Compare the2023 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2023 Tesla Model Y

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 Model Y doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Grand Cherokee Overland 4WD/Summit 4WD’s standard Hill-descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model Y doesn’t offer Hill-descent Control.

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 Model Y 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 Model Y 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.

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 Model Y 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 Model Y doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Grand Cherokee (except Laredo) offers optional Uconnect Access, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model Y doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the Model Y 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Grand Cherokee for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model Y.

There are almost 16 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 66 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

The Grand Cherokee 4xe’s maximum EPA estimated range on a full tank and a full charge is 482 miles, after which it can be refueled at any gas station in minutes. The Model Y’s range is only 303 to 330 miles, after which the minimum time to recharge is 15 minutes for only a 45% charge at a specially configured quick charge station not available in most areas. A full recharge at a professionally installed 220-volt charging station can take up to 8 hours and 30 minutes.

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee Summit’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (275/45R21 vs. 255/35R21).

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 Model Y 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 Model Y; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Grand Cherokee has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Grand Cherokee flat and controlled during cornering. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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 Model Y 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 Model Y’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 Model Y doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the Model Y (116.7 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Grand Cherokee is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

For better maneuverability, the Grand Cherokee’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Model Y’s (38 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (8.4 vs. 6.6 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 4.3 inches higher than on the Model Y (10.9 vs. 6.6 inches).

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 Model Y doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Grand Cherokee has 3.6 inches more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, 5.7 inches more rear hip room and 4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model Y.

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume than the Model Y with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 16.9 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 Model Y 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 Tesla Model Y is limited to 3500 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 Model Y can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Grand Cherokee uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Model Y doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Model Y, 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 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 Model Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Grand Cherokee has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Consumer Reports rated the Grand Cherokee’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Model Y’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Grand Cherokee’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model Y doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

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 Model Y doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

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 Model Y 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 Model Y.

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 Model Y doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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