Jeep Grand Cherokee earns mixed safety rating results

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has earned mixed results after recently undergoing ANCAP testing, with certain variants falling short of a full five-star safety rating.

Both the Grand Cherokee L seven-seat long-wheelbase (LWB) 3.6-litre petrol and short-wheelbase (SWB) five-seat 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid variants were awarded five-star safety ratings after scoring “sound” results.

The SUV was praised for its standard fitment of dual frontal, side chest-protecting, and side head-protecting airbags in the first second, and third rows (first and second for the SWB), as well as driver and passenger knee airbags.

All variants scored “Good” results for their standard fitment of active safety systems including their autonomous emergency braking (AEB) functionality with other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.

“The long-wheelbase Jeep Grand Cherokee L and short-wheelbase PHEV achieved sound results across all areas of testing and assessment, seeing them eligible for the five-star rating,” says ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.

However, the Grand Cherokee SWB five-seat 3.6-litre petrol fell short with a four-star safety rating due to a difference in the performance of the second row’s outer seatbelts. This means a “nil” score was recorded for the protection of the rear passenger’s chest in a collision and is an area that Hoorweg encourages Jeep to address.

“We strongly encourage Jeep to implement a production change to improve the safety performance of the rear outboard seatbelts,” she says.

“Specification differences, including different powertrains, body styles, and driven wheels can all have an effect on safety performance.

“This result highlights the importance and rigor applied through independent vehicle safety testing to ensure Australian and New Zealand consumers are provided with information relevant to the vehicles supplied into these markets.”