2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Volume trim is the Laredo with the standard 3.6L Pentastar V6.

Peak torque of the standard V6 powertrain on the volume Laredo trim.

No manufacturer-published 0-60 figure for the V6; estimate corroborated across enthusiast/performance-estimate sources for the carry-over WK2 3.6L V6 4x4 driveline.

The Pentastar V6 delivers smooth, linear power for daily driving but feels merely adequate rather than strong when hustled, with reviewers noting it lacks the effortless punch of the V8; Engine Stop-Start is standard and resumes cleanly.

The ZF-derived 8-speed automatic (845RE) shifts smoothly and stays well out of the way in everyday driving, with only occasional hesitation hunting for the right gear at low speed.

Manufacturer rates the maximum conventional tow rating across the lineup at 7,400 lbs with the 5.7L V8 Hemi, properly equipped; the 3.0L EcoDiesel (which would have offered similar/higher towing) was not certified for sale in the 2017 model year due to the FCA diesel-emissions compliance issue.

4x4 is available across nearly every trim (Laredo through Summit and SRT) with a three-tier system — Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II with low range, and Quadra-Drive II with electronic limited-slip rear differential and low range on Trailhawk/SRT — plus Selec-Terrain drive-mode selection.

The dedicated Trailhawk trim brings genuine off-road hardware — Quadra-Lift air suspension for up to 10.8 in of ground clearance, a locking rear differential, skid plates, tow hooks, and strong approach/breakover/departure angles — well beyond typical crossover-based SUVs, though short of body-on-frame off-roaders.

For 2017 the lineup covers three gasoline engines — 3.6L V6, 5.7L V8 Hemi, and the 6.4L V8 in the SRT — but no electrified option; the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 that normally broadened the range was pulled from the 2017 model year after FCA's diesel-emissions Clean Air Act violation, narrowing breadth versus a typical year.

EPA combined rating for the volume 3.6L V6 4x4 Laredo, the representative gas configuration for 2017.

EPA city rating for the 3.6L V6 4x4 volume configuration.

EPA highway rating for the 3.6L V6 4x4 volume configuration.

EPA-published total range figure for the 3.6L V6 4x4 with its 24.6-gallon fuel tank.

EPA annual fuel cost estimate for the V6 4x4 at the standard 15,000 mi/yr assumption.

The 3.6L V6 runs on regular unleaded gasoline with no premium recommendation, keeping running costs low; only the SRT's 6.4L V8 calls for premium fuel.

NHTSA gave the MY2017 Grand Cherokee 4x4 a 5-star overall rating with 5 stars in each of frontal barrier, side barrier, and side pole tests — the fourth consecutive year Grand Cherokee earned this.

IIHS rated the 2017 Grand Cherokee Good on moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints, but Marginal on small overlap front (driver) and Poor on small overlap front (passenger) — a key test failure that disqualifies it from any Top Safety Pick award.

On the volume Laredo trim, none of AEB, adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, or rear cross-traffic alert are standard — they were bundled into an optional ~$1,395 technology package, and lane-departure warning plus ACC were standard only on the range-topping Summit trim.

IIHS rated the optional Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning with Active Braking system Superior for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention, but the 2017 model year did not offer pedestrian AEB, and the system was an optional package rather than standard equipment.

Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection used rear-fascia radar and worked well when equipped, but were part of the same optional technology package rather than standard, and offered alerts only with no active steering/braking intervention.

LaneSense Departure Warning-Plus provides warning plus a gentle corrective steering-wheel nudge via electric power steering rather than true lane centering, and was standard only on the Summit trim, optional or unavailable below it.

Adaptive cruise control was capable and generally well-regarded for the era but was standard only on the top Summit trim and optional (bundled in the technology package) elsewhere, with no combined highway-assist feature offered.

No hands-free highway driving system (e.g. Super Cruise, BlueCruise, FSD-supervised) was available on the 2017 Grand Cherokee at any trim; only warning-plus lane assist and standard ACC were offered.

IIHS rated the standard halogen projector headlights Poor; only the HID projector units bundled with Luxury/upper trim packages improved to Acceptable — meaning the volume trim ships with a Poor-rated headlight.

Reviewers found sightlines good on straightaways and most curves, with visibility only rated fair through left-hand curves — a two-row layout with no third-row obstruction helps rear visibility versus 3-row mid-size rivals.

IIHS rated LATCH ease-of-use Marginal for the 2017 Grand Cherokee, and owner/installer commentary flags anchor placement that complicates centering a rear-facing seat, though the two-row cabin at least avoids third-row LATCH compromises.

The 2017 Grand Cherokee (WK2, second facelift) is a two-row, five-passenger SUV across all trims including the new Trailhawk; a three-row Grand Cherokee L did not arrive until the next-generation WL in 2021.

Volume Limited 4x4 trim front headroom figure, without dual-pane sunroof (sunroof reduces headroom); unchanged from the WK2 platform's established cabin dimensions.

Volume Limited 4x4 trim front legroom figure, consistent across Laredo/Limited/Trailhawk/Overland trims for the WK2 generation.

Second-row headroom of the volume configuration, without panoramic sunroof.

Second-row legroom for the volume mid-size SUV configuration; roomy for the segment.

No third row is offered on the WK2-generation Grand Cherokee in any trim for 2017, including the newly added Trailhawk; it is strictly a two-row, five-seat SUV.

Cargo volume behind the second row for the volume configuration, mid-pack for a mid-size two-row SUV.

Maximum cargo volume with rear seats folded flat, on the lower half of the segment band.

Reasonable console bin, door pockets and a flat load floor when seats are folded, but no standout storage innovation versus segment leaders for this model year.

Reviewers repeatedly praise wide, well-padded front seats with good lumbar support and comfortable rear seats for two adults; the refreshed Summit trim adds hand-crafted leather heated seats for 2017.

Composed, comfortable ride overall with some body roll in corners; the optional Quadra-Lift air suspension can transmit small pavement ripples, a minor negative reviewers noted for this generation.

Comfortably hushed for the segment on standard glass, but the dual-pane acoustic front glass and expanded noise-reducing glazing that gave the Grand Cherokee near-zero highway wind noise were added for MODEL YEAR 2018, not 2017 — so this year sits a step below.

Heated front seats and heated steering wheel available from Limited up, ventilated front seats and heated rear seats on Overland/Summit — good availability but gated to mid/upper trims rather than standard fleet-wide.

Entry Laredo trim opens the 2017 lineup at a mainstream mid-size SUV price point, mid-pack for the segment.

Limited 4x4 is the best-selling configuration; pricing sits above segment midpoint once 4x4 and Limited content are added.

RepairPal/CarEdge-class estimates put 5-year maintenance and basic repairs in the $3,200-$4,800 band with ~$666/yr average repair cost, mid-pack for a mid-size SUV.

Reported 5-year depreciation of roughly 50-54% (retention ~46-50%) is slightly worse than the mid-size SUV segment average of 46.3% loss.

Standard FCA/Jeep basic warranty for 2017, at the low end of the 3-5 year segment band.

Standard FCA/Jeep powertrain warranty for 2017, at the low end of the 5-10 year segment band and short of competitors with 10-year coverage.

Jeep included 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance (towing, jump-start, lockout, fuel delivery) on the 2017 Grand Cherokee but no manufacturer-backed multi-year complimentary scheduled maintenance program, unlike some rivals and luxury brands.

$39,995 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (47% retained, or about $18,798) leaves about $21,197 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $25,697 in total.

Both major predictors flag the 2017 Grand Cherokee as below the segment norm rather than merely average, driven mainly by transmission and electrical complaints in the first few years of ownership.

Jeep has been a persistent bottom-third finisher in multi-year dependability studies through the mid-to-late 2010s and beyond, repeatedly cited in Consumer Reports brand rankings and J.D. Power VDS commentary as among the least dependable mainstream brands.

Six NHTSA recalls touch this generation including a cruise-control-won't-disengage safety defect and an engine-stall/intake-manifold issue, and CarComplaints logs a heavy volume of owner-reported transmission and engine failures (broken camshaft, engine failure) for the 2017 model year specifically — more than typical, though not concentrated in one catastrophic system.

The volume-trim 3.6L Pentastar V6 has a strong high-mileage reputation (owners routinely reporting 200k+ miles with proper maintenance), but the accompanying 8-speed automatic in this generation draws a real volume of shifting-quality complaints, keeping the pairing from a top-tier score.

Reviewers consistently singled out the WK2's cabin as class-leading for the price, with soft-touch surfaces, real wood trim, and leather-wrapped touch points well above segment norms.

No widespread panel-gap or squeak/rattle complaints specific to this model year, but Jeep/FCA initial-quality scores in this era ran below industry average, consistent with 'generally solid with scattered complaints' rather than top-tier assembly.

Jeep sits within the large Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealer network, giving it dense nationwide coverage, but J.D. Power Customer Service Index results for FCA/Stellantis brands have run mid-pack to below-average rather than top-tier.

As one of the best-selling mid-size SUVs with a decade-plus production run on this platform, parts (including a large used and salvage-yard supply) and aftermarket support are abundant and reasonably priced, though air-suspension and 8-speed transmission repairs on upper trims can be costly.

Volume Limited trim carries the 8.4-inch Uconnect 4 (RA3/RA4) touchscreen; the base Laredo uses a smaller 5.0-inch RA2 unit.

Uconnect was widely regarded as one of the more intuitive, responsive infotainment systems of its era, with logical menus and physical volume/tune knobs retained alongside the touchscreen.

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support arrived on the Grand Cherokee only gradually through the Uconnect 4/4C NAV head units and was not broadly available across the 2017 lineup — most sources indicate it only became a consistent factory feature starting with the 2018 model year, with 2017 units more commonly needing an aftermarket retrofit. Wireless projection was not offered in either year.

Uconnect's voice command and optional embedded GPS navigation (Uconnect 4C NAV/RA4) were functional and well-regarded for the period but not a natural-language assistant, and nav-equipped head units were limited to upper trims; most owners still preferred phone projection for mapping where available.

Base audio (9-speaker Alpine on trims like Trailhawk) is adequate; the optional 19-speaker, 825-watt Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround system on Overland/Summit was well-reviewed for sound quality.

A configurable 7-inch color driver information display sits between analog gauges across the lineup — a partial digital cluster rather than a full reconfigurable display; a true full-digital cluster was not offered.

2017-era Uconnect systems relied on dealer or USB-based software updates rather than broad over-the-air update infrastructure; no meaningful whole-vehicle OTA capability existed on FCA vehicles of this period.

The Uconnect Access app (with required subscription after an initial trial) supports remote start, lock/unlock, vehicle locate and remote climate on equipped trims — solid core functionality but subscription-gated after trial.

Standard USB-A ports front and rear plus a household-style outlet on some trims, but no USB-C and wireless charging was not yet broadly available on the 2017 lineup — dated by later standards, typical for its era.

Keyless entry and push-button start are standard from Limited up (optional on Laredo), with remote start available; no phone-as-key capability existed in this era.

A rearview camera is now standard even on the base Laredo for 2017, with ParkSense front/rear ultrasonic sensors and an optional 360-degree surround-view camera on Limited/Trailhawk/Overland/Summit — good coverage but surround view still gated to upper trims.

No head-up display was offered on the 2017 Grand Cherokee on any trim; it was not introduced to the Grand Cherokee lineup until later generations.

Wide door openings and a reasonably tall ride height ease car-seat installs and kid loading; LATCH anchors are accessible though not as clearly marked as segment leaders, and there is no stroller-swallowing third-row cargo well since this is strictly a two-row SUV.

IIHS ratings for the post-January-2013-built WK2 (including 2017) are solid, but forward collision warning with active braking, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise are optional on Limited-and-up (bundled in a Technology Group) and only standard on the range-topping Summit — a family buying the volume Limited trim pays extra for them.

Comfortable, well-cushioned rear seats and a composed highway ride support multi-hour family trips, though rear-seat entertainment and USB provisioning are modest by segment standards and cargo space with all seats occupied is mid-pack (36.3 cu ft).

The new-for-2017 refinement pass to the 8-speed automatic delivers smoother shifts around town, and the V6 Pentastar (now 295 hp) is relaxed in traffic; unibody WK2 chassis rides comfortably at low speeds despite full-size-SUV-like footprint.

EPA-rated roughly 18-19 city / 25-26 highway mpg for the volume 3.6L V6 4x4, average-to-below-average for the mid-size SUV class; owner-reported real-world combined economy runs lower still, and regular fuel keeps per-mile cost from being expensive but not cheap either.

A roughly 37-foot turning circle and mid-size SUV footprint are manageable but not tight; the now-standard-on-Laredo backup camera and optional ParkSense/360-degree camera on higher trims help offset the size in tight urban parking.

Up to 6,200 lbs towing with the V6 and higher with the optional 5.7L Hemi V8, respectable for a unibody mid-size SUV, but there is no bed and payload is modest — genuinely useful for light-to-moderate towing duty, not a dedicated work vehicle.

The WK2 Grand Cherokee carries below-average reliability for this era, with J.D. Power scores around 75/100 and well-documented Quadra-Lift air suspension failures (compressor burnout, leaking air springs) that escalate after ~60,000 miles plus Uconnect freezing complaints — not a vehicle with a fleet-proven, abuse-tolerant reputation.

No bed, no household power outlet as standard, and only basic cargo tie-downs behind the second row; roof rails support light racks but there is little dedicated upfit ecosystem for work use, typical of a passenger-oriented unibody SUV rather than a work-focused vehicle.

Quiet-enough highway cruiser with comfortable seats and a roughly 400+ mile highway range on the 24.6-gallon tank with the V6, but lacks the dual-pane acoustic glass added the following model year and ADAS driver-assist aids remain optional rather than standard on the volume trim.

The newly introduced 2017 Trailhawk trim adds Jeep Active Drive Lock, Selec-Terrain traction modes, skid plates and off-road-tuned Quadra-Lift air suspension with raised ride height, while Quadra-Trac II/Quadra-Drive II 4WD remains available across the range — genuine light-to-moderate off-road capability well beyond most mid-size SUV rivals.

60/40 split-folding rear seats and a flat load floor with seats down (68.3 cu ft max) handle typical road-trip and outdoor gear well, and roof rails support cross bars, but the two-row-only layout and mid-pack cargo volume cap flexibility for bulkier loads versus segment leaders.

Secure, planted on-road handling for a unibody mid-size SUV with well-controlled body motions, but reviewers describe on-road cornering as mediocre relative to sportier crossovers — competent rather than engaging, with the separate SRT model reserved for genuine performance handling.

Electric power steering is accurate enough for confident lane placement but numb on-center, typical of the class and unchanged from prior WK2 model years.

Adequate, confidence-inspiring stopping power for daily and highway driving with a firm pedal on standard trims; not a segment-leading stopping distance but no notable fade complaints for the volume V6 configuration.

The 8-speed automatic was specifically refined for smoother shifts as a 2017 model-year update, and the uprated 295-hp 3.6L Pentastar V6 pairs with it cleanly with minimal hunting or harsh downshifts — a genuine improvement over earlier WK2 model years.

The Pentastar V6 is generally smooth and inoffensive under load with typical V6 thrum at higher revs; cabin isolation from powertrain noise is competent but, without the 2018 model year's added acoustic glass, slightly behind the following year's refinement.

Curb-to-curb turning diameter derived from the commonly cited 18.6-ft turning radius for the WK2-generation Grand Cherokee.

Commanding, SUV-typical seating position with good sightlines, a well-laid-out dashboard retaining physical climate and volume controls alongside the touchscreen, and wide adjustability on power-seat-equipped trims.

Pleasant, capable, and confidence-inspiring off-road and on-highway, but the volume V6 trims are not tuned for driver engagement — enthusiast appeal in the lineup is concentrated in the separate high-performance SRT model rather than the mainstream trims.

Base Laredo added a standard rearview camera and rear park sensors for 2017 plus dual-zone climate control and an 8-way power driver seat, competitive but not class-leading for the price versus Ford Edge/Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.

Fair value across the range: reviewers noted the Grand Cherokee held its own against Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe Sport on content, with the Summit trim offering near-luxury capability, but consumer feedback specifically flagged value as a weaker point.

Seven trims spanning $30,395-$66,895 (Laredo, Altitude, Limited, Trailhawk, Overland, Summit, SRT), with two new trims (Trailhawk, Summit) added for 2017, giving a wide, well-spaced range from value-oriented to off-road to near-luxury to performance.

Best-selling mid-size crossover/SUV in the US for 2017 with 240,696 units, the clear segment sales leader.

Jeep carried strong brand equity in 2017 on off-road heritage and capability, with a loyal following, though not an aspirational luxury-tier brand image.

Buyers commonly negotiated 5-12% off MSRP in 2017, with additional bonus cash (e.g. $500 military, $500 customer bonus) layered on top — meaningful, not desperation-level, incentives.

The WK2 generation (started MY2011, facelifted MY2014) was six model years old for 2017; still current with meaningful annual investment (two new trims, standard rearview camera, updated Uconnect) but not on the newest platform, with no redesign until the WL generation for MY2022.

Well-reviewed for on-road refinement and off-road capability (ranked #8 Best 2-Row SUVs of 2017 by KBB) with 77% owner recommendation rate, but not a consistent outright comparison-test or major industry-award winner for the 2017 model year specifically.