Compare the2023 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2023 Porsche Macan

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Grand Cherokee are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Macan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Grand Cherokee has standard ParkSense Rear Park Assist with Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Macan doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk/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 Macan doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Grand Cherokee has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Macan’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Grand Cherokee’s standard Rear Cross Path Detection uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Macan doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Grand Cherokee Summit’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 Macan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the Macan 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, 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 Grand Cherokee its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 36 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Macan has not been tested, yet.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Grand Cherokee 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Porsche covers the Macan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Macan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 3 visits) on the Grand Cherokee for 2 years and unlimited miles longer than Porsche pays for maintenance for the Macan (3/unlimited vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 12 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee’s warranty.

The Grand Cherokee has more powerful engines than the Macan:

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Cherokee running on electricity gets better mileage than the Macan:

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Cherokee running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Macan:

The Grand Cherokee 4xe can travel with zero emissions for 26 miles. The Macan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Grand Cherokee V8’s fuel efficiency. The Macan 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 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Grand Cherokee 4xe for maximum performance). The Macan requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Grand Cherokee 4xe Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Macan (19 vs. 17.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Grand Cherokee’s standard fuel tank has 5.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Macan (23 vs. 17.1 gallons).

The Grand Cherokee has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Macan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Macan.

For better stopping power the Grand Cherokee’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Macan:

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee has larger standard tires than the Macan (245/70R17 vs. 235/55R19). The Grand Cherokee Summit’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Macan (275/45R21 vs. 265/40R21).

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

The Grand Cherokee offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Macan; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Macan doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 6.2 inches longer than on the Macan (116.7 inches vs. 110.5 inches).

The Grand Cherokee’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52% to 48%) than the Macan’s (55.7% to 44.3%). This gives the Grand Cherokee more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the Grand Cherokee’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Macan’s (38 feet vs. 39.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Macan (8.4 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 2 inches higher than on the Macan (10.9 vs. 8.9 inches).

The design of the Jeep Grand Cherokee amounts to more than styling. The Grand Cherokee has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .357 Cd. That is lower than the Macan (.35 to .37). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Grand Cherokee get better fuel mileage.

The Grand Cherokee offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Macan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Grand Cherokee’s rear seats recline. The Macan’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Macan with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 17.2 cubic feet). The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Macan with its rear seat folded (70.8 vs. 52.9 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Grand Cherokee’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Macan doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Maximum trailer towing in the Porsche Macan is limited to 4409 pounds. The Grand Cherokee 4x4 offers up to a 7200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Grand Cherokee 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Grand Cherokee can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Macan can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Grand Cherokee offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Macan doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Grand Cherokee’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Macan has neither an oil pressure gauge nor a temperature gauge.

The Grand Cherokee Overland/Summit offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, certain gauge 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 Macan doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Grand Cherokee’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Macan’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Grand Cherokee has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Macan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Grand Cherokee has standard extendable sun visors. The Macan doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

The Grand Cherokee Overland Lux Tech/Summit has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Macan.

The Grand Cherokee offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Macan doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Porsche Macan by over 14 to one during 2022.