People love SUVs these days. If you’re looking for a midsize SUV, both the Toyota 4Runner and the Jeep Grand Cherokee may be on your shopping list. While you’re doing your research on which is the best pick for you, it matters who your sources are.

If you look at Toyota’s website, of course it says the Toyota 4Runner is much better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. It also matters which features are most important to you. Here’s a look at how the 2021 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium and 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk compare.

The Toyota 4Runner and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk

Toyota’s website lists several advantages that the 2021 Toyota 4Runner has over the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, which come from market analyst JATO.

Obviously, Toyota’s sales website should be biased toward its own product. It wouldn’t make sense for it to emphasize the findings suggesting the advantages of the Grand Cherokee.

The two models compared are the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium 4WD V6 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4WD. Both SUVs have been around for decades and are designed for off-road use.

Toyota 4Runner advantages

The Toyota website examined these features: adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, one-touch power windows, power sliding rear window, and cargo capacity. And, of course, the 4Runner comes out ahead in all these categories.

The 4Runner does offer adaptive cruise control. It comes standard with automatic high beams. It also comes standard with one-touch power windows for the driver, passenger, and rear windows. Its power sliding rear window is standard. It has more cargo capacity than the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, with 47.2 cubic feet compared to 36.3 cubic feet.

The 4Runner also has more cargo space with the rear seats folded down. It has 88.8 cubic feet as compared to the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk’s 68.3 cubic feet. 

Jeep Grand Cherokee advantages that aren’t mentioned

While the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk has optional adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams, it does have standard one-touch power windows for the driver and passenger. However, one-touch power windows aren’t available for the rear. A power sliding rear window also isn’t available.

Despite these apparent deficiencies, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk pulls ahead of the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium in other areas. The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk has better ratings from U.S. News & World Report for overall, critics’ rating, performance, and interior. It is worth noting that the 4Runner does have a higher rating for reliability.

The Grand Cherokee also offers a “powerful engine lineup” as well as a “user-friendly entertainment system.” U.S. News & World Report found the 4Runner’s interior to be outdated.

The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is able to tow more than the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium, with a maximum of 6,200 pounds as compared to the 4Runner’s 5,000 pounds.

There are also a few features that the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk comes standard with that aren’t mentioned on Toyota’s website, including blind-spot monitoring, a power liftgate, remote trunk release, remote engine start, a heated steering wheel, mirror memory, and a navigation system. These features aren’t available on the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium.

While, of course, Toyota would share the ways its 4Runner is better than Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, both have a few different features they each excel in.

Buyers should take a look at the details to see which has the features on their must-have list. Buyers looking for engine options may prefer the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, while buyers who need cargo space might be more interested in the 2021 Toyota 4 Runner TRD Off-Road Premium. Luckily, both are good SUVs that have plenty of fans and buyers.