Compare the2022 Audi Q7VS 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q7 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 Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

The Q7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q7 and Grand Cherokee L have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q7 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.

The Q7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Grand Cherokee L 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the Grand Cherokee L.

Both the Q7 and the Grand Cherokee L have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 night vision systems and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q7 the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 214 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Grand Cherokee L has not been tested, yet.

The Q7 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-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 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Grand Cherokee L’s (12 vs. 5 years).

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Q7 have 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’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Audi 20th in reliability. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 24th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 5 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 260) than the Grand Cherokee L’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Q7 55 TFSI 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Q7 gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee L:

Regenerative brakes improve the Q7 55 TFSI’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Regardless of its engine, the Q7’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Jeep only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Grand Cherokee L V6.

For better stopping power the Q7 55 TFSI’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Grand Cherokee L:

The Q7 stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee L:

For better traction, the Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Grand Cherokee L (285/45R20 vs. 275/45R21).

The Q7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee L’s standard 60 series tires. The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Grand Cherokee L Summit’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Grand Cherokee L. The Q7 Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Grand Cherokee L Summit.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Q7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q7 is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Grand Cherokee L.

The Q7 Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Q7 is 5.6 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee L, making the Q7 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Q7 has .1 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee L.

The front step up height for the Q7 is 1.6 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee L (18.6” vs. 20.2”). The Q7’s rear step up height is 1.5 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee L’s (18.7” vs. 20.2”).

The Q7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee L’s (4400 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Jeep Grand Cherokee L 4x4 is only 7200 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Q7’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.

If the windows are left open on the Q7 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Grand Cherokee L can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q7’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Grand Cherokee L’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Grand Cherokee L’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Q7 (except Premium)’s optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi Q7, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Grand Cherokee L isn't recommended.

The Q7 was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 3 of the last 6 years. The Grand Cherokee L has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.