Is The Grand Jeep Cherokee Really An Upgrade?
The Grand Jeep Cherokee is supposed to be a Grand version of the regular Jeep Cherokee. But does it have enough Grand features to make it worth the extra cost? Let’s see how the Grand Jeep Cherokee is different from the Cherokee to determine which Jeep is worth it.
The Grand Jeep Cherokee VS. The Jeep Cherokee
To get started in the Jeep Cherokee, you need to spend around $25k, making it reasonably priced with other midsize SUV competitors.
However, to get started in the Grand Jeep Cherokee, you have to spend about $32k. This puts the price on the high end of the spectrum, up there with the overpriced Honda Passport.
Also, upgrading the Cherokee won’t help you save on gas. The Jeep Cherokee gets up to 23 mpg in the city and up to 30 mpg on the highway. The Grand Jeep Cherokee only gets 19 mpg in the city and up to 25 mpg on the highway.
Grand Jeep Cherokee And Jeep Cherokee Power
The Jeep Cherokee has three engine options. The base engine is a 2.4-liter engine with only 180 horsepower.
The next option is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that provides 270 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque.
But the best engine is the 3.4-liter V6 option with 271 horsepower and 239 lb-ft of torque. This engine allows the Jeep Cherokee to tow up 4,500 lb.
The Grand Jeep Cherokee has four different engine options. The base engine is a 3.6-liter V6 option with 295 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque.
The insane and best engine option is the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine with 707 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque. Plus, the Grand Jeep Cherokee can tow up to 7,200 lb.
Aside from the Grand Jeep Cherokee having much more power, these Jeeps mostly have the same off-roading materials. They have pinion steering and a multi-link rear suspension.
Only the Cherokee has a strut suspension in the front, and the Grand Cherokee has a short and long-arm suspension.
Grand Jeep Cherokee And Jeep Cherokee Features
The Grand Jeep Cherokee has leather seats designed for refined luxury and comfort, but the Jeep Cherokee still offers padded leather seats.
Both of these Jeeps have the dual panoramic sunroof and an Alpine premium sound system. Only the Grand Jeep Cherokee has a larger subwoofer.
Plus, the Grand Jeep Cherokee has 19 high-performance speakers while the Jeep Cherokee only has nine. However, this difference only matters if you take music in your car very seriously.
Both of these Jeeps have the same 8.4” Uconnect infotainment center that can connect to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
They can also connect to Alexa and your smartwatch. You can start your Cherokee with the touch of a button or voice command.
The Jeep Cherokee and Grand Jeep Cherokee also have the same safety features such as electronic stability control, forward collision prevention, lane departure assistance, and more.
So, the Grand Jeep Cherokee isn’t worth the extra cash unless you want to be able to go from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds or have something that weighs more than 4,200 lb.
Otherwise, the Jeep Cherokee is still comfortable, just as capable, and just as safe. The Grand Jeep Cherokee doesn’t have enough bells and whistles aside from premium leather stitching and more speakers to make the upgrade worth it.
