Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4VS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Rav4 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Rav4 Limited/TRD Off-Road offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Cherokee only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Rav4’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Rav4 and the Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Rav4	Cherokee
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	152	204
Neck Injury Risk	29.3%	38.2%
Neck Stress	306 lbs.	408 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	400/388 lbs.	368/516 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches

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 Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Rav4	Cherokee
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	246 lbs.	363 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	264
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	53 G’s
Hip Force	508 lbs.	938 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	43 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 Rav4 is 1% to 1.9% less likely to roll over than the Cherokee.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cherokee has not been tested, yet.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Jeep is rated below average.

Engine

The Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 23 more horsepower (203 vs. 180) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 171) than the Cherokee’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Rav4 is faster than the Jeep Cherokee 4 cyl.:

	Rav4	Cherokee
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.9 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	10.9 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.5 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	18.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88 MPH	78.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 gets better mileage than the Cherokee:

			MPG
Rav4
	FWD	XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		LE/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/33 hwy
		Adventure/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		TRD Off-Road 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
Cherokee
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Cherokee Trailhawk requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Rav4 higher (6 out of 10) than the Jeep Cherokee (5 to 6). This means the Rav4 produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rav4 stops much shorter than the Cherokee:

	Rav4	Cherokee
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cherokee Altitude LUX’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited has standard 19-inch wheels. The Cherokee’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Rav4 Adventure handles at .81 G’s, while the Cherokee pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rav4 Adventure executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cherokee (27.5 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 LE/XLE’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Cherokee’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.7 feet). The Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 LE/XLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cherokee (8.4 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Rav4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Toyota Rav4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 550 pounds less than the Jeep Cherokee.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 has .1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cherokee.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cherokee with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rav4 easier. The Rav4’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the Cherokee’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

The Rav4’s cargo area is larger than the Cherokee’s in almost every dimension:

	Rav4	Cherokee
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”/73.4”	33.9”/67.6”
Max Width	59”	49.2”
Min Width	39.4”	39.4”
Height	36.6”	28.8”

Payload

The Rav4 has a higher standard payload capacity than the Cherokee (1100 vs. 1000 lbs.).

The Rav4 has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Cherokee (1230 vs. 1000 lbs.).

Ergonomics

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 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. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Rav4 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Both the Rav4 and the Cherokee offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 Limited also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cherokee.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Rav4 XLE Premium/Limited/TRD Off-Road offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

The Rav4 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Rav4 is less expensive to operate than the Cherokee because typical repairs cost much less on the Rav4 than the Cherokee, including $102 less for a water pump, $628 less for a muffler, $35 less for front brake pads, $3 less for a starter, $96 less for a fuel pump and $181 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Rav4, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Cherokee isn't recommended.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Jeep Cherokee by almost 10 to one during 2022.