Jeep Grand Cherokee 2019 review: Limited

If the Wrangler is the most iconic-looking member of the Jeep family then the Grand Cherokee would have to be the next most recognisable with its toothy seven-bar grille and bulky profile. It’s a tough-looking rig in a world of SUVs with softer lines and more elegant styling.

The Grand Cherokee is tough-looking rig.

The interior also has a macho feel to it with chunky dials and big buttons for climate control and drive modes. That said, it’s a premium and modern-feeling cabin that borders (almost) on a prestige look and feel.

You can tell a Limited from the Laredo below it the line-up by its bigger wheels and its chrome trim elements such as around the lower grille, while the interior is slightly different, with a larger display screen.

The tale of the tape shows the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited to be 4828mm long, 1943mm wide, and 1802mm tall.

Our test car wore a Thule Pulse roof box when we picked it up but it raised the total height above the 2.0m clearance of our underground car park. We ended up removing the box for fear of forgetting about it and then later removing it along with the fire sprinkler system in the supermarket car park.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited has five seats which may be a deal breaker for families hunting for an SUV with three rows, even if it’s just for the odd occasion when seven seats are needed.

The Grand Cherokee was spacious up front with plenty of head- and elbow room.

The Grand Cherokee was spacious up front with plenty of head- and elbow room for me at 191cm tall and I liked those big, wide seats, too.

Seating in the second row was tighter but I could just sit behind my diving position and headroom back there was good.

Seating in the second row can be a bit tight for taller adults.

Cabin storage was great with a large centre console bin, big door pockets and four cupholders (two up front and two in the second row). For charging you’ll find four USB ports (two in the front and two in the second row) and three 12-volt outlets (two up front and one in the boot).

There are four cupholders in total, two up front and two in the second row.

That boot is big at 782 litres and as you can see our test car came with a tough rubber mat which stopped gear from sliding about and made me stress less about putting wet and muddy shoes in the cargo area.

The boot is big at 782 litres.

Under the boot floor is a space saver spare wheel.

We tested the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 with the V6 diesel which lists for $67,500, before on-road costs. That’s $10K more than the entry grade Laredo with the same engine.

The Grand Cherokee Limited comes standard with 20-inch alloy wheels.

Coming standard are 20-inch alloy wheels, an 8.4-inch touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, proximity unlocking, leather seats, a nine-speaker Alpine stereo, adaptive cruise control, privacy rear glass, active noise cancelling, auto tailgate, dual-zone climate control and push-button start.

Is it good value? Yes, but I think the V6 petrol version is better value – it’s $62,500 for the Limited 4x4. The catch is the diesel has a better braked towing capacity. How much better? Skip to the engine section to find out.

Our test car was fitted with a few options. These included: tow bar ($1440), side steps ($1696), roof rack ($847) and a Thule Pulse 614 roof box ($743)

Diesel does it here with a turbo-diesel V6 unit making 184kW/570Nm, while an eight-speed automatic does the shifting. I’m a fan of the pairing because of the walloping torque which comes in from 2000rpm and the smooth transmission.

Diesel does it here with a turbo-diesel V6 unit making 184kW/570Nm.

I’d just stepped out of another turbo-diesel SUV, something a lot posher with even more torque, but the Jeep didn’t seem to experience the same lag which that unnamed luxo SUV did every time it shifted to a high gear and sent the revs plummeting.

Nope, the turbo-diesel and auto in the Jeep impressed me with it’s satisfyingly decisive shifts and strong engine response.

The turbo-diesel and auto in the Jeep is impressive with it’s satisfyingly decisive shifts and strong engine response.

All Limiteds are four-wheel drive and come with a low-range setting, plus drive modes for mud, snow, sand and rock.

Braked towing capacity for the turbo-diesel is 3500kg, while the petrol V6’s is 2812kg. So yep, the diesel is king when it comes to towing here.

Jeep says that over a combination of open and urban roads the V6 turbo-diesel Grand Cherokee Limited should use 7.5L/100km.

After 239.8km of motorways and daily city commutes I filled the Grand Cherokee up with 16.07 litres of diesel, which comes to a mileage of 10.9L/100km.

That’s not anywhere near the serving suggestion, but still not terrible for a 2.3 tonne, all-wheel drive SUV.

The 4x4 system in the Limited (and also the Laredo below it in the range) is more competent than most ‘soft roader’ set-ups with its two-speed transfer case and low-range gearing.

Terrain control with drive modes also makes the Limited a competent off-roader as long as the going doesn’t get too rough. The ground clearance is 218mm and wading depth is 508mm.

My family has owned a Grand Cherokees from each of the past two generations of the SUV which we used on our bush property and I can testify to their competence on sand and dirt but this test car was kept entirely on the road for its week’s stay with us.

The 4x4 system in the Limited ( is more competent than most ‘soft roader’ set-ups.

If sealed roads are going to be the extent of your use with the Limited that’s absolutely fine – it’s a comfortable, easy SUV to drive with plenty of oomph for overtaking on motorways or just moving quickly and effortless in traffic when needed.

The large 12.2m turning circle can be frustrating, but steering is light, if not a bit numb in the feedback.

The V6 diesel Limited isn’t the most dynamic in the Grand Cherokee range – that’s the job of the SRT and Trackhawk. Nope, the Limited is more a comfortable cruiser that will eat up motorway kays with ease and head off road for a little bit of (tame) adventure time.  

The Limited comes standard with an impressive amount of advanced safety equipment including AEB, lane departure and blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, and auto parking (parallel and perpendicular).

The Jeep Grand Cherokee scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2014.

For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts across the second row.

My child’s seat is a top tether kind and installing and removing it was darned easy.

The Grand Cherokee Limited is covered by Jeep’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months/20,000km and is capped at $665 for the first visit, $1095 for the second, $665 for the third, $1195 for the next and $665 for the fifth.