Compare the2024 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2024 Lincoln Nautilus

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Grand Cherokee Overland 4WD/Summit 4WD’s standard Hill-descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Nautilus doesn’t offer Hill-descent Control.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee 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 Nautilus doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the Nautilus 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, 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.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Nautilus has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Grand Cherokee for 2 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 2 visits). Lincoln only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Nautilus.

There are over 4 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is rated below average.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 43 more horsepower (293 vs. 250) than the Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Grand Cherokee 4xe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 75 more horsepower (375 vs. 300) and 175 lbs.-ft. more torque (470 vs. 295) than the Nautilus’ optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Cherokee running on electricity gets better mileage than the Nautilus:

The Grand Cherokee 4xe can travel with zero emissions for 26 miles. The Nautilus can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Nautilus’ standard fuel tank (23 vs. 20.3 gallons).

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

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

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Nautilus (275/45R21 vs. 255/60R19).

The Grand Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Nautilus doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Grand Cherokee offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Nautilus; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Nautilus doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Grand Cherokee 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’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 Nautilus doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the Nautilus (116.7 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Nautilus (8.4 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 3 inches higher than on the Nautilus (10.9 vs. 7.9 inches).

The front grille of the Grand Cherokee uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Nautilus doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Grand Cherokee has .3 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front hip room and .3 inches more front shoulder room than the Nautilus.

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume than the Nautilus with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 36.4 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Grand Cherokee. The Nautilus doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Nautilus’ (3500 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln Nautilus is only 1750 pounds. The Grand Cherokee offers up to a 6200 lbs. towing capacity.

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

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Nautilus, the Grand Cherokee Overland Luxury Tech/Summit has a 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’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 Nautilus does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Grand Cherokee Overland/Summit offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, certain gauge 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 Nautilus doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Grand Cherokee’s optional 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 Nautilus has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the Grand Cherokee’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Nautilus doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

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

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Lincoln Nautilus by over 10 to one during 2023.