Compare the2022 Kia TellurideVS 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Both the Telluride and Grand Cherokee L have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Grand Cherokee L’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the Telluride and the Grand Cherokee L have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Telluride the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 120 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Grand Cherokee L has not been tested, yet.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Grand Cherokee L’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Grand Cherokee L. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Grand Cherokee L ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Telluride has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Grand Cherokee L.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 11th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 24th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The Telluride’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 1 more horsepower (291 vs. 290) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 257) than the Grand Cherokee L’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Grand Cherokee L RWD V6 (20 city/26 hwy vs. 19 city/26 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Grand Cherokee L with the 5.7 V8 engine requires mid-grade for maximum efficiency, which can cost 5 to 40 cents more per gallon.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Grand Cherokee L.

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 900 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

The Telluride is 8 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee L, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Grand Cherokee L can only carry up to 7.

The Telluride has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.5 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 3 inches more rear legroom, 1.7 inches more rear hip room, 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room, .8 inches more third row headroom, 1.1 inches more third row legroom, .8 inches more third row hip room and 3.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee L.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Telluride’s middle and third row seats recline. The Grand Cherokee L’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Grand Cherokee L.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Telluride easier. The Telluride’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the Grand Cherokee L’s liftover is 32.2 inches.

The Telluride’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee L’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Telluride has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Grand Cherokee L (1662 vs. 1380 lbs.).

The Telluride has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Grand Cherokee L (1664 vs. 1410 lbs.).

The Telluride’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Grand Cherokee L’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

The Telluride has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Consumer Reports® chose the Kia Telluride as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Telluride was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 2 years. The Grand Cherokee L has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Grand Cherokee L has never been chosen.