Compare the2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee LVS 2023 Kia Sorento

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
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Kia Sorento doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sorento doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Grand Cherokee L has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Sorento doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee L 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 Sorento doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Grand Cherokee L and the Sorento 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, plastic fuel tanks, 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, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L weighs 404 to 1564 pounds more than the Kia Sorento. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 L its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 36 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sorento was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

The Grand Cherokee L’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sorento runs out after 100,000 miles.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Grand Cherokee L 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). Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sorento.

There are over 3 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee L’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Grand Cherokee L has a standard 160-amp alternator (180-amp - Grand Cherokee L optional and 240 optional). The Sorento’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Grand Cherokee L has a standard 850-amp battery. The Sorento only offers a 760-amp battery.

The battery on the Grand Cherokee L is under the seat, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Grand Cherokee L’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Sorento’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Grand Cherokee L’s reliability 21 points higher than the Sorento.

Engine

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 102 more horsepower (293 vs. 191) and 79 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 181) than the Sorento’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Grand Cherokee L’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 12 more horsepower (293 vs. 281) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Grand Cherokee L’s optional 5.7 V8 produces 76 more horsepower (357 vs. 281) and 79 lbs.-ft. more torque (390 vs. 311) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Grand Cherokee L V8 is faster than the Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Grand Cherokee L	Sorento
Zero to 30 MPH	2 sec	2.3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	14.8 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Grand Cherokee L V8’s fuel efficiency. The Sorento doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Grand Cherokee L has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sorento (23 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Sorento doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Grand Cherokee L	Sorento
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	12.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12 inches

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

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee L has larger standard tires than the Sorento (265/60R18 vs. 235/65R17). The Grand Cherokee L Summit’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sorento (275/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sorento LX’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Grand Cherokee L has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX. The Grand Cherokee L Summit’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Sorento.

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

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

Suspension and Handling

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Sorento’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 L’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 Sorento doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee L’s wheelbase is 10.9 inches longer than on the Sorento (121.7 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee L Laredo/Limited has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (8.5 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee L to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit’s minimum ground clearance is 2.7 inches higher than on the Sorento X-Line (10.9 vs. 8.2 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Grand Cherokee L uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Sorento doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

Passenger Space

The Grand Cherokee L has 53.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sorento (159.1 vs. 105.3).

The Grand Cherokee L has 1.8 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear hip room, .5 inches more third row headroom, .7 inches more third row legroom and .4 inches more third row hip room than the Sorento.

Cargo Capacity

The Grand Cherokee L’s cargo area provides more volume than the Sorento.

	Grand Cherokee L	Sorento
Behind Third Seat	17.2 cubic feet	12.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	46.9 cubic feet	38.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.6 cubic feet	75.5 cubic feet

Both the Grand Cherokee L and the Sorento offer second row automatic folding seats. The Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit’s third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a button. The Sorento doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

Towing

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Sorento’s (3500 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Sorento is only 3500 pounds. The Grand Cherokee L 4x4 offers up to a 7200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 L can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Sorento can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Grand Cherokee L uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sorento 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.

The engine in the Grand Cherokee L is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Sorento. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Sorento Prestige, the Grand Cherokee L Limited/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 L’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 Sorento does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Sorento doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Grand Cherokee L’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Sorento’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard front power windows lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Sorento’s standard power windows’ passenger windows don’t open automatically.

The Grand Cherokee L’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 Sorento’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Grand Cherokee L’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sorento’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Grand Cherokee L has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Sorento doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Grand Cherokee L Limited/Overland/Summit’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Sorento offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Sorento.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Sorento doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Kia Sorento by almost three to one during 2022.

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