Compare the2024 GMC TerrainVS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

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 Terrain 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 Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali offers an optional Surround Vision 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 Terrain and the Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the GMC Terrain is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the GMC Terrain is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Terrain the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 231 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cherokee has not been tested, yet.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Terrain second among compact suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Cherokee isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 24 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 long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Jeep With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Jeep.

The Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 32 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 171) than the Cherokee’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Terrain gets better mileage than the Cherokee:

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

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

The Terrain’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 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 Terrain offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Cherokee’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Terrain Denali AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Cherokee pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Terrain Denali AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cherokee (27.5 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The GMC Terrain may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 550 pounds less than the Jeep Cherokee.

The Terrain has .6 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cherokee.

The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cherokee with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

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

The Terrain’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 Cherokee does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Terrain (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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.

On a hot day the Terrain’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 Terrain and the Cherokee offer available heated front seats. The Terrain Denali also offers optional 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 GMC Terrain Denali has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Terrain is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Terrain is less expensive to operate than the Cherokee because typical repairs cost less on the Terrain than the Cherokee, including $74 less for a starter, $144 less for front struts and $151 less for a timing belt/chain.

The GMC Terrain outsold the Jeep Cherokee by over two to one during 2022.