This is the ’21 Jeep Grand Cherokee, caught testing in Southern California.
The Grand Cherokee will get a complete redesign, inheriting a new platform derived from Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio underpinnings. Naturally, it will be significantly beefed up for a Jeep, but it allows for more technological advancements than the current WK2 Grand Cherokee that was designed in the DaimlerChrysler days. Included in the upgrades will be a 48-volt electrical system to power a new inline six-cylinder engine with mild hybrid assist that’s part of a new engine family from FCA. It’s expected this engine might supplant the 5.7L HEMI V-8, although a V-8 is all but certain to continue to power high-performance versions of the Grand Cherokee. The 3.6L Pentastar V-6 will continue, although benefit from direct injection. A plug-in hybrid variant is expected sometime after 2021.
While the Grand Cherokee will grow slightly, it will remain a strict two-row SUV with shorter overhangs and a more angled rear window. A three-row Jeep will be served by two upcoming seven-seat models, including the Grand Wagoneer. In keeping with Jeep tradition, a full-fledged Trailhawk model is also poised to return.
The Grand Cherokee is expected to be shown either late this year in Los Angeles or next year in New York before a mid-to-late 2020 on-sale date.
Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde