10 Top Jeep Grand Cherokee Competitors

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of America’s best-selling vehicles. This mid-size SUV has something for everyone. It can be an off-road machine, a posh luxury vehicle, a trailer-towing pro, or a comfortable family car (particularly in its extended-length three-row Grand Cherokee L configuration). The Jeep has an affordable V6 engine, a mighty V8, or a fuel-saving plug-in hybrid powertrain called the 4xe. Its prices range from $36,495 all the way past $80,000 with all the options. That includes a starting price of $42,630 for the L and $59,865 for the 4xe. 

With its jack-of-all-trades attitude, though, the Grand Cherokee has a variety of appealing alternatives – particularly if you’re looking for an SUV that’s more focused on one core strength. Today, we’re going to highlight 10 Jeep Grand Cherokee competitors with an eye toward the diversity of reasons you might be interested in it. We’ll introduce you to everything from mainstream-brand crossovers to off-road-ready luxury SUVs. Keep reading to see if one of them is the right Grand Cherokee competitor for you.  

Kia Telluride

The 2024 Kia Telluride is a supremely well-rounded three-row crossover SUV. Even at a base price of $35,990, it has more standard features, a roomier and more comfortable cabin, a more opulently finished interior, and a smoother ride than the Grand Cherokee. And its proudly boxy Land Rover-like styling helps it stand apart from a sea of other crossovers. Whether you’re interested in eight-passenger comfort or value-priced luxury, the Telluride delivers.

There are two main areas where the Kia doesn’t match the Jeep. First, the Telluride is a light-duty crossover without the Grand Cherokee’s exceptional off-road and towing capabilities. Its X-Line an X-Pro trim levels give it some visual character, but only the Jeep is built for true off-roading. And while the Telluride can tow a respectable 5,500 pounds, the Grand Cherokee manages 7,200 pounds with its optional V8 engine. Secondly, every Telluride uses a V6 engine rated for an EPA-estimated 21 to 23 mpg in mixed driving; there’s no hybrid option.  

2023 Kia Telluride ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Mazda CX-90

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 is another premium three-row crossover from a mainstream brand. But unlike the Telluride, the CX-90’s excellence is its driving manners. Its confident, poised handling and smooth, potent V6 engine can take on any German luxury brand. Despite its power, it gets an EPA-estimated 25 mpg in mixed driving. Alternatively, an even speedier plug-in hybrid model beats the Grand Cherokee 4xe with a 25-mile all-electric range followed by 25 mpg on its gas engine. Also, while Jeep only offers the 4xe powertrain on two-row models, the CX-90 PHEV seats up to eight passengers. 

What Mazda didn’t prioritize was roominess. The CX-90 has an ample cargo hold and a usable third-row seat, but many competitors – including the Grand Cherokee L – have even more. Like the Telluride, the CX-90 isn’t a heavy-duty towing or off-road vehicle. And we’re not fan of its infotainment system. But if you’re interested in the Jeep as a primarily on-road luxury vehicle, the Mazda should also tempt you for less money; it’s well-equipped at a starting price of $39,595.

2024 Mazda CX-90 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Dodge Durango

Before there was an option to buy a three-row Grand Cherokee, the Dodge Durango was the next best thing. It shares its basic underpinnings, including its available mighty-towing V8 engines, with the previous-generation Grand Cherokee. Dodge has kept it up to date with the latest infotainment technology, and we also prefer the Durango’s on-road ride and handling to the off-road-ready Grand Cherokee’s. And while the 2024 Dodge Durango starts at $41,670, appealing options like a V8 engine cost a lot less money than on the Jeep. 

Still, the Durango’s age shows in places. It lags the decade-newer Jeep’s crash-test performance, and its dashboard is less opulent. Also, once again, this isn’t a vehicle built for off-roading. 

2022 Dodge Durango ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Subaru Outback

The 2024 Subaru Outback is a five-passenger crossover – or even a mere station wagon if you’re being uncharitable. Still, if you’re interested in the two-row Grand Cherokee, the Subaru is an excellent alternative for the right person. It’s affordable and economical, priced from just $28,895 and getting an EPA-estimated 23 to 28 mpg in mixed driving (depending on the engine and trim level). Yet with 8.7 inches of standard ground clearance and a whopping 9.5 inches on the Wilderness trim level, pictured here, it’s also ready for rougher conditions than most crossovers. 

The Outback isn’t a luxury car. It doesn’t have the Grand Cherokee’s dazzle or silky smoothness. And the Jeep can go farther off-road if you’re interested in testing its capabilities. But if you’re looking for a roomy, comfortable vehicle that can get you and your cargo to a remote campsite, the Outback is an outstanding value. 

2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Toyota 4Runner

If you like Jeeps because they’re Jeeps, you might have been gnashing your teeth at all the talk of Grand Cherokee competitors that aren’t built for off-roading. Well, we’ll reward your patience with three of them – starting with the 2024 Toyota 4Runner. 

Until 2010, the Grand Cherokee and 4Runner were both on the luxury end of the off-road-SUV spectrum. For the 2010 model year, the Jeep embraced that role while Toyota went in the opposite direction – and has barely changed since. It’s a utilitarian truck rather than a leather-lined off-road cacoon. And it has developed a reputation for unassailable reliability. If you like the Grand Cherokee’s fineries, the loud, slow, clumsy, gas-guzzling 4Runner won’t impress you. But if you’re looking for a cross between the Grand Cherokee’s roominess, the rough-and-tumble character of a Jeep Wrangler, and the never-die reputation of a third-world Toyota pickup, the 4Runner deserves your attention. 

2022 Toyota 4Runner ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Hyundai Santa Fe

One thing that some Grand Cherokee customers love is its subtlety. It doesn’t scream “I go off road.” If you’d like a more truck-like aesthetic, and you don’t actually need to put it to use, you might love the fully redesigned 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. 

The new Santa Fe has a boxy, utilitarian body that’s dressed up with bulging fender flares. Hyundai is so proud of its wide cargo opening that when it announced the new Santa Fe, it featured the tailgate’s width in the press release’s headline. As before, the Santa Fe will have an off-road-themed XRT model, but it won’t rival the Grand Cherokee beyond the norm of a crossover’s capabilities: some snow, some dirt, and some mud. But it will also likely beat the Grand Cherokee’s on-road ride and handling, while also offering superior value and fuel efficiency – particularly in its gas-electric hybrid model. As of this writing, Hyundai hasn’t confirmed whether the current Santa Fe’s PHEV version will return. We expect the new Santa Fe to start in the low to mid $30,000s when it goes on sale in spring 2024. 

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT ・ Photo by Hyundai

Lexus GX

We mentioned that the 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee can cost upwards of $80,000. If you’re interested in alternatives to upper-trim models, the rest of our Jeep Grand Cherokee competitors to consider are luxury-brand SUVs. These have high starting prices but align with opulently equipped Grand Cherokees. 

We’ll start with the Lexus GX. The outgoing 2023 GX is something like a V8-powered 4Runner with a quieter ride and richer interior materials – a hardy, reliable relic. But as we write, the first redesigned GX since 2010 is about to hit dealerships. The all-new 2024 Lexus GX is still an off-road-ready luxury SUV, sharing its boxy silhouette and hardy mechanical pieces with the latest Toyota Land Cruiser. But its new engine and suspension should provide superior ride, handling, and fuel economy, and its all-new interior should be even better finished. The 2023 GX 460 starts at $58,875, while the new 2024 GX 550 is likely to begin a few thousand dollars higher. 

Lexus ・ Photo by 2024 Lexus GX

Land Rover Defender

The 2024 Land Rover Defender is another boxy luxury off-roader. The company invented this classic bruiser a few years ago, retaining its legendary capability while adding remarkably agile on-road handling and a modern, sophisticated interior. It has character and capability without beating you up about it. 

The Defender is available in a choice of sizes: a two-door short-wheelbase model (Defender 90), a standard-length four-door (110), and an extended-length four-door (130). And powertrains include a choice of four-, six-, and eight-cylinder engines, though none is terribly economical and there’s no hybrid option. Prices start at $56,400 for a two-door model, $60,600 for a four-door, and $69,100 for the extended-length 130. 

2021 Land Rover Defender ・ Photo by Ron Sessions

BMW X5

If you’d like a world-class mid-size SUV and don’t plan to get it too dirty, the 2024 BMW X5 is one of our favorites. It drives like a dream, with a standard 375-hp six-cylinder engine making a remarkable 25 mpg in mixed driving, plus poised ride and handling. Its newly updated interior is high-tech without being too cold or daunting. Its available plug-in hybrid model can travel 39 miles per electric charge. And the X5 can even match the V8 Grand Cherokee’s 7,200-pound towing capacity. 

The X5 isn’t a big family car, with only a tiny third-row seat available as an option. It’s not a bargain at $65,200 and up. But if you won’t tackle anything more challenging than a few inches of snow or a bumpy dirt road, we’d rather spend that much cash on an X5 than a fully loaded Grand Cherokee. 

2024 BMW X5 PHEV ・ Photo by BMW

Lincoln Nautilus

When you define luxury as ultimate comfort and relaxation, the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus (pictured here) beats the Grand Cherokee with effortlessly smooth ride, handling, and acceleration; a sumptuous dashboard with simple controls; and more cargo room than the five-passenger model. And despite its excellent luxury chops, it’s barely more expensive than an equivalently equipped Grand Cherokee, with a base price of $44,825.  

A redesigned 2024 model, due out in a few months, promises even more striking technology at a higher price (starting around $50,000, though likely with additional standard features). We’re optimistic it will be a fine vehicle as well, but the outgoing 2023 model is one of our favorite overlooked gems in the mid-size SUV segment. Like other crossovers, in a recurring theme, it isn’t a leader for towing or off-roading. 

2021 Lincoln Nautilus ・ Photo by Brady Holt