What's the Difference Between the Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The 2021 Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee are great SUVs for your ride around town or your off-road adventure. The Grand Cherokee is a larger version of the Jeep Cherokee and will offer more room and available engines, but at a higher price tag. Let’s take a look at both.
Design
The 2021 Jeep Cherokee is a five-seat small SUV, providing comfortable front seats with plenty of soft plastics and sufficient, but average, rear-seat space for its class. Cloth upholstery and six-way manually adjustable front seats are standard. Cloth and vinyl upholstery and Nappa leather upholstery are optional, as well as power-adjustable front seats, heated and ventilated front seats, a leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, driver’s seat memory settings, a sliding second row, and heated second-row seats. A power liftgate and hands-free liftgate access are also optional. Cargo space is limited to 27.6 cubic feet with the second-row seats up and 54.7 cubic feet of space with the seats folded down. The Jeep Cherokee comes in five trims for both on- and off-road driving: Latitude, Latitude Plus, Latitude LUX, Limited, and Trailhawk, with a starting price of $26,510 for the Latitude and $35,550 for the Trailhawk trim.
The 2021 Grand Cherokee is a two-row midsize SUV with five seats that are nicely cushioned and supportive in the front and in the rear, with plenty of head- and legroom up front. Cloth upholstery is standard, and available upgrades include synthetic leather upholstery, genuine leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. The Grand Cherokee has 36.3 cubic feet behind its rear seats and 68.3 cubic feet with the seats folded down. It also features an available power liftgate, a sunroof, and a panoramic sunroof. It has an array of trim levels suited for on- and off-road performance: Laredo E, Laredo X, Limited, 80th Anniversary, Trailhawk, Overland, High Altitude, Summit, SRT, and Trackhawk. Pricing starts at $34,200 for the basic Laredo and ranges to $87,895 for the Trackhawk.
Safety and Technology
The Jeep Cherokee comes standard with the Uconnect infotainment system and a 7-inch touch screen. Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, voice recognition, Bluetooth, a USB port, and a six-speaker stereo are also standard. An optional 8.4-inch touch screen can be upgraded with improved graphics, as well as a Wi-Fi hotspot, navigation, satellite radio, HD Radio, an additional front USB port, two rear USB ports, and a nine-speaker Alpine premium stereo. A 7-inch digital instrument cluster display, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a universal garage door opener are also available. Its standard advanced safety features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind sport monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a rearview camera.
The Grand Cherokee also offers the same standard features, with a 7-inch touch screen or an available 8.4-inch touch screen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, two USB ports, satellite radio, and a six-speaker stereo come standard. A few more options are available on the Grand Cherokee, including a 19-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and a rear-seat entertainment system with DVD and Blu-ray compatibility. A navigation system, Wi-Fi hotspot, HD Radio, and a nine-speaker stereo are also available. Standard advanced safety features include a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert.
Performance
The Jeep Cherokee provides a comfortable ride on the road, along with excellent off-road capabilities. Engine options include its base standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 171 pound-feet of torque, and available 3.2-liter V6 with 271 horsepower and 239 pound-feet of torque or a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It has a standard front-wheel drive, available four-wheel drive, and comes with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Cherokee gets up to 22/31 mpg city and highway when equipped with its base engine. The turbo-four engine gets up to 23/31 mpg city/highway. Towing capacity is 4,500 pounds when properly equipped.
The Grand Cherokee has impressive off-road ability, though it feels less composed on paved roads. Its Trailhawk configuration comes standard with all-terrain tires, multiple skid plates, a two-speed transfer case, a rugged four-wheel drive system and an available air suspension to help you tackle that rough terrain. Its base engine comes with a 3.6-liter V6 with 295 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque; and available engines are offered with a 5.7-liter V8 with 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, a 6.4-liter V8 with 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, and a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 with 707 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque that comes on the Trackhawk trim. It is standard with rear-wheel drive, available with four-wheel drive, and comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Grand Cherokee gets an estimated 19/26 mpg in the city and on the highway and 18/25 mpg with four-wheel drive. It can tow up to 6,200 pounds when equipped with its V6 engine and tow package. With the V8, it can tow up to 7,200 when properly equipped.
Conclusion
These two Cherokees will give you off-road abilities, while also looking good around town. The Jeep Cherokee is smaller, but with a comfortable ride for an off-road adventure, as well as travelling around town. The Grand Cherokee offers more second row space, a nicer interior, and powerful engine options and trims, but it drives better on the off-road and comes with a higher price tag.