Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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

Safety

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

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Acadia are height-adjustable, and the middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Jeep Grand Cherokee has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Acadia are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Acadia’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.

The Acadia SLT/AT4/Denali offers an optional Surround Vision System 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 Acadia and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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 and available all wheel drive.

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

	Acadia	Grand Cherokee
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	28%
Neck Stress	191 lbs.	201 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	129/383 lbs.	401/317 lbs.

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

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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Grand Cherokee:

	Acadia	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
Max Chest Compression	19 cm	20 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.2/.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	.59/.48	1.06/.54
Tibia forces R/L	.9/.9 kN	2.3/1.3 kN

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

	Acadia	Grand Cherokee
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	37 G’s

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Acadia is .5% to 5.3% less likely to roll over than the Grand Cherokee.

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 Acadia the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 205 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Grand Cherokee was not even a “Top Safety Pick” for 2016.

Warranty

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Grand Cherokee’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

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

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Acadia has a standard 220-amp alternator. The Grand Cherokee’s standard 160-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Jeep With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Jeep.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks GMC 3 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

Engine

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 15 more horsepower (310 vs. 295) and 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 260) than the Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Acadia
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 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

Regenerative brakes improve the Acadia 2.0 Turbo’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Regardless of its engine, the Acadia’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 V6.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Acadia higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Jeep Grand Cherokee (3 to 7). This means the Acadia produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Grand Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the GMC Acadia as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Jeep Grand Cherokee is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

Transmission

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

Tires and Wheels

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Jeep Grand Cherokee only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia 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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Acadia offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Grand Cherokee’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Chassis

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 750 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The front grille of the Acadia FWD 4 cyl. uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

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

The Acadia has 38.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Grand Cherokee (143.8 vs. 105.4).

The Acadia has .1 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee.

The front step up height for the Acadia is 2.5 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee (18” vs. 20.5”). The Acadia’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee’s (19” vs. 20.8”).

Cargo Capacity

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

	Acadia	Grand Cherokee
Third Seat Folded	41.7 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	36.3 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79 cubic feet	68.3 cubic feet

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

	Acadia	Grand Cherokee
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	18.5”/48”/83”	n.a./38.5”/74.2”
Max Width	50”	47.6”
Min Width	42.5”	41.7”
Height	33”	33.5”

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Acadia’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 Acadia’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 Acadia (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Acadia’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Grand 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.

The Acadia’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Grand Cherokee’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the GMC Acadia offers an optional 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 Acadia is less expensive to operate than the Grand Cherokee because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the Grand Cherokee, including $227 less for a muffler, $100 less for a starter and $65 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $382 to $3881 less than for the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the GMC Acadia, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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