Jeep Grand Cherokee PHEV priced from £69,915 in the UK
The Grand Cherokee is available in Limited, Trailhawk, Overland and Summit Reserve specs
Plug-in hybrid SUV arrives in four specifications; firm set to ditch pure-combustion in 2022
The Jeep Grand Cherokee has arrived in the UK priced from £69,915 exclusively as a 375bhp plug-in hybrid playing a core role in the Jeep's pledge to go all-electrified in Europe.
It is the 4x4 brand's third PHEV model to launch in Europe and crowns the firm's range. It follows 4xe versions of the smaller Jeep Renegade and Jeep Compass crossovers, and arrives as the company embarks on an ambitious strategy to bolster its presence in Europe and electrify its line-up.
It comes in four specifications: Limited, Trailhawk, Overland and Summit Reserve. Limited is the base trim, starting at £69,915 and targeted at business customers, while off-road-ready Trailhawk commands a price of £73,915 and gets 18in wheels, off-road tyres, and front skid plates.
Overland is designed to combine Limited and Trailhawk with a range of options from both models. It is priced from £75,915, making it £9,700 less expensive than the next level up - £85,615 Summit Reserve - which gets level two autonomous driving functionality, 19-speaker sound system, a 10in central display and a separate infotainment screen for the front passenger.
Jeep will stop selling pure-combustion models in Europe [with the exception of Italy where it is the best-selling low-emissions brand] this year, and instead offer only 4xe-badged plug-in hybrids and mild hybrids. The brand's CEO, Christian Meunier, confirmed it will add a pure-electric model in "every major SUV segment" by 2025, by which point 70% of its global sales will be electrified.
This phase-out of ICE models in Europe could mean the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, which is claimed to be the best-selling PHEV in Jeep's US home market, accounting for 25% of the company's volume in the region, will arrive in the UK later this year.
Meunier told reporters: "We are accelerating electrification, amplifying 4x4 capability and the spirit of freedom with electrification.
"It's not only about being more green. It's about emphasising and improving the capabilities of our Jeeps – making them more fun, exciting, sustainable and being able to drive off road quietly."
Details of Jeep's first pure-EV remain thin on the ground, but Meunier pointed to the Jeep Wrangler-based Magneto EV concept – "more Jeep than Jeep" – as a sign of its priorities during the shift to electrification.
Meunier said "the order doesn't matter" when it comes to electrifying the Jeep portfolio, but there will be "a few BEVs before the Wrangler".
Asked if the brand's electrification push will take it into new segments, Meunier told Autocar: "Stay tuned. You'll get some news in the next few months. Jeep is a global brand and we're meant to cover the entire range of SUVs - true SUVs, not raised hatchbacks.
"We're not completely expanded to 100% and we still have a few bullets in our pocket."
The Grand Cherokee is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with two electric motors. This makes for combined outputs of 375bhp and 470lb ft and, with a 17kWh battery, has a claimed 32 miles of EV range in urban areas.
Jeep has not ruled out importing the three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee L to Europe, following a strong start for the seven-seater in the US, where it now holds a 20% market share in its segment.