Compare the2023 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2023 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Forester doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Grand Cherokee (except Laredo) offers an optional 360-degree camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forester only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

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 Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Grand Cherokee has standard Rear Cross Path Detection, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base.

Compared to metal, the Grand Cherokee’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the Forester 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and driver alert monitors.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee weighs 618 to 2067 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Grand Cherokee for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 3 oil changes). Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forester.

There are almost 4 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Grand Cherokee has a standard 850-amp battery (900 Trailhawk/Overland/Summit and 700 V8). The Forester’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Jeep higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 111 more horsepower (293 vs. 182) and 84 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Grand Cherokee’s optional 5.7 V8 produces 175 more horsepower (357 vs. 182) and 214 lbs.-ft. more torque (390 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Grand Cherokee 4xe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 193 more horsepower (375 vs. 182) and 294 lbs.-ft. more torque (470 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Grand Cherokee	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.8 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPGe
Grand Cherokee
	AWD	4xe Electric Motor	57 city/56 hwy
Forester
			MPG
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy

The Grand Cherokee 4xe can travel with zero emissions for 26 miles. The Forester 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 Forester doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Grand Cherokee 4xe’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Forester doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Grand Cherokee 4xe Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (19 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Grand Cherokee’s standard fuel tank has 6.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (23 vs. 16.6 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 Forester doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Grand Cherokee	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The Grand Cherokee’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Forester are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee has larger standard tires than the Forester (245/70R17 vs. 225/60R17). The Grand Cherokee Summit’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (275/45R21 vs. 225/60R17).

The Grand Cherokee Summit’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Grand Cherokee Summit offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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 Forester doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

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 Forester doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Grand Cherokee offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Forester’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Grand Cherokee offers an optional automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Grand Cherokee’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Forester doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 11.6 inches longer than on the Forester (116.7 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Grand Cherokee is 3.9 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Grand Cherokee’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52% to 48%) than the Forester’s (57.3% to 42.7%). This gives the Grand Cherokee more stable handling and braking.

The Grand Cherokee 4x4 handles at .79 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forester Touring (27.7 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Air Suspension has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Forester Wilderness (10.9 vs. 9.2 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

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 Forester doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Grand Cherokee has 3.3 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2.7 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

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

	Grand Cherokee	Forester
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	41”/73.8”	35.7”/73.1”
Max Width	55”	51.5”
Min Width	43”	43.3”
Height	32”	34.8”

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 Forester doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The Grand Cherokee’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 3000 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 Forester can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Grand Cherokee uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Forester Touring, the Grand Cherokee 4xe/Limited/Trailhawk/Overland/Summit offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

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 Forester does not have an oil pressure 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 Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Grand Cherokee and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Grand Cherokee is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard front power windows 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 Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Grand Cherokee Overland/Summit’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches. With the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Grand Cherokee’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Grand Cherokee to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Forester doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

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 Forester doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Forester.

The Grand Cherokee has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Jeep Grand Cherokee offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 Forester doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Grand Cherokee Summit’s Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Grand Cherokee third among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Forester isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Subaru Forester by almost two to one during 2022.