Compare the2026 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2026 Lexus RX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The RX doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee Limited Reserve/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 RX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the RX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Grand Cherokee is safer than the Lexus RX:

	Grand Cherokee	RX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	129	165
Neck Injury Risk	21%	29.8%
Neck Stress	152 lbs.	301 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	482/259 lbs.	353/469 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	137	472
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28%	30.7%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	160 lbs.
Neck Compression	41 lbs.	114 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	400/347 lbs.	454/389 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Grand Cherokee is safer than the Lexus RX:

	Grand Cherokee	RX
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	527 lbs.	640 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	47 G’s
Hip Force	528 lbs.	919 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 10 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Grand Cherokee has a standard 850-amp battery (900 2.0 Hurricane). The RX’s 603-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the Grand Cherokee is under the seat, which protects it from hot under-hood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Grand Cherokee’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The RX’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The Grand Cherokee has more powerful engines than the RX:

	Horsepower	Torque
Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.6 DOHC V6	293 HP	260 lbs.-ft.
Grand Cherokee 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	324 HP	332 lbs.-ft.
RX 350h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	246 HP	233 lbs.-ft.
RX 350 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder	275 HP	317 lbs.-ft.
RX 450h+ Luxury 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	304 HP	n/a

As tested in Motor Trend the Grand Cherokee Laredo V6 is faster than the Lexus RX:

	Grand Cherokee	RX 350h	RX 350
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.4 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	15.7 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.8 MPH	89.2 MPH	89.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the Grand Cherokee and the RX have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Grand Cherokees have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The RX 350h/500h doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Jeep Grand Cherokee uses regular unleaded gasoline. The RX 350 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Grand Cherokee has 8.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX 450+’s standard fuel tank (23 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Grand Cherokee has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX 350’s standard fuel tank (23 vs. 17.8 gallons).

The Grand Cherokee has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The RX doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Grand Cherokee	RX
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.4 inches

The Grand Cherokee stops shorter than the RX:

	Grand Cherokee	RX
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	145 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee has larger standard tires than the RX (265/60R18 vs. 235/60R19). The Grand Cherokee Summit’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RX (275/45R21 vs. 235/60R19).

The Grand Cherokee Summit’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RX’s optional 50 series tires.

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 RX 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 RX; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Grand Cherokee has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The RX base model’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks. The RX 350h suspension doesn’t offer rear gas-charged shocks.

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 RX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer than on the RX (116.7 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 handles at .78 G’s, while the RX 350 AWD pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the RX 350h (28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee has a greater minimum ground clearance than the RX 350 (8.4 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s minimum ground clearance is 2.7 inches higher than on the RX 350h (10.9 vs. 8.2 inches).

Chassis

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 RX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Grand Cherokee Altitude/Limited/Summit uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The RX doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Grand Cherokee has .4 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the RX.

Cargo Capacity

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the RX with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RX with its rear seat folded (70.8 vs. 46.2 cubic feet).

The Grand Cherokee’s cargo area is larger than the RX’s in almost every dimension:

	Grand Cherokee	RX
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	41”/73.8”	40”/76.2”
Max Width	55”	55.5”
Min Width	43”	42”
Height	32”	30”

Towing

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

The Grand Cherokee Summit can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Grand Cherokee can be unhitched and driven around locally. The RX can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Grand Cherokee’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the RX’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Grand Cherokee to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The RX doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Grand Cherokee Summit has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RX.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee stands out above the Lexus RX by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and one of them provide more flexibility.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Grand Cherokee third among midsize SUVs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The RX isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Lexus RX by 85% during 2025.

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