• 1:19
  Don Armstrong: The rear hatch and lighting, very familiar, traditional look.
• 1:24
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, the overall design, very conservative, but it's ready to go.
• 1:29
  Don Armstrong: And I think that if you like conservative designed SUVs, you're going to like this one.
• 1:33
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 1:35
  Don Armstrong: It is ready for a more modern exterior update.
• 1:39
  Don Armstrong: Now, some bits and pieces have been actually redone for this particular year, so it has been updated.
• 1:46
  Don Armstrong: But ready for a little bit more modern design, I think, overall.
• 1:51
  Don Armstrong: Interior highlights, one of the most beautifully designed interiors on the market.
• 1:58
  Don Armstrong: Infotainment screen is not so intuitive as the outgoing model.
• 2:04
  Don Armstrong: Overall, seating is roomy and comfortable on the inside.
• 2:08
  Don Armstrong: Available second row screens will entertain the passengers like your 13-year-olds that you're toting around.
• 2:15
  Don Armstrong: Cargo, well, it's a third row up, still allows for some storage back there.
• 2:21
  Don Armstrong: Not a lot, put the third row down, and you got tons of room.
• 2:25
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, pretty much everything on that interior.
• 2:29
  Don Armstrong: Quality materials, fit and finish, design elements, it's all there.
• 2:34
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 2:36
  Don Armstrong: New operation system for the infotainment is not as intuitive as the old one.
• 2:42
  Don Armstrong: I like the old one a little bit better.
• 2:43
  Don Armstrong: You'll get used to it.
• 2:45
  Don Armstrong: It took me a while, and um, it's just a little bit different and more modernized.
• 2:50
  Don Armstrong: It has a 2.0 liter Turbo 4 with the start-stop feature on it, which they could do away with, but helps the gas mileage.
• 2:58
  Don Armstrong: Horsepower, get this.
• 3:00
  Don Armstrong: 324 horses out of this little two-liter turbo 4.
• 3:05
  Don Armstrong: Torque, 332, 8-speed automatic transmission with a tow rating of 3 tons, 6,200 pounds.
• 3:14
  Don Armstrong: That's significant.
• 3:15
  Don Armstrong: As far as miles per gallon, 20 in the city, 25 on the highway for combined to 22.
• 3:20
  Don Armstrong: I got 21.1 miles per gallon, a lot of highway driving I did, over 413.7 miles.
• 3:27
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, well, on paper, the turbo 4 with 324 horses looks enticing.
• 3:34
  Don Armstrong: However, the turbo lag can be significant in certain scenarios, and it grabbed me for several times while I was driving it the week that I had it.
• 3:44
  Don Armstrong: And um, if you're not an aggressive driver, maybe you're good with it, but I think it's something for Jeep to look into.
• 3:51
  Don Armstrong: Ride and handling.
• 3:52
  Don Armstrong: The air ride suspension is a definite must-have.
• 3:57
  Don Armstrong: Makes it smooth as glass as far as ride and handling is concerned.
• 4:01
  Don Armstrong: It is an option on lower levels on this top-of-the-line model.
• 4:06
  Don Armstrong: It is all there included in the price.
• 4:08
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 4:10
  Don Armstrong: Nothing as far as ride and handling is concerned.
• 4:12
  Don Armstrong: Now I didn't take it off-road.
• 4:14
  Don Armstrong: If that's what you're looking for, uh only the Land Rover can compete, in my opinion, uh, and it's a lot more expensive.
• 4:22
  Don Armstrong: Uh, this is an off-road vehicle.
• 4:24
  Don Armstrong: Jeep knows how to do off-road, and maybe this is right up your alley.
• 4:28
  Don Armstrong: Okay, here comes the pricing.
• 4:30
  Don Armstrong: Base trim price,$62,195.
• 4:34
  Don Armstrong: Now remember, this is top of the line.
• 4:36
  Don Armstrong: Prices tested,$72,770.
• 4:41
  Don Armstrong: That's a lot.
• 4:42
  Don Armstrong: Base model price, however, you can get into one of these for$40,415.
• 4:48
  Don Armstrong: That's more like it.
• 4:49
  Don Armstrong: Now the competitors include the Hyundai Palisade.
• 4:52
  Don Armstrong: It's at$39,435.
• 4:56
  Don Armstrong: That's where it starts.
• 4:57
  Don Armstrong: Also, the Toyota Grand Highlander starts at$41,860.
• 5:01
  Don Armstrong: All very competitive there.
• 5:03
  Don Armstrong: And then the Honda Passport jumps up to$44,950 as the starting price.
• 5:09
  Don Armstrong: So there are three, but there are more, obviously.
• 5:12
  Don Armstrong: But those are the three that I picked for you to give you some comparison.
• 5:15
  Don Armstrong: And that's my review of the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
• 5:20
  Don Armstrong: Next week, I'll review the Land Rover Range Rover Hybrid, and I think that you're going to like that one as well.
• 5:27
  Don Armstrong: And that's this week's car review.
• 5:28
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 5:30
  Don Armstrong: Thanks for joining us.