Compare the2022 Honda PilotVS 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Grand Cherokee L’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Pilot and the Grand Cherokee L 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, 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 rear parking sensors.

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

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Pilot’s reliability 18 points higher than the Grand Cherokee L.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 14 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L V6:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot 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.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Grand Cherokee L.

The Pilot stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee L:

The Pilot (except LX)’s optional 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 Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Pilot Elite 4WD handles at .83 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Pilot Elite 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 (27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 950 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

The Pilot is 8.4 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee L, making the Pilot easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

The Pilot has 1.7 inches more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear hip room, 4 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.6 inches more third row headroom, 1.6 inches more third row legroom, 1.7 inches more third row hip room and 5.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee L.

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

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

The Pilot has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Pilot’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Grand Cherokee L’s standard power windows’ front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Pilot the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or 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 Honda Pilot has won recognition from these important consumer publications: