Head to Head
Two full-size three-row SUVs, both twin-turbo six-cylinder, both starting in the low sixties. The Jeep tows more and carries more behind the third row. The Ford starts cheaper and offers hands-free highway driving the Jeep does not.
These two land in the same place from different directions. Both are body-on-frame full-size SUVs with three rows and a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine, their entry prices sit close together, and both will do the job most families buy this size of vehicle for. The differences that decide it are narrow but real, and they do not all point the same way.
Quick take. Buy the Grand Wagoneer if you tow, or if you need cargo space behind an occupied third row. It is rated 10,000 lbs with a conventional hitch on the 4x4 short-wheelbase build, properly equipped, against 9,600 lbs for a comparably equipped Expedition, and it holds 27.9 cubic feet behind row three against the standard-wheelbase Expedition's 21.6.
Buy the Expedition if hands-free highway driving matters, or if the entry price does. Ford's BlueCruise permits hands-off driving on equipped highways and comes on the King Ranch; Jeep offers no hands-free system on the Grand Wagoneer at any price. The Expedition Active also opens below the base Grand Wagoneer, at $62,700 against $63,995, on a smaller destination charge.
| 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer | 2026 Ford Expedition | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting MSRP | $63,995 plus $2,795 destination | $62,700 plus $2,595 destination |
| Engine | 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo inline-six | 3.5L EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 |
| Horsepower | 420 hp | 400 hp, or 440 hp High-Output |
| Torque | 468 lb-ft | 480 lb-ft, or 510 lb-ft High-Output |
| Transmission | Eight-speed automatic | Ten-speed automatic |
| Maximum towing | 10,000 lbs, 4x4 short wheelbase, 3.92 axle, conventional hitch, properly equipped | 9,600 lbs, 4x4 short wheelbase, 3.73 axle, Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package |
| Cargo behind third row | 27.9 cu ft | 21.6 cu ft, standard wheelbase |
| Cargo behind second row | 70.8 cu ft | 60.8 cu ft, standard wheelbase |
| Third-row legroom | 36.6 in | 36.5 in, or 43.5 in with the second row slid fully forward |
| Center touchscreen | 12 in, standard on every configuration | 13.2 in, standard on every trim |
| Hands-free highway driving | Not offered | BlueCruise, standard on King Ranch, with a one-year plan plus 90 days included |
| Overall length | 216.1 in, or 228.1 in as the L | 209.9 in, or 221.7 in as the MAX |
| Seating | Seven or eight | Seven or eight |
| Basic warranty | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 3 years or 36,000 miles |
Nobody should let warranty decide this one. The two structures match exactly, basic and powertrain alike, so whatever separates these vehicles it is not coverage.
Both are twin-turbocharged sixes, and on paper Ford has the torque advantage: 480 lb-ft against 468, rising to 510 lb-ft with the High-Output tune that is standard on the Tremor and available on the Platinum. Jeep counters with more horsepower in the standard tune, 420 against 400.
One footnote on Ford's numbers deserves reading, because it changes what they mean at the pump. Ford rates the Expedition's horsepower and torque on premium fuel, per the SAE J1349 standard, while recommending regular unleaded for normal running. Jeep recommends mid-grade 89 and accepts regular 87, and the EPA certified all four Grand Wagoneer configurations on regular. Both vehicles run happily on regular; only one publishes its headline outputs on a fuel grade you are unlikely to buy every week.
Towing is where the Jeep separates itself, and the margin is narrower than the marketing on either side suggests. A properly equipped short-wheelbase four-wheel-drive Grand Wagoneer on the 3.92 axle is rated 10,000 lbs on a conventional hitch. The equivalent Expedition, short wheelbase, four-wheel drive, 3.73 axle with the Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package, is rated 9,600 lbs. Four hundred pounds is not nothing at the top of the range, but it is not a category difference either.
The long bodies flip further apart. The Grand Wagoneer L on the same 3.92 axle is rated 9,860 lbs, while the Expedition MAX with its tow package is rated 9,000 lbs. If you need the long body and a serious trailer, the Jeep is the more capable of the two: 9,860 lbs against 9,000 lbs, each on four-wheel drive with its own tow package and a conventional hitch, properly equipped. Configuration detail sits on our towing capacity page.
On the road, the Ford's ten-speed gives it more ratios to work with than the Jeep's eight-speed, though the Jeep's 8.6 overall ratio spread covers the same territory with fewer steps. Fuel economy favors the Jeep slightly: 17 city / 24 highway / 19 combined in rear-drive short-wheelbase form against the Expedition's 16 / 24 / 19, and a wider gap in four-wheel drive at 17 / 23 / 19 against 15 / 22 / 18. Both sets are published at fueleconomy.gov, and both vehicles certify on regular gasoline.
The cargo comparison is the clearest gap on this page, and it is worth stating carefully because wheelbase matters. Behind an occupied third row, the standard-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer holds 27.9 cubic feet against the standard-wheelbase Expedition's 21.6. That is a six-cubic-foot advantage in the configuration most families actually drive, with everyone aboard. Behind the second row the pattern holds, 70.8 against 60.8.
Third-row legroom is effectively a tie at 36.6 inches for the Jeep and 36.5 for the Ford, with one caveat about how Ford measures: the Expedition also quotes 43.5 inches with the second row slid fully forward, which is a real number but describes a cabin where second-row passengers have given up their own space to provide it. Compared like for like, these two seat adults in the third row about equally well.
On screens the Ford wins outright. Every Expedition carries a 13.2-inch center display against the Grand Wagoneer's 12-inch Uconnect 5C NAV, and both are standard across their ranges. Where the Jeep answers is in the seats around it: a 10.25-inch Front Passenger Interactive Display is available on Summit, and Rear Seat Entertainment brings dual 10.1-inch screens with Amazon Fire TV built in on Limited and Summit.
The Ford is also the smaller vehicle outside, 209.9 inches against 216.1, which is six inches you will notice in a summer parking lot and a garage. The Jeep gives that back in cargo behind the third row, which is the trade in a sentence.
This is the one specification gap that no amount of Jeep equipment closes, so it belongs stated plainly rather than buried. Ford's BlueCruise permits genuine hands-off driving on equipped highway sections, comes standard on the King Ranch and MAX King Ranch, and includes a one-year plan plus 90 days.
On the Jeep side the equivalent equipment is Active Driving Assist, fitted to all seven configurations. Jeep's phrase for it, hands-on-wheel and eyes-on-road, sets the expectation accurately: lane holding and speed management are handled, supervision is not, and your hands belong on the wheel throughout. No trim and no option package changes that.
If your commute includes long stretches of mapped highway and hands-off driving appeals, that is a legitimate reason to choose the Expedition, and we would rather tell you so than pretend the two systems are equivalent. If your driving is Cape Cod local, where the roads BlueCruise is designed for make up a small share of the miles, the feature earns considerably less of its keep.
| 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer | 2026 Ford Expedition |
|---|---|
| Grand Wagoneer, $63,995 | Active, $62,700 |
| Limited Altitude, $72,060 | Platinum, $74,250 |
| Upland, $73,060 | Tremor, $81,700, short wheelbase only |
| Limited Reserve, $79,960 | King Ranch, $84,360 |
| Summit Obsidian, $94,310 | MAX King Ranch, $87,360 |
| Summit Reserve, $100,310 | Long-wheelbase MAX adds $3,000 at each level |
All figures exclude destination, which is $2,795 on the Grand Wagoneer and $2,595 on the Expedition. Read the whole range rather than just the entry points. Ford opens lower, at $62,700 against $63,995, and stays close through the middle, but its most expensive configuration lands below the Jeep's, because the Grand Wagoneer's range reaches further into six figures with the Summit Reserve. Both charge a flat $3,000 for their long-wheelbase bodies, which is a genuine coincidence rather than a shared policy.
| Grand Wagoneer wins | Expedition wins |
|---|---|
| Maximum towing on matched configurations: 10,000 lbs against 9,600 lbs, each four-wheel drive on the short wheelbase with its tow package and a conventional hitch, properly equipped; and 9,860 lbs against 9,000 lbs in the long bodies on the same basis | Hands-free highway driving with BlueCruise, which the Jeep does not offer at all |
| Cargo behind the third row, 27.9 cu ft against 21.6 | Entry price, $62,700 against $63,995, on a destination charge of $2,595 against $2,795 |
| Cargo behind the second row, 70.8 cu ft against 60.8 | Torque, 480 lb-ft against 468, and 510 with the High-Output tune |
| Fuel economy in four-wheel drive, 17/23/19 against 15/22/18 | Center screen size, 13.2 in against 12 |
| Horsepower in the standard tune, 420 against 400 | Six inches shorter overall, easier to park and garage |
It is the more capable of the two in both bodies, and the gap widens rather than narrows if you need the long wheelbase. Order the Heavy-duty Trailer Tow package with four-wheel drive to reach the 10,000 lb rating, because on the standard 3.55 axle the same vehicle is rated 6,030 lbs.
Six cubic feet behind a full third row is the difference between fitting a week of luggage and stacking it on laps. This is the comparison's most practical result and it favors the Jeep clearly.
BlueCruise is a real capability and Jeep has no answer to it here. If you cover long highway distances regularly, that alone can decide it.
It opens at $62,700 against $63,995 with a smaller destination charge, and it is six inches shorter, which matters in an older driveway or a single garage bay more than any specification does.
Neither of these decides itself on a specification table, and the two differences that matter most on Cape Cod are ones you can feel in twenty minutes. Six inches of length shows up on a narrow lane off Route 28 and in the Craigville Beach lot in August, and again in an older Cape Cod garage. Six cubic feet behind the third row shows up the first time you load for a week away with everyone aboard.
We are at 556 Yarmouth Rd in Hyannis, and we will have a Grand Wagoneer ready with the axle and package content confirmed beforehand, so a towing customer is not comparing a 6,030 lb vehicle against a rival's best. Buyers make the trip from Plymouth and the South Shore for exactly this comparison. Call (508) 815-5000, browse our Grand Wagoneer inventory, or read the Suburban comparison if a Chevrolet is also on your list.
The Grand Wagoneer. Properly equipped on a conventional hitch, the short-wheelbase four-wheel-drive Jeep with the 3.92 axle is rated 10,000 lbs against 9,600 lbs for the equivalent Expedition with its Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package. In the long bodies the gap widens: 9,860 lbs for the Grand Wagoneer L against 9,000 lbs for the Expedition MAX.
Not in the configuration most families use. Behind an occupied third row the standard-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer holds 27.9 cubic feet against the Expedition's 21.6, and behind the second row it is 70.8 against 60.8. Compare the same wheelbases when you shop, because Ford's MAX and Jeep's L both change these numbers.
No. Active Driving Assist is standard on every Grand Wagoneer, but Jeep describes it as a hands-on-wheel, eyes-on-road system and offers no hands-free highway driving on this vehicle. BlueCruise permits hands-off driving on equipped highways and is standard on the Expedition King Ranch. If that capability is what you want, the Ford is the vehicle that has it.
The Expedition, at the entry point. Active starts at $62,700 against $63,995 for the base Grand Wagoneer, and Ford's destination charge is $2,595 against Jeep's $2,795, so the Ford's advantage widens slightly once delivery is counted. The two ranges converge in the middle, and the Jeep's extends higher, topping out at $100,310 for the Summit Reserve.
The Grand Wagoneer, narrowly in rear-wheel drive and more clearly in four-wheel drive. Rear-drive short-wheelbase figures are 17 city / 24 highway / 19 combined against the Expedition's 16 / 24 / 19. In four-wheel drive it is 17 / 23 / 19 against 15 / 22 / 18. Both certify on regular gasoline at fueleconomy.gov.
Effectively yes. Both run 3 years or 36,000 miles basic and 5 years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain, so warranty should not decide this comparison in either direction. The Jeep adds 3 years unlimited-mileage corrosion coverage on all panels and 5 years unlimited on outer-panel rust-through, which is worth reading if the vehicle will live near salt water.
Six cubic feet and six inches sound abstract until you load them. Bring the luggage and the car seats and settle it in an afternoon.
* 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.
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