Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4 HybridVS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid XSE/Limited 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 Hybrid’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 Hybrid 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available 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 Hybrid is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Rav4 Hybrid	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 Hybrid is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Rav4 Hybrid	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 Hybrid is 1.4% 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 39 more horsepower (219 vs. 180) than the Cherokee’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is faster than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Cherokee 4 cyl.	Cherokee Trailhawk
Zero to 60 MPH	7.1 sec	9.5 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	17.2 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	80.5 MPH	87.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Rav4 Hybrid
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	41 city/38 hwy
		Woodland 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	38 city/35 hwy
Cherokee
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

The Rav4 Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 1.6 miles. The Cherokee can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Rav4 Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Cherokee Trailhawk requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Cherokee (5 to 6). This means the Rav4 Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rav4 Hybrid stops much shorter than the Cherokee:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Cherokee
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	145 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Rav4 Hybrid’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Cherokee’s (57.8% to 42.2%). This gives the Rav4 Hybrid more stable handling and braking.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE handles at .80 G’s, while the Cherokee pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cherokee (27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Cherokee’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.7 feet). The Rav4 Hybrid’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cherokee (8.1 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Rav4 Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid easier. The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the Cherokee’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

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

	Rav4 Hybrid	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 Hybrid has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Cherokee (1210 vs. 1000 lbs.).

Ergonomics

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Rav4 Hybrid Limited offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the Cherokee offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 Hybrid 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 Hybrid XLE Premium/XSE/Limited offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, 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.

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