It’s been four years since the Grand Cherokee WL launched, and Jeep is ready to give it a mid-cycle update.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been a smash hit throughout most of its 33-year run, and the brand is keen to keep that momentum going with an updated 2026 model. Now, since this current generation launched in 2021 with the three-row ‘L’ model (and the two-row followed in 2022), we’re not expecting dramatic changes this time around. And indeed, the refreshed SUV is broadly similar to the one we’ve been able to buy these past few years. That said, even subtle changes gain some prominence when you’re talking about a model that sells in excess of 200,000 units every year, and has for the past decade.
Jeep released a statement teasing the 2026 Grand Cherokee Thursday, and offered up a couple teaser images giving us at least a small idea what to expect. As is typical with any mid-cycle revamp, this model appears to get a new front bumper design, tweaked grille and new wheels to keep it fresh against its midsize SUV competition. The LED daytime running lights now widen out as your eye moves in toward the grille, while there seems to be more detail work going on within the seven slots of the grille itself. The bottom portion also picks up some silver brightwork that integrates into the headlights.
The updated GC’s lower fascia looks like it’ll get a body-colored piece splitting the lower grille in two, with everything looking a bit more squared off than the pre-facelift WL models. Overall, the update seems to focus not so much on changing up the formula, but making elements of the front end more distinctive (if also busier) to the eye.
There are some changes afoot inside the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee, too.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee WL is one of the brand’s models that leans heavily on screens, screens and more screens. That’s not changing here, and again it doesn’t look like the 2026 model is dramatically changing the game. There are key differences though, namely in that the volume and tuning knobs have gotten smaller and moved up beside the infotainment screen, as have the controls for the heated and ventilated seats. I say “controls” because it looks like Jeep is ditching pretty much all of the physical buttons here for seamless touch-sensitive switches.
The infotainment screen appears to have grown slightly, but Jeep did not share any technical details on what’s to come just yet. All the automaker shared with today’s announcement is that engineers are working on “perfecting” the powertrain details as well as the tech and advanced safety features.
One of my biggest pet peeves with the latest Grand Cherokee and its L variant is the veritable sea of lacquer-like trim pieces — and it doesn’t look like the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee is going to be much better on that front. That said, aesthetically, this model is just as upscale as its predecessor, right down to the wood finish on the steering wheel and the dashboard. From the small bit we can see, it appears the rest of the center console from the infotainment system rearward is broadly the same as before.
What’s going on with powertrains?
The 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee will still be available in two- and three-row configurations, with both still coming out of the automaker’s Jefferson North and Mack Avenue Assembly plants. The plug-in hybrid Grand Cherokee 4xe is also front and center in Jeep’s statement, but the company made no mention of other options.
It’s likely the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that’s been the backbone of Grand Cherokee sales for more than a decade will stick around with the refresh. The real question, though, is whether Jeep is planning to revive a V8 option in the updated WL, be it the 5.7-liter Hemi that disappeared in 2023, the 6.4-liter/392 “Big Hemi” that was in the former Grand Cherokee SRT or even the 6.2-liter supercharged Trackhawk. There’s been absolutely no confirmation that an eight-cylinder of any sort is making its way back into the lineup, but some peculiar mules have been lurking the streets lately…and other Stellantis brands (including Dodge and Ram) seem to be eyeing a Hemi resurgence in the coming months and years.
