Compare the2024 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback 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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.

Both the Outback and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 30 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Grand Cherokee has not been tested, yet.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Outback have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Grand Cherokee.

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 Outback’s reliability 24 points higher than the Grand Cherokee.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated lower.

As tested in Motor Trend the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Grand Cherokee 4xe 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee running its gasoline engine:

Regardless of its engine, the Outback’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Jeep only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Grand Cherokee V6/4xe.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Outback uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Grand Cherokee 4xe requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Outback has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Grand 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 Subaru Outback higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Jeep Grand Cherokee (5 to 7). This means the Outback produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Grand Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Subaru Outback as a “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Jeep Grand Cherokee is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Outback stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

The Outback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee Laredo’s standard 70 series tires.

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare costs extra on the Grand Cherokee. Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Outback Limited handles at .79 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 pulls only .60 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Outback Wilderness executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 (27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Grand Cherokee’s (36.1 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Grand Cherokee (8.7 vs. 8.4 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 1600 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Outback has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front legroom and 1.3 inches more rear legroom than the Grand Cherokee.

The front step up height for the Outback is 1.2 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee (19” vs. 20.2”). The Outback’s rear step up height is 3 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee’s (18.5” vs. 21.5”).

The Outback has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Grand Cherokee with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 70.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Outback easier. The Outback’s trunk lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the Grand Cherokee’s liftover is 33 inches.

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

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its extra cost Uconnect Access can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Grand Cherokee isn't recommended.