Historians will say that the first shots in the in-car screen wars were fired in 2021. That’s when Mercedes introduced a single screen that spanned the entire dashboard of its highest-end electric vehicle (EV). But EVs were still less than 3% of the cars on America’s roads back then. SUVs were where the real action was – they outsold cars and trucks combined. So, in 2022, when Jeep put a personal touchscreen in front of the front seat passenger in its Grand Cherokee L, the battle was truly joined.
The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L will be available with separate entertainment displays for front-seat and second-row passengers. Jeep hasn’t revealed pricing for the screen options yet.
The Grand Cherokee L is a 3-row version of the newly-redesigned Grand Cherokee. It launched with the same technology.
A Screen for the Front Seat Passenger
That means a total of three screens on the dashboard – the driver’s digital instrument display, the central touchscreen that handles entertainment and climate functions, and a third for the passenger. This 10.3-inch touchscreen can display navigation or entertainment functions. Buyers can select it as an option on the Limited, Overland, and Summit models. It’s standard equipment on the top-of-the-line Summit Reserve.
The screen includes a built-in privacy filter so the driver can’t see it — a bit of a safety feature, since it could otherwise prove distracting.
Two More for Second-Row Passengers
Jeep has also added entertainment screens for the second-row passengers. Availability is the same – optional on Limited, Overland, and Summit, and standard on Summit Reserve. These are 10.1-inch models with built-in Amazon Fire TV capability.
The new additions mean it’s possible to buy a Grand Cherokee L with up to five screens. That seems like a significant maneuver in the screen wars.
But we’d be remiss not to point out that the Grand Wagoneer is available with up to seven. Both front-row and second-row passengers in Jeep’s largest SUV get an additional “comfort screen” that handles seat movement and heating functions.
Class of 2022: All the New and Redesigned Cars, Trucks, and SUVs
