Compare the2022 Jeep CherokeeVS 2022 Land Rover Discovery Sport

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Cherokee are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery Sport doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Jeep Cherokee has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Cherokee has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Cherokee (except Latitude) offers optional Parksense with Rear Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Cherokee has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Discovery Sport’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Cherokee has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Discovery Sport.

Both the Cherokee and the Discovery Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and front parking sensors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Cherokee the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 162 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Discovery Sport has not been tested, yet.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Cherokee 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Discovery Sport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery Sport ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Cherokee for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 3 oil changes). Land Rover only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Discovery Sport.

There are almost 13 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Cherokee’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Cherokee third among compact suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Discovery Sport isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 26th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 19th in reliability. With 83 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 32nd.

The Cherokee’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 24 more horsepower (270 vs. 246) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 269) than the Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Cherokee’s standard 3.2 DOHC V6 produces 25 more horsepower (271 vs. 246) than the Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Cherokee gets better mileage than the Discovery Sport:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Jeep Cherokee uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The Discovery Sport requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Cherokee has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Cherokee’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the Cherokee’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Discovery Sport’s (37.6 feet vs. 38.8 feet). The Cherokee 4x4 Trailhawk’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Discovery Sport’s (38.1 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Cherokee Trailhawk has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Discovery Sport (8.7 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Jeep Cherokee may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 400 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The Cherokee is 7.4 inches narrower on average than the Discovery Sport, making the Cherokee easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The front grille of the Cherokee (except Trailhawk) uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Cherokee has 2 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room and 2.2 inches more rear legroom than the Discovery Sport.

The Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume than the Discovery Sport with its rear seat up (27.6 vs. 5.5 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Cherokee. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Cherokee Limited/Trailhawk’s available liftgate can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Cherokee 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Cherokee can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Discovery Sport can’t be towed flat on the ground.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Cherokee Limited offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Cherokee has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Cherokee Limited/Trailhawk keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Cherokee Latitude Lux/Limited/Trailhawk has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Cherokee’s optional ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Cherokee is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Cherokee owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Cherokee will cost $995 to $2385 less than the Discovery Sport over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Jeep Cherokee will be $14209 to $18714 less than for the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The Jeep Cherokee outsold the Land Rover Discovery Sport by over 16 to one during the 2021 model year.