Compare the2022 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has standard Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line has a standard Overhead View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Grand Cherokee only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Tiguan and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Grand Cherokee:

	Tiguan	Grand Cherokee
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	5 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	2.4/.1 kN	4.9/2.3 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	3%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Tibia index R/L	.53/.66	1.06/.54

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Jeep Grand Cherokee:

	Tiguan	Grand Cherokee
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	82 G’s	126 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	510 lbs.	689 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tiguan the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Grand Cherokee is not a “Top Pick.”

Warranty

The Tiguan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Grand Cherokee’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Grand Cherokee’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Grand Cherokee’s 3.6 DOHC V6 engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

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

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Tiguan gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee:

			MPG
Tiguan
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
		R-Line 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
Grand Cherokee
	RWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy

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

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Tiguan higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Grand Cherokee (3 to 7). This means the Tiguan produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Grand Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee’s optional 50 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Tiguan 4Motion® handles at .82 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Tiguan 4Motion® executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 (28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Chassis

The Volkswagen Tiguan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1400 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Tiguan is 3.7 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee, making the Tiguan easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Volkswagen Tiguan amounts to more than styling. The Tiguan has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .35 Cd. That is lower than the Grand Cherokee (.371). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Tiguan get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Tiguan offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Grand Cherokee can only carry 5.

The Tiguan has 18.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Grand Cherokee (123.9 vs. 105.4).

The front step up height for the Tiguan is 3.1 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee (17.4” vs. 20.5”). The Tiguan’s rear step up height is 3.3 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee’s (17.5” vs. 20.8”).

Cargo Capacity

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

	Tiguan	Grand Cherokee
Third Seat Removed	37.6 cubic feet	36.3 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	73.4 cubic feet	68.3 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Tiguan easier. The Tiguan’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the Grand Cherokee’s liftover is 32.4 inches.

The Tiguan’s cargo area is larger than the Grand Cherokee’s in almost every dimension:

	Tiguan	Grand Cherokee
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”	n.a./38.5”/74.2”
Max Width	55”	47.6”
Min Width	39.8”	41.7”
Height	33.5”	33.5”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Tiguan’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

The Tiguan’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Grand Cherokee’s parking brake has to released manually.

The Tiguan’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’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Tiguan SE/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Grand Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan SE/SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Tiguan’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Grand Cherokee’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Tiguan SE/SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Tiguan is less expensive to operate than the Grand Cherokee because typical repairs cost much less on the Tiguan than the Grand Cherokee, including $98 less for a muffler, $63 less for front brake pads and $331 less for a timing belt/chain.