Compare the2023 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Discovery and Cherokee have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Cherokee’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Discovery has a standard 3D Surround Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Cherokee only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Discovery and Cherokee have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Discovery has Rear Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Cherokee’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

The Discovery’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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Discovery and the Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 rear cross-path warning.

The Land Rover Discovery weighs 605 to 1285 pounds more than the Jeep Cherokee. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Discovery comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Cherokee’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Discovery’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Cherokee’s (6 vs. 5 years).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Land Rover vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Land Rover higher than Jeep.

The Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 116 more horsepower (296 vs. 180) and 124 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 171) than the Cherokee’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Discovery’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 more horsepower (296 vs. 270) than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid produces 85 more horsepower (355 vs. 270) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 295) than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Cherokee Trailhawk 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

The Discovery has 8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cherokee (23.8 vs. 15.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Discovery has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Cherokee. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Cherokee (5 to 6). This means the Discovery produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

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

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

The Discovery stops shorter than the Cherokee:

For better traction, the Discovery has larger standard tires than the Cherokee (255/55R20 vs. 225/60R18). The Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cherokee (285/40R22 vs. 245/65R17).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cherokee Trailhawk 4x4’s standard 65 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Cherokee Altitude LUX’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Cherokee Trailhawk 4x4. The Discovery’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cherokee Altitude LUX.

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

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Cherokee, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard 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 Cherokee’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Discovery’s wheelbase is 8.5 inches longer than on the Cherokee (115.1 inches vs. 106.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Discovery is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cherokee.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 3.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Cherokee (11.1 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Discovery’s minimum ground clearance is 2.4 inches higher than on the Cherokee Trailhawk (11.1 vs. 8.7 inches).

The Discovery has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Cherokee can only carry 5.

The Discovery has 4 inches more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 5.8 inches more rear hip room and 4.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cherokee.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Cherokee doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

The Discovery’s cargo area provides more volume than the Cherokee.

The Discovery’s cargo area is larger than the Cherokee’s in every dimension:

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Discovery’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Cherokee’s (5925 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Jeep Cherokee is only 4000 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

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

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional in the Cherokee, the Discovery offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Discovery 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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Discovery to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Cherokee doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Cherokee doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Discovery’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 Cherokee has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Discovery and the Cherokee have standard heated front seats. The Discovery also offers optional heated second and third row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cherokee.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan has standard front air conditioned seats and the Discovery offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Cherokee doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Cherokee.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Discovery has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.