The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve was the SUV I was couldn’t wait to review. On paper, it checks off a lot of boxes. We are looking for a larger SUV to seat three and a pet comfortably, off-road capable for adventures, as well as a smooth ride. Now even though our ideal configuration would be the Grand Cherokee 4Xe in a Trailhawk trim, we need to wait till those are put in production.

The Grand Cherokee’s Baltic Gray color was a nice and subtle color. The black and chrome accents added to a luxury touch to the Summit Reserve trim. The larger 21” wheels had a great design and still had enough tire sidewall to absorb any bumps you may encounter.

Hoping into the Grand Cherokee, you can immediately tell that you paid extra for the Summit Reserve option. The Tupelo colored seats had quilted leather along with the word Summit stitched on them. Now I do have a love/hate relationship with this leather color and it was apparent in this loaner. I love the color and believe it is the better color, but I could already see it being stained by previous drivers. It looked as if denim dye rubbed of on them so be sure to invest in a leather cleaner and conditioner.

Under the hood, the 3.6L V6 was what I disliked the most. I was extremely confused by it’s throttle behavior. I would accelerate and I’d have a 1 to 1.5 second delay to my input. I would then let off the gas and I’d also have the same delay where the Grand Cherokee would still be accelerating and not go into a coasting feeling. I was confused since I had recently driven the Gladiator with the V6 and it didn’t encounter this feeling. Like I mentioned earlier, my ideal drivetrain option would be the 2.0L hybrid option and I’m hoping that it doesn’t behave the same as the V6.

In the end, I was a little disappointed in the V6 engine of the Grand Cherokee. It wasn’t something I could overlook as it didn’t feel predictable specially during stop and go traffic.