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 Rav4 Hybrid 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 Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Cherokee’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.
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 Rav4 Hybrid’s blind spot costs extra.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Cherokee has standard Rear Cross-Path Detection, helping the driver avoid collisions. Toyota charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Rav4 Hybrid.
Both the Cherokee and the Rav4 Hybrid 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Cherokee is safer than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid:
|
Cherokee |
Rav4 Hybrid |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Compression |
41 lbs. |
56 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
166 |
284 |
Neck Injury Risk |
37% |
37.4% |
Neck Stress |
218 lbs. |
258 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
26 lbs. |
95 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
241/259 lbs. |
340/190 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Cherokee is safer than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid:
|
Cherokee |
Rav4 Hybrid |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
64 |
83 |
Abdominal Force |
133 lbs. |
138 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
203 |
299 |
Hip Force |
490 lbs. |
835 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.