Driving the plug-in hybrid Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4Xe – a luxury five-seat SUV priced at $129,950. As distinct to the three pure petrol V6 Grand Cherokee grades the Summit Reserve utilises a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine driving through an 8-speed automatic mated to a plug-in hybrid system featuring a 17.3kWhour battery and dual electric motors providing 52km of electric only driving. The petrol/hybrid system provides 70kW more power and around double the torque to the other pure petrol Grand Cherokee lower grades. This is one very good-looking luxury SUV with great presence, step in and your met with an equally impressive five-seat interior with a nice blending of leather and fake wood finishes. For the money you get an adaptive air suspension, Jeep’s proven Quadra-Trac 11 four-wheel drive system, four-zone climate control, 12-way heated and ventilated power seats, a 19-speaker premium sound system, a dual pane panoramic sunroof plus 360-degree cameras. The interior sumptuous and impressive lives up to the luxury tag, perhaps the nicest Jeep I’ve driven – as for the claimed 52 km range of pure electric driving, not quite enough for most daily commutes but it did take just two hours to completely charge on my home box charger.

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