The Jeep Grand Cherokee is known for having a great suspension system. This SUV is notorious for having an incredibly smooth ride. But, what kind of suspension does a Jeep Grand Cherokee have?
It will be dependent on the model that you own. Many models will make use of the Quadra-Lift air suspension system, which is standard with many trims. Although, there is an indication that Jeep may temporarily discontinue this suspension system due to a lack of chips required to make it run.
Let’s go into a bit more depth on this, shall we?
Types of Suspension Used on a Jeep Grand Cherokee
As we said, the vast majority of Jeep Grand Cherokee models will have the Quadra-Lift air suspension system. This is a system that has been specially designed for use in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is standard for most trims of the vehicle.
Those vehicles that do not have the Quadra-Lift air suspension system make use of the traditional suspension system available in Jeep SUVs. There is an independent suspension system for both the front and the rear of the vehicle. It is good, but nothing mind-blowing. This is because the main focus of the Jeep Grand Cherokee is the Quadra-Lift system.
That being said, at the time of writing, Jeep has temporarily discontinued the use of the Quadra-Lift air suspension system on their vehicles. This isn’t because it isn’t a good system. It is. It is just that there is a global shortage of semiconductors (essentially the chips that power the system) and until the supply chain can be fixed, these chips are not being used.
There is every indication that Jeep will eventually bring back the Quadra-Lift system. Although, when that is we couldn’t possibly tell you. It is likely that any of the models produced in 2023 should be fine. It seems to only be the models produced in 2021 which lacked the system and, even then, it would only have been for a few of the vehicles that have been produced.
How Does The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Quadra-Lift System Work?
We are sure that you all know how the traditional coil spring suspension systems work or at least have a rough idea. The springs absorb the shocks that the vehicle is going through. Pretty simple stuff. So, we figured that we would take the time to explain how the Jeep Cherokee’s Quadra-Lift system works. However, truth be told, it isn’t wildly different from the typical suspension systems.
The Basics
Rather than having a standard coil system in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, there are four air springs in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. There is one located on each wheel.
Now, for the most part, these air springs can absorb shocks in exactly the same way that any other suspension system can. However, there is a massive difference. These air springs can be lengthened or shortened by the driver. This means that the vehicle can have less ground clearance or more ground clearance. It depends on how the driver is using the vehicle, which leads us neatly to the next section.
How The Quadra-Lift Suspension System Differs From Other Suspension Systems
As many drivers may know, there are a couple of benefits to being able to raise and lower the vehicle.
One of the main perks of the Quadra-Lift system is being able to raise the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Sure, there aren’t that many people taking their SUVs off-road nowadays (although, they are more than capable of it). By raising the ground clearance of the vehicle (you can raise it by up to 4 inches), it provides the vehicle with a bit more clearance over objects, which can make off-road driving a little bit easier.
By lowering the profile of the vehicle (i.e. completely shortening the Quadra-lift air springs), the vehicle consumes less gas. This is because the profile of the vehicle is lower, which generates much less drag. The difference in fuel costs can really add up on some of those lengthier drives.
As we said, all of this can be controlled from inside the vehicle. It is just a button press or two. The driver won’t really notice that the suspension is moving up and down too. This makes for an even more comfortable ride.
It is worth noting that the ride on the Jeep Grand Cherokee is going to be rougher as the spring expands (i.e. as the vehicle it raised). Although, this is something that we imagine most people expected. Longer systems have less of an ability to absorb the shakes of a vehicle. This is why it is suggested that you only fully extend the system when required. This leads us neatly onto the final thing that we want to tell you about this vehicle.
Auto Lowering
While you do have a good amount of control over the system, you don’t have full control. The Quadra-Lift system will automatically lower itself if your vehicle reaches certain speeds. This is to help preserve fuel and to make the suspension system feel a little bit better. As a driver or a passenger, you probably won’t notice this happening. It just happens.
The system triggers at a pretty low speed (anything above 25mph), which means that the raising of the Quadra-Lift system is purely for off-roading and the basic clearing of obstacles.
Is The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Quadra-Lift System Good?
This is the big question. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is doing things a little bit differently from your traditional suspension system…so is it worth getting a trim that offers the Quadra-Lift? Well, it depends on who you ask.
The Pros
The Jeep Grand Cherokee suspension system is incredibly smooth. While you are unlikely to notice the improved smoothness if you are driving on the road, if you take the Quadra-Lift off-road, it is going to feel absolutely stunning. The suspension system is incredibly responsive. This is often one of the main things people often tout about the Quadra-Lift system.
We love the fact that you can raise and lower the suspension system to suit your driving habits too. We have discussed this in the previous section. However, we once again want to state that raising the vehicle can help to improve driving off-road while lowering the suspension can help reduce fuel consumption when you are driving on the road.
The system is incredibly well-built too. it is a sealed unit. This means that maintenance is not required. You won’t forever be topping it up with fluids like you would with other suspension systems. It will eventually break. The same is going to happen with every suspension system out there. However, the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Quadra-Lift system lasts an incredibly long time. There is a reason why Jeep has been including this in the Grand Cherokee for a while now with very few changes. There is a reason why their top Grand Cherokee vehicle trims use it. It is just that good.
The Cons
There are a couple of issues with the Quadra-Lift system, but these may not really have a huge impact on most people. This is because, as we said, the system is pretty reliable.
For starters, there are a lot more moving parts in a Quadra-Lift suspension system. The more moving parts there are, the more issues can present themselves. The Quadra-Lift is a sealed unit which does help to mitigate a few of those issues, but things can go wrong.
If something does go wrong, then you may have a tricky time actually getting the issue fixed. This is because the Quadra-Lift system can only be found in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. No other vehicle has it. Your typical garage may not have the ability to fix the system for you. This means that you may be taking a trip to your local Jeep dealer. This can be both time and cost-prohibitive.
This system is also a touch trickier to use than your typical suspension system. A lot of people do love the user control on the system and the ability to lift and lower your vehicle with the single press of a button. However, some people also enjoy their vehicles being nice and simple to drive. Sure, the Jeep Grand Cherokee does offer a simple drive (for the most part), but if you really want to get the most out of it, you are going to need to interact with it a little bit.
My Final Thoughts
Most Jeep Cherokee models will have the Quadra-Lift system built into it. Some of the cheaper trims, and models built in 2021, may not have Quadra-Lift. Instead, those vehicle models will have your typical suspension system which, while good, is never going to be a patch on what the Quadra-Lift system can provide. It is the Quadra-Lift system which really makes the Jeep Grand Cherokee into a tremendous vehicle.
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