Compare the2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee LVS 2023 Nissan Pathfinder

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 Nissan Pathfinder doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

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 Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Grand Cherokee L and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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.

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

There are over 2 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Nissan dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee L’s warranty.

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 Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder.

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 Nissan With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Jeep higher than Nissan.

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 9 more horsepower (293 vs. 284) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The Grand Cherokee L’s optional 5.7 V8 produces 62 more horsepower (357 vs. 295) and 120 lbs.-ft. more torque (390 vs. 270) than the Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Grand Cherokee L V8 is faster than the Nissan Pathfinder (base engine):

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 Pathfinder 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 L uses regular unleaded gasoline (mid-grade octane recommended with the 5.7 V8 engine for maximum performance). The Pathfinder Rock Creek requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 31.4 cents more per gallon.

The Grand Cherokee L has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pathfinder (23 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Grand Cherokee L stops shorter than the Pathfinder:

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

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Pathfinder’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Grand Cherokee L Summit offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Pathfinder’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

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 Pathfinder; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Grand Cherokee L has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Pathfinder’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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 Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee L’s wheelbase is 7.5 inches longer than on the Pathfinder (121.7 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

The Grand Cherokee L’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the Pathfinder’s (55% to 45%). This gives the Grand Cherokee L more stable handling and braking.

The Grand Cherokee L Summit 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the Pathfinder Platinum pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Grand Cherokee L Summit 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Pathfinder Platinum (27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee L Laredo/Limited has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pathfinder (8.5 vs. 7.1 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 3.2 inches higher than on the Pathfinder Rock Creek (10.9 vs. 7.7 inches).

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 Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Grand Cherokee L has 11.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Pathfinder (159.1 vs. 148).

The Grand Cherokee L has .3 inches more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear legroom and 2.3 inches more third row legroom than the Pathfinder.

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

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit’s second row seats and pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Pathfinder is limited to 6000 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 Pathfinder can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Grand Cherokee L uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Pathfinder Platinum, 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 Pathfinder does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Pathfinder SV/Rock Creek/SL/Platinum.

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 Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder.

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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Grand Cherokee L will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Grand Cherokee L will retain 52.42% to 55.67% of its original price after five years, while the Pathfinder only retains 43.77% to 45.89%.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2021 issue and they ranked the Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited 4x4 higher than the Nissan Pathfinder Platinum.

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

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Nissan Pathfinder by almost four to one during 2022.