Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Both the Telluride and Grand Cherokee L have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Grand Cherokee L’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the Telluride and Grand Cherokee L have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Telluride has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic.

Both the Telluride and the Grand Cherokee L 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, 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 around view 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 Telluride its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Grand Cherokee L has not been tested, yet.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Grand Cherokee L’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Grand Cherokee L. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Grand Cherokee L ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Telluride 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 Telluride’s reliability 33 points higher than the Grand Cherokee L.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Grand Cherokee L isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kia Telluride is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L V6:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride 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.

The Telluride stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee L:

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Grand Cherokee L.

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .80 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Telluride SX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 800 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

The Telluride is 8 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee L, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Kia Telluride amounts to more than styling. The Telluride has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is lower than the Grand Cherokee L (.357). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Telluride get better fuel mileage.

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

The Telluride has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.5 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 3 inches more rear legroom, 1.7 inches more rear hip room, 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room, .8 inches more third row headroom, 1.1 inches more third row legroom, .8 inches more third row hip room and 3.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee L.

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

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

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Telluride easier. The Telluride’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the Grand Cherokee L’s liftover is 32.2 inches.

The Telluride’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee L’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Telluride has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Grand Cherokee L (1662 vs. 1370 lbs.).

The Telluride has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Grand Cherokee L (1664 vs. 1400 lbs.).

The Telluride’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Grand Cherokee L’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

Consumer Reports rated the Telluride’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Grand Cherokee L’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Insurance will cost less for the Telluride owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Telluride will cost $1050 less than the Grand Cherokee L over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Telluride will be $4831 to $15432 less than for the Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

Consumer Reports® chose the Kia Telluride as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Grand Cherokee L isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Grand Cherokee L was rated third in its category.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Grand Cherokee L has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Grand Cherokee L has never been chosen.