Compare the2024 Hyundai Tucson HybridVS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid 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.

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 Tucson Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited has a standard Around View Monitor 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 Tucson Hybrid and Cherokee have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Tucson Hybrid has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (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 Tucson Hybrid’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 Tucson Hybrid and the Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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.

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 Tucson Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cherokee has not been tested, yet.

The Tucson Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-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 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Cherokee. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Cherokee ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Tucson Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Cherokee’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson Hybrid for 1 year longer than Jeep pays for maintenance for the Cherokee (3 years vs. 2 years).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 15 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The Tucson Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 46 more horsepower (226 vs. 180) and 87 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 171) than the Cherokee’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is faster than the Jeep Cherokee 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Tucson Hybrid gets better mileage than the Cherokee:

Regenerative brakes improve the Tucson Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Cherokee Trailhawk requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Tucson Hybrid has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. 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 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Cherokee (5 to 6). This means the Tucson Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

The Tucson Hybrid stops shorter than the Cherokee:

For better traction, the Tucson Hybrid has larger tires than the Cherokee (235/65R17 vs. 225/60R18).

The Tucson Hybrid SEL/N Line/Limited’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cherokee Altitude LUX’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tucson Hybrid SEL/N Line/Limited has standard 19-inch wheels. The Cherokee’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson Hybrid’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the Cherokee (108.5 inches vs. 106.6 inches).

The Tucson Hybrid Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the Cherokee pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cherokee (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Tucson Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cherokee (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Tucson Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Tucson Hybrid has 4.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cherokee (107.9 vs. 103.5).

The Tucson Hybrid has .7 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom, 4 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cherokee.

The Tucson Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cherokee with its rear seat up (38.7 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The Tucson Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (74.5 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson Hybrid’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Tucson Hybrid has a higher standard payload capacity than the Cherokee (1169 vs. 1000 lbs.).

On a hot day the Tucson Hybrid’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Both the Tucson Hybrid and the Cherokee have standard heated front seats. The Tucson Hybrid Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cherokee.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid SEL/N Line/Limited has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Cherokee’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid will be $1557 to $6515 less than for the Jeep Cherokee.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Cherokee isn't recommended.

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Jeep Cherokee by over four to one during 2022.