We Sell Both
Not two sizes of one vehicle. One is an all-wheel-drive hybrid built around 37 MPG and a 188-inch footprint; the other is a two-engine, tow-first SUV rated to 6,200 pounds. The right answer is whichever describes your year.
The honest split between these two shows up in the shoulder seasons: one is sized and geared for the weekend that ends with a trailer in salt water, the other for the four hundred miles between those weekends. We sell both. To keep this like for like, every price here excludes destination; that charge is $1,995 on either vehicle.
An all-new two-row midsize SUV, back after a gap, built on one powertrain and one drivetrain. Under the hood: a 1.6-liter turbocharged four, two electric motors and a battery, combining for 210 horsepower and 230 lb-ft. Drive goes out through a continuously variable transaxle to Jeep Active Drive I four-wheel drive with a rear-axle disconnect. Four-wheel drive is standard on all five trims, and so is the 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen and the full driver-assistance suite. Its footprint is 188.1 inches over a 113.0-inch wheelbase, with 33.6 cubic feet behind the second row. The EPA rating reads 39 city, 35 highway, 37 combined, which turns a 13.7-gallon tank into more than 500 miles. It tows up to 3,500 pounds on a conventional hitch, properly equipped, and prices run $35,000 to $43,000 excluding destination.
The established two-row Grand Cherokee, built on a rear-drive-based architecture with a choice of two engines and a choice of drivetrains. A 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 makes 293 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb-ft on the Laredo and Laredo X; a 2.0-liter Hurricane turbo four makes 324 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 332 lb-ft from the Laredo Altitude up. Both use an eight-speed automatic. Rear-wheel drive is standard on the four lower trims with 4WD optional, and 4WD is standard on the Limited Reserve and Summit. It measures 193.5 inches long on a 116.7-inch wheelbase, carries 37.7 cubic feet behind the second row, and tows up to 6,200 pounds properly equipped. That rating is the same whichever of the two engines is fitted. Prices run $38,920 to $60,600 excluding destination. Full detail lives on the Grand Cherokee overview and its own research hub.
| Specification | 2026 Jeep Cherokee | 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee |
|---|---|---|
| Engines offered | One: 1.6L I4 Turbo Hybrid | Two. A 3.6L Pentastar V6 on the lower trims; a 2.0L Hurricane turbo four from the Laredo Altitude up |
| Horsepower | 210 hp combined system output | 293 hp at 6,400 rpm (V6); 324 hp at 6,000 rpm (Hurricane) |
| Torque | 230 lb-ft combined system output | 260 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm (V6); 332 lb-ft (Hurricane) |
| Transmission | Continuously variable transaxle | Eight-speed automatic, both engines |
| Drivetrain | Active Drive I four-wheel drive, standard on every trim | Rear-wheel drive standard on four trims with 4WD optional; 4WD standard on Limited Reserve and Summit |
| EPA combined MPG | 37 MPG (39 city / 35 highway) | 22 MPG (V6 4x4, 19/26); 22 MPG (Hurricane 4x4, 20/25); 23 MPG (Hurricane 4x2, 21/27) |
| Maximum towing | 3,500 lbs, conventional hitch, properly equipped | 6,200 lbs, properly equipped |
| Fuel | Regular unleaded, 13.7-gallon tank, 500-plus miles of range per Jeep | Regular unleaded on both engines |
EPA estimates per fueleconomy.gov, read directly at each rating body. Note the two figures are measured the same way and describe genuinely different machines: the Cherokee's 210 horsepower is a combined system output from engine and motors together, while the Grand Cherokee's are engine figures with rpm peaks attached.
| Dimension | Cherokee | Grand Cherokee |
|---|---|---|
| Overall length | 188.1 in | 193.5 in |
| Wheelbase | 113.0 in | 116.7 in |
| Width excluding mirrors | 74.7 in | 77.5 in |
| Height | 67.5 in | 70.8 in |
| Ground clearance | 8.0 in | 8.4 in, standard suspension |
| Cargo behind the second row | 33.6 cu ft | 37.7 cu ft |
| Maximum cargo | 68.3 cu ft | 70.8 cu ft |
| Seating | 5, two rows | 5, two rows |
The gap is real but smaller than the badge suggests: 5.4 inches of length, 2.8 inches of width and 4.1 cubic feet behind the second row. Where that shows up is parking and garage doors on one side, and load height and stance on the other.
| Figure, excluding destination | Cherokee | Grand Cherokee |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price as delivered | $35,000, four-wheel drive standard | $38,920, rear-wheel drive |
| Entry price with four-wheel drive | $35,000, the same car | $40,920 (Laredo 4x4) |
| Top published trim price | $43,000 (Overland) | $60,600 (Summit 4x4) |
| Destination charge in the price | $1,995 | $1,995 |
| Basic warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
| Powertrain warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles, plus 8 years / 100,000 miles on the hybrid battery | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
Both columns exclude destination, and destination is the same $1,995 on either vehicle, so those two rows compare directly. The row worth reading twice is the second one: because four-wheel drive is standard equipment on every Cherokee and an option on the Grand Cherokee's lower trims, a four-wheel-drive-to-four-wheel-drive comparison opens at $35,000 against $40,920, a $5,920 difference rather than the $3,920 the headline prices suggest. The Grand Cherokee's ladder then runs much further up than the Cherokee's does.
Fuel economy, by a wide margin. 37 MPG combined against 22 or 23. On a peninsula where the same vehicle does three months of stoplights and nine months of open road, that is the difference between two very different fuel bills, and the EPA puts the Cherokee's annual cost at $1,650.
Four-wheel drive on the entry car. Every Cherokee has it, including the $35,000 one. On the Grand Cherokee it is standard from the Limited Reserve up and an option below that, so the entry car is rear-wheel drive.
Footprint. 5.4 inches shorter, 2.8 inches narrower and 3.3 inches lower, turning inside 40.3 feet. That is the difference between fitting an older garage bay and not, and between an angled summer parking space being easy and being a three-point job.
Range between fills. It goes more than 500 miles on a tank. On a peninsula where getting off-Cape means a bridge, the number of times you think about a fuel stop drops noticeably.
The big screen on every trim. A 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen is standard on all five Cherokee trims. On the Grand Cherokee the 12.3-inch screen is standard from the Laredo Altitude up, with an 8.4-inch unit on the Laredo and Laredo X.
Towing, by a wide margin. 6,200 pounds properly equipped against 3,500. If your season includes a boat much bigger than a small runabout, or a camper, this line settles the whole comparison on its own.
Power, and a choice of it. 293 horsepower from the Pentastar V6 or 324 from the Hurricane turbo four, against 210 combined. It also offers a choice at all, where the Cherokee offers one powertrain and no alternative.
Space. Behind the second row it holds 37.7 cubic feet to the Cherokee's 33.6; at maximum, 70.8 to 68.3. Its wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer. Four cubic feet does not sound like much until it is the difference between the stroller going in flat and going in diagonally.
Payload. The Grand Cherokee is rated at 1,280 pounds on a Laredo 4x2 and 1,240 on a Laredo 4x4. Jeep publishes no payload figure for the Cherokee at all, and directs owners to the door-jamb placard for their specific car, so a buyer who needs a stated payload number has one on only one of these two.
Reach at the top of the range. The ladder runs to $60,600 for a Summit 4x4, with equipment the Cherokee's $43,000 ceiling does not reach. If you want the most equipped Jeep of this shape, only one of these two goes there.
Both carry a full driver-assistance suite as standard. On the Cherokee that means Active Driving Assist with lane centering and adaptive cruise, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist identification, intersection collision assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-path detection and rear park assist with rear automatic braking — on every one of its five trims, including the entry car.
You tow anything substantial. Grand Cherokee. 6,200 pounds properly equipped is the figure, and a boat coming off a ramp at Sesuit Harbor on a wet slope is not the place to be near a limit. See Grand Cherokee inventory.
You drive a lot of miles between weekends. Cherokee. 37 MPG combined and 500-plus miles of range change what a long commute costs, and four-wheel drive is standard for the two months a year you need it. See Cherokee inventory.
Your garage is older than your car. Cherokee, at 74.7 inches across the body and 188.1 long. Measure before you decide; more people change their mind in the lot over this than over anything else on the page.
You want a V6, or you want to choose your engine. Grand Cherokee. The Pentastar and the Hurricane are both there, and neither exists in the Cherokee.
You want the most equipped version of a two-row Jeep. Grand Cherokee, whose ladder runs to a Summit 4x4 at $60,600.
You want four-wheel drive at the lowest price. Cherokee, where it is standard at $35,000 rather than an option above a rear-drive entry car.
We keep both on the lot at 556 Yarmouth Rd in Hyannis, just off Route 132 and a short run from Sesuit Harbor and central to Barnstable, which makes this an easy comparison to settle in person rather than in tabs. Park them nose to tail and the 5.4 inches becomes obvious; sit in both second rows and the 4.1 cubic feet of cargo volume between them stops being abstract. Bring the trailer weight if towing is in the question at all, because that single number decides this more often than anything else does. We sell across the Cape and up the South Shore toward Plymouth, and we see this exact cross-shop most weeks — from Falmouth, and from right across Barnstable. A Falmouth family and a Plymouth boat owner usually land on opposite sides of this one.
Call (508) 815-5000, book a test drive in both, get pre-approved, or value your trade.
They are separate vehicles rather than two sizes of the same one. The Cherokee is a two-row hybrid with four-wheel drive standard, 210 combined horsepower, 37 MPG combined and a 3,500-pound tow rating. The Grand Cherokee is a rear-drive-based two-row SUV with a choice of a 293-horsepower V6 or a 324-horsepower turbo four, 22 to 23 MPG combined and a 6,200-pound tow rating. Both seat five.
5.4 inches longer at 193.5 against 188.1, 2.8 inches wider across the body at 77.5 against 74.7, and 3.3 inches taller at 70.8 against 67.5, on a wheelbase 3.7 inches longer. Cargo behind the second row is 37.7 cubic feet against 33.6.
The Grand Cherokee, at up to 6,200 pounds properly equipped, against up to 3,500 pounds for the Cherokee on a conventional hitch, properly equipped. The Grand Cherokee figure is the same on both of its engines. If you tow anything past a small utility trailer or a light runabout, that gap is the decision.
The Cherokee, and not marginally. Its EPA numbers: 39 city, 35 highway, 37 combined. The Grand Cherokee is rated 22 combined with the V6 in four-wheel drive, 22 with the Hurricane turbo in four-wheel drive and 23 in rear-wheel drive. Both take regular unleaded.
It can be. Rear-wheel drive is standard on the Laredo, Laredo X, Laredo Altitude and Limited with four-wheel drive optional, and four-wheel drive is standard on the Limited Reserve and Summit. The Cherokee is four-wheel drive on every trim with no rear- or front-drive version offered.
The Cherokee opens lower, at $35,000 against $38,920, both excluding a $1,995 destination charge that is identical on either vehicle. Comparing four-wheel drive to four-wheel drive widens it: $35,000 against $40,920 for a Laredo 4x4. At the other end the Grand Cherokee reaches $60,600 for a Summit 4x4, where the Cherokee's range tops out at $43,000.
The two engines on the 2026 Grand Cherokee covered here are the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and the 2.0-liter Hurricane turbo four, both with an eight-speed automatic. The Cherokee is the hybrid of this pair, with its 1.6L I4 Turbo Hybrid standard on every trim. Ask us what is on the lot, because Jeep's electrified line-up moves and inventory is the current answer.
Both arrive with the full suite standard. On the Cherokee every one of those systems is fitted to all five trims. Lane centering runs with the adaptive cruise under the Active Driving Assist name; the braking picks out people and cyclists as well as cars; the blind-spot monitor adds cross-path cover for backing out; there is help at intersections, lane keep, and parking sensors that brake for you. The entry car leaves with the same list as the Overland.
Both are on the lot in Hyannis. Half an hour settles what a table cannot.
* The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, other fees required by law, finance charges and any documentation charges. A negotiable administration fee, up to $115, may be added to the price of the vehicle.
* Images, prices, and options shown, including vehicle color, trim, options, pricing and other specifications are subject to availability, incentive offerings, current pricing and credit worthiness.