2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo Review: Ace of Base

If you drew a family tree for the modern crossover field, you’d find the original 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the top of it all.

Jeep laid the groundwork for today’s crossovers with that model. Built on a unibody platform, with a dash of luxury on top of the rugged off-road ability for which the brand was famous for, the Grand Cherokee carved out a niche and paved the way for countless competitors. For the last 27 years, it’s had a Beautiful Life.

Even now, good ol’ GC retains the sales crown at Jeep, and amongst mid-size SUVs. The current fourth-generation model debuted nearly a decade ago, so what’s the secret to its success? Forget the niche Trackhawk or even the lux Summit trim: to really answer the question, we spent a week with an optioned-up base model Laredo. As it turns out, the Grand Cherokee brings a bunch of baked-in goodness to the table, providing a rare all-American mix of space, utility, style and attitude.

There’s no Hemi under the hood here: instead, the Laredo sticks to the tried-and-true Pentastar 3.6-liter V6. It’s a good match for the mid-size model: with 295 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, it can handle any passing needs and responds with reasonable fuel economy. The EPA quotes a 21 mpg average, split between 18 city and 25 highway for the four-wheel drive model. Canadian figures are 12.7 and 9.6 L/100 km, respectively, for a 11.3 average. During our week together, the Laredo managed a little over 22 mpg (10.6 L/100 km).

The usual eight-speed auto found elsewhere in the FCA empire handles shifting duties without issue. It’s smooth, shuffling through gears quickly to keep the revs low on the highway. Drop your right foot and it responds quickly, and the Pentastar lets out just a hint of growl. The standard stop-start system is also much smoother than the last Jeep model I drove.

Those all-terrain tires might hum a bunch on the road, but the trade-off is a comfortable cruising ride. The steering is of course on the lighter end of the scale, but remains consistent at all speeds.

Bet you didn’t expect leather and suede seats, did you? That’s another upgrade on the Laredo, but on chilly autumn nights, their heating abilities are very appreciated. The seats themselves are broad, and while the bases looks a little flat, they prove comfy on long hauls. I drove to two press events with the SUV, clocking a little over 550 miles (900 km), with zero aches or sleepy limbs.

A large powered sunroof sits above the front row; there’s no option for one stretching to the back seats here. It helps brighten up a fairly monotonous cabin. Materials are fine, and same with fit and finish, though the panel gaps are pretty noticeable. I do appreciate the physical buttons and dials for climate and audio below the touchscreen though. It makes it easy for my better half to set her side a few degrees warmer than mine. That’s All That She Wants, after all.

With the GC’s replacement expected at some point in the next 12 months, it’s the interior that I’m hoping gets the biggest rethink. If it borrows design cues from the Grand Wagoneer concept, that’d be fantastic. As is, it has ease-of-use going for it—which shouldn’t be overlooked—but lacks a distinctive character. At least it’s spacious: there’s plenty of room for two adults in the back, and the trunk will hold 36.3 cubic feet (1,028 liters). Drop the 60/40 folding seat and storage space nearly doubles, to 68.3 (1,934).

Standard equipment is reasonable, if not generous. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are standard, which I’m sure folks moving up from a smaller car will appreciate. Keyless entry, rear parking assist, hill start assist, and trailer sway control are all included as well. The one area the Grand Cherokee begins to lag behind the competition is in charging for other modern driver assistance systems, like lane departure, lane keep, and automated emergency braking. They’re newly available for the Laredo this year, but add $875 ($995 CAD) to the bottom line. The same goes for the Premium Lighting Group ($795 / $995 CAD), upgrading the headlights and including auto functionality.

I’m going to level with you: while this tester was technically the base model, it left more boxes ticked than not on the options list. It’s a loaded base model, then. But I had already committed to the title and spent entirely too long listening to a Swedish band popular in the ’90s to turn back, so you’re along for the ride. I promise, it’s a smooth one.

The upsized rolling stock is part of a $1,895 option package, which also includes a larger 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment screen and auto-dimming rearview mirror. Another add-on is the All-Weather Trail Rated Package ($1,695). It bolts on underbody skid plates, a full-size spare, heated seats and steering wheel, tow hooks, remote start, and the “Trail Rated” badge. More important than all of that is the Quadra-Trac II 4WD system. The system can send a full 100-percent of the power to either axle, and a terrain management system shows up on the center console. This lets the driver select five different modes (auto, snow, sand, mud, and rock), as well as engage 4WD low.

Canadians have a simpler option, however. When speccing a Laredo, there’s a $3,495 Customer Preferred Package, which transforms the Laredo into the North Edition you see here. It bundles practically all of the afore-mentioned two packages’ features together, plus the Security and Convenience Group. You’ll also find a nine-speaker Alpine sound system, 4G LTE wi-fi hot spot, power liftgate, and the usual mobile phone mirroring.

At $46,390 all-in ($56,845 CAD), this Grand Cherokee isn’t exactly cheap. Then you remember there are Nissan Muranos and Ford Edges going for that, and it looks better value. The Jeep feels more substantial than either, and certainly more capable at actual SUV things. Did I mention it will even tow 6,200 lb (2,812 kg)? As it nears the end of its life, there are pretty substantial discounts showing up on the windshield, too.

It’d be easy to become blasé about the Grand Cherokee after spending a day launching the Ram TRX off jumps. A few days earlier, I had driven the Genesis GV80, a high-end SUV disruptor with an interior fit for six figures. But on both occasions, I was happy to get back into Jeep’s de facto flagship. It has its issues, chiefly gouging folks for driver assists that are standard on the competition, and a dated interior.

That said, its blend of earnest, hard-working underpinnings and low-key luxury still isn’t quite matched in the segment. Like that other icon of the brand, the Wrangler, the Grand Cherokee exists beyond classes, fit for pretty much anybody. The Laredo opened up my eyes.

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