For the third time this year, I went to Los Angeles – by choice – to see life in action in the land where people literally and figuratively live in their cars.

And for a busy weekend in the beachy South Bay area, a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L was a not-so-out-of-place ride, though it might seem more suited to mountains and snow than endless Tesla-dodging on Interstate 405.

I ended up with a very classy, six-passenger Summit Reserve model of the extended wheelbase, three-row Jeep. It was base priced at about $65,000 but fully priced at over $79,000 with a range of technology add-ons and the 21-inch wheels and gloss black trim of the $2,025 High Altitude package, at very low altitude. The vehicle also had about 500 miles on it when I got it, just to add to the newer-than-new factor.

The upscale Grand Cherokee L’s swath of classy touches, especially a cabin filled with light-colored, quilted Palmero saddle leather in all three rows and massaging seats up front, made it a nice spot to see the Jeep’s utility in a less trail-connected environment.

While the L is not the elusive Grand Wagoneer, Jeep’s Suburban-sized grand dame of SUVs, it’s still a lot more vehicle than a standard Grand Cherokee. Overall length has increased by 11 inches, turning it into an almost 205-inch-long automobile. Its looks are not entirely disproportionate, though it’s certainly different than the regular two-row machine, especially with its extra-large wheel arches. This build’s gloss black trim on the grille, mirrors, roof rails and roof were also nice touches. 

Almost an extra foot of Jeep means a couple of power-foldable, reasonably comfortable, elevated third-row seats with flop-forward headrests, and dimensions big enough to serve adult passengers, especially if the second-row seats are slid forward a bit. When both rows are flattened, there’s nearly 85 cubic feet of cargo room, about 14 more than a regular Grand Cherokee. 

Interior space is not an issue, and while it takes a bit to get used to the L’s much bigger footprint while driving, the vehicle still fit into street parking spots in Manhattan Beach. As I found while maneuvering new Ram trucks this summer, I’d love if the 360-degree parking monitor automatically worked not just while in reverse – there’s an app-styled button you’ve got to find in a series of menus and toggle on the screen. Even with it employed, it’s sometimes difficult to figure out the L’s proportions in parking lots, as there’s simply so much more Jeep here to handle. 

Power was ample some 9,000 feet closer to sea level than we are, with the 293-hp 3.6-liter V6 engine offering good jolts of freeway acceleration, albeit a bit noisily at times. I’d hoped for a Grand Cherokee L with the bigger, 357-hp 5.7-liter V8, but I learned this week that engine has rather quietly been dropped as an option from this platform, just as it was from the Wagoneers. Your V6 mileage, as a result, will probably be closer to the stated 25 mpg highway figure.

The optional 21-inch wheels and pretty high-performance all-seasons were also on the borderline between crisp and comfortable. That’s softened a bit as Jeep offers a five-position air suspension that also gives the vehicle as much as 10.9 inches of clearance, once you do get it into the snow or find somewhere bumpy to drive. The most adventure we had was navigating Rancho Palos Verdes Drive South, which is actively sliding into the ocean and has turned into an urban 4×4 trail. A 4-low button and rock/sand/snow/sport drive settings also mean more non-L.A.-pavement versatility. 

In this build, the Jeep also turns into a four-screen tech machine, with 10.1-inch touchscreens in the center stack and two more Amazon Fire TV-equipped screens for second-row passengers, as well as a small screen for the front passenger – so remember to pack those HDMI cords for the whole family. The driver also gets a broad digital display that includes a night vision monitor with animal and pedestrian detection, and mine also had a head-up display, a digital rearview mirror and the creepy but probably helpful FamCam rear-seat monitor, as well.

In addition to the glossy leather, a $4,500 option package adds a 950-watt, 19-speaker McIntosh stereo with prominent dash and door speaker cones and covers, a suede-styled headliner and even ventilated second-row captain’s chair seating. The cabin is all quite tasteful, from a highlight-stitched dash cap and blonde-colored waxed walnut wood trim to the abundance of black gloss trim. 

Jeep also offers a hands-free active driving assist technology as an option, which might be helpful for navigating a late Friday afternoon headed through Carson to Orange County.

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.