Compare the2022 Ford EscapeVS 2021 Jeep Cherokee

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Escape has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The 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.

The Escape’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Escape and the Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 front and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Escape is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Escape	Cherokee
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	143	204
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	38.2%
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	408 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	41 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	188/315 lbs.	368/516 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	102	166
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	36.3%	37%
Neck Stress	181 lbs.	218 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	220/169 lbs.	241/259 lbs.

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

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 Ford Escape is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Escape	Cherokee
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	240 lbs.	363 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	97	264
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	53 G’s
Hip Force	816 lbs.	938 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	490 lbs.

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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Escape the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 137 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cherokee has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 25 percent more Ford dealers than there are Jeep dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Escape’s warranty.

Reliability

The Escape has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 22nd in reliability. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 24th.

Engine

The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 239) than the Cherokee’s optional 3.2 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Ford Escape turbo 3 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Cherokee 4 cyl.:

	Escape	Cherokee
Zero to 30 MPH	3.3 sec	3.9 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.9 sec	10.9 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.2 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.9 sec	18.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85 MPH	78.6 MPH

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Escape 2.0 is faster than the Jeep Cherokee 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Escape	Cherokee
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.3 MPH	87.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Escape gets better mileage than the Cherokee:

			MPG
Escape
	FWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
Cherokee
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
		3.2 DOHC V6	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		Active Drive II 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
		Trailhawk 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
		3.2 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
		Active Drive II 3.2 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
		Trailhawk 3.2 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escape 1.5 Turbo’s fuel efficiency. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

The Escape stops much shorter than the Cherokee:

	Escape	Cherokee
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Escape has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Cherokee’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Escape SE AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Cherokee Limited 4x4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Escape Titanium AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cherokee Trailhawk 4x4 (27.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Escape’s turning circle is .4 feet tighter than the Cherokee’s (37.2 feet vs. 37.6 feet). The Escape’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Cherokee 4x4 Trailhawk’s (37.2 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

The Ford Escape may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 700 pounds less than the Jeep Cherokee.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Escape SE AWD is quieter than the Cherokee Trailhawk 4x4:

	Escape	Cherokee
At idle	37 dB	44 dB
Full-Throttle	75 dB	82 dB

Passenger Space

The Escape has .6 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .4 inches more rear legroom, 3.4 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cherokee.

Cargo Capacity

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cherokee with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (65.4 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Escape easier. The Escape’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.1 inches, while the Cherokee’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

The Escape’s cargo area is larger than the Cherokee’s in every dimension:

	Escape	Cherokee
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	37.8”/68.5”	33.9”/67.6”
Max Width	57.3”	49.2”
Min Width	41.4”	39.4”
Height	34.8”	28.8”

Ergonomics

The Escape (except S/SE)’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Cherokee doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Escape Titanium offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Escape SEL/Titanium’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 Cherokee’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape SEL/Titanium’s exterior PIN entry system. The Cherokee doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its extra cost Uconnect Access can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Escape SEL/Titanium offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Escape Titanium’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Cherokee (except Latitude)’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Escape owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Escape with a number “5” insurance rate while the Cherokee is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escape is less expensive to operate than the Cherokee because typical repairs cost much less on the Escape than the Cherokee, including $119 less for a water pump, $45 less for front brake pads, $114 less for a starter, $308 less for a fuel pump and $94 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Escape will be $558 to $1357 less than for the Jeep Cherokee.

Recommendations

The Ford Escape outsold the Jeep Cherokee by 36% during the 2021 model year.