Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Vs. Summit Reserve: What's The Difference?

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a midsize two-row SUV with more off-road capability than its average rival — and you'd probably expect that from something with a Jeep badge on the nose. What you might not expect is the long list of standard and optional features that the Grand Cherokee offers, including an upscale interior with several luxurious options. Sure, you can still get the Grand Cherokee with skid plates, all-terrain tires, and four-wheel drive, but there's a lot more to discover if you go a bit deeper down the rabbit hole.

There 2024 Grand Cherokee is available in three different configurations. There's the standard Grand Cherokee, then the Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid, and finally, the extended three-row Grand Cherokee L. The 4xe and the L are impressive in their own ways, but for the purposes of this breakdown, we're focusing on the standard Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee is available in a number of different trim levels and packages including Laredo, Laredo X, Altitude, Altitude X, Limited, Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve. Each of those trim levels is available with all sorts of individual options or packaged features, so it's important to cover the basics first. Once that's out of the way, we'll break down the differences between the Summit and the Summit Reserve.

The Grand Cherokee is powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 (an engine that's ubiquitous in the Stellantis family) paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It produces 293 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Standard on the base Laredo trim are features like dual-zone automatic climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, an 8.4-inch touchscreen, and a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster. Standard driver aids include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic alert.

With all those driver aids and standard tech features, the Laredo feels relatively well equipped but it's missing some basic creature comforts like heated seats and a power liftgate. Thankfully, those features are available a bit further up the line on trims like the Limited and Overland. Limited and Overland trims build on the standard Laredo by offering equipment like a 10.1-inch touchscreen, a heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, and leather upholstery. The Overland trim adds a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, and (with four-wheel drive) it also gets Jeep's Quadra-Lift air suspension, which uses air springs instead of conventional coils and allows for adjustments in ride height.

The Summit sits right near the top of the Grand Cherokee range. It includes nearly all the standard equipment from the Overland trim, including four-wheel drive the air suspension, plus some plush additions. Massaging front seats come standard, with different customizable profiles and three different levels of pressure intensity. On top of the Overland's perforated leather upholstery, the Summit adds a quilted patterned leather for an extra bit of flare. Four-zone automatic climate control is also included, which means both the first and the second row have their own climate control settings for the left and ride sides of the cabin.

Available on the Limited and Overland trims as an optional extra, the Summit gets a nine-speaker Alpine stereo and a 360-degree camera with built-in lens washers for the front and rear cameras. Driver aids are upgraded too, with Jeep's Active Driving Assist system, which allows for hands-free driving on over 125,000 miles of compatible roads within the United States. Jeep's ParkSense system, with parallel and perpendicular parking assist, is also included on the Summit, along with a traffic-sign recognition system.

The Summit Reserve is essentially a package that's added to the already-plush Summit trim. There are lots of improvements to interior materials, as well as some tech upgrades worth mentioning. For starters, the Summit Reserve gets unique 21-inch alloy wheels and quilted Palermo leather seats, along with leather-wrapped armrests and door trim. There's also some open-pore walnut wood trim on the interior, along with suede door pillars and a suede headliner. Along with the heated and ventilated front seats, the Summit Reserve also gets heated and ventilated second row seats.

One big change to the Summit Reserve's interior is the addition of a 10.25-inch front passenger screen. The screen allows passengers to send directions to the driver's screen and if the optional rear entertainment system has been added, movies and other online content can be streamed directly to the passenger. Seems like the makings of some very pacified passengers on a long family road trip. Finally, the Summit Reserve adds an impressive 19-speaker McIntosh audio system, with a unique audio display on the center touchscreen — for audiophiles, it's a nice treat.