Compare the2025 Honda CR-VVS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. 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 CR-V 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Cherokee’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring has standard Parking Sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The CR-V’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 CR-V and the 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 all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Honda CR-V 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 Cherokee has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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 Honda CR-V’s reliability 25 points higher than the Cherokee.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 21 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The CR-V’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 10 more horsepower (190 vs. 180) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 171) than the Cherokee’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Honda CR-V turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Cherokee 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Cherokee:

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

The CR-V 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 Honda CR-V higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Jeep Cherokee (5 to 6). This means the CR-V produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

The CR-V 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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a CVT.

The CR-V stops much shorter than the Cherokee:

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Cherokee (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R18).

The CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid’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 CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. The Cherokee’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Cherokee pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cherokee (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CR-V’s turning circle is .4 feet tighter than the Cherokee’s (37.3 feet vs. 37.7 feet). The CR-V’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s (37.3 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CR-V has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cherokee (8.2 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the CR-V to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Honda CR-V may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 400 pounds less than the Jeep Cherokee.

The CR-V has 2.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cherokee (106 vs. 103.5).

The CR-V has .6 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear legroom, 2.7 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cherokee.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cherokee with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V easier. The CR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28 inches, while the Cherokee’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

The CR-V’s cargo area is larger than the Cherokee’s in every dimension:

On a hot day the CR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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

Insurance will cost less for the CR-V owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the CR-V will cost $75 to $530 less than the Cherokee over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda CR-V will be $5485 to $6058 less than for the Jeep Cherokee.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Cherokee isn't recommended.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “5Best Trucks/10Best” for 2024 and 4 more times in the last 23 years. The Cherokee has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Cherokee has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Jeep Cherokee by almost 15 to one during 2023.