Compare the2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee LVS 2023 Ford Expedition

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L 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 Ford Expedition doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L 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 Expedition doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Expedition doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Expedition doesn’t offer a night vision system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Grand Cherokee L uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Expedition uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Grand Cherokee L and the Expedition 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, around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Grand Cherokee L its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 36 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Expedition has not been tested, yet.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Grand Cherokee L for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Expedition.

The battery on the Grand Cherokee L is under the seat, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Grand Cherokee L’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Expedition’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated below average.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Grand Cherokee L V8 is faster than the Ford Expedition (base engine):

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Grand Cherokee L V8’s fuel efficiency. The Expedition doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Jeep Grand Cherokee L uses regular unleaded gasoline (mid-grade octane recommended with the 5.7 V8 engine for maximum performance). The Expedition requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 31.4 cents more per gallon.

The Grand Cherokee L has a true four-wheel drive system, which uses a four wheel traction control system to redirect engine power to the axle and wheel that still has traction to keep the Grand Cherokee L moving if even only one wheel still has traction. The Expedition doesn’t offer a true four-wheel drive system; it could get stuck while one or more wheels still have traction.

The Grand Cherokee L stops shorter than the Expedition:

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Expedition Timberline’s standard 70 series tires.

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

The Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 handles at .82 G’s, while the Expedition XLT 4x4 pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Grand Cherokee L’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Expedition’s (38.4 feet vs. 41 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Expedition Timberline (10.9 vs. 10.6 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee L to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 850 pounds less than the Ford Expedition.

The Grand Cherokee L is 5.1 inches shorter than the Expedition, making the Grand Cherokee L easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Grand Cherokee L’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Expedition doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Grand Cherokee L easier. The Grand Cherokee L’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 32.2 inches, while the Expedition’s liftover is 34.7 inches.

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the Expedition (except STX), the Grand Cherokee L Limited/Overland/Summit offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit 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 Expedition doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Grand Cherokee L has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Expedition doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Grand Cherokee L to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Expedition doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Expedition’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Grand Cherokee L’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Expedition doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Ford Expedition/Expedition Max by almost four to one during 2022.