Compare the2024 Audi A4 AllroadVS 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 Allroad 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 A4 Allroad’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A4 Allroad and Grand Cherokee have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A4 Allroad 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 Grand 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 A4 Allroad has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A4 Allroad. But it costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.

Both the A4 Allroad and Grand Cherokee offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the A4 Allroad with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Grand Cherokee’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the A4 Allroad and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

The A4 Allroad comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Grand Cherokee’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The A4 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Grand Cherokee’s (12 vs. 5 years).

The Audi A4 Allroad’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Grand Cherokee’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

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 A4 Allroad’s reliability 16 points higher than the Grand Cherokee.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 7 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The A4 Allroad’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 257) than the Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the A4 Allroad gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee running its gasoline engine:

Both the A4 Allroad and the Grand Cherokee have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All A4 Allroads have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch for start/stop is only offered on the Grand Cherokee V6.

The A4 Allroad 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.

The A4 Allroad offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A4 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer launch control.

The A4 Allroad stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

The A4 Allroad’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee Laredo’s standard 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A4 Allroad has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Grand Cherokee Laredo.

The A4 Allroad Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee 4x4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A4 Allroad Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

The Audi A4 Allroad may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 1700 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The A4 Allroad is 6 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee, making the A4 Allroad easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The A4 Allroad is 12 inches shorter in height than the Grand Cherokee, making the A4 Allroad much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The design of the Audi A4 Allroad amounts to more than styling. The A4 Allroad has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is lower than the Grand Cherokee (.357). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the A4 Allroad get better fuel mileage.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A4 Allroad easier. The A4 Allroad’s trunk lift-over height is 26.1 inches, while the Grand Cherokee’s liftover is 33 inches.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the A4 Allroad’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The A4 Allroad’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee’s (3968 vs. 3500 pounds).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Jeep. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 31% lower rating, Jeep is ranked 26th.

The A4 Allroad’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Grand Cherokee’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the A4 Allroad the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Grand Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The A4 Allroad’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Grand Cherokee’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 Allroad to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Grand 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 A4 Allroad Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the A4 Allroad has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The A4 Allroad has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.