Compare the2026 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2026 Toyota 4Runner

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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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 4Runner doesn’t offer a night vision system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Grand Cherokee uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the 4Runner have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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.

Warranty

There are almost 2 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Toyota 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 4Runner’s 776-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 4Runner’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Grand Cherokee Laredo V6 is faster than the Toyota 4Runner base engine):

	Grand Cherokee	4Runner
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	15.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.8 MPH	89.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Cherokee gets better mileage than the 4Runner:

			MPG
Grand Cherokee
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
4Runner
	RWD	SR5/TRD Sport 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
		Limited 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
	AWD	SR5/TRD Sport 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/25 hwy
		Limited 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the Grand Cherokee’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Toyota only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the 4Runner Limited/i-FORCE MAX.

The Grand Cherokee has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the 4Runner (23 vs. 19 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Grand Cherokee’s brake rotors are larger than those on the 4Runner:

	Grand Cherokee	4Runner
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.2 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee has larger standard tires than the 4Runner (265/60R18 vs. 245/70R17). The Grand Cherokee Summit’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 4Runner (275/45R21 vs. 265/55R20).

The Grand Cherokee

’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4Runner SR5’s standard 70 series tires. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Grand Cherokee has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the 4Runner SR5. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota 4Runner has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

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 4Runner 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 4Runner (116.7 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 handles at .78 G’s, while the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the 4Runner Trailhunter (28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Grand Cherokee’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the 4Runner’s (38 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee has a greater minimum ground clearance than the 4Runner SR5 (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 .8 inch higher than on the 4Runner Trailhunter/TRD Pro (10.9 vs. 10.1 inches).

Chassis

The Jeep Grand Cherokee may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Toyota 4Runner.

Unibody construction lowers the Grand Cherokee’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The 4Runner doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

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 4Runner 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 4Runner doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Grand Cherokee has .2 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear legroom, .2 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4Runner.

Cargo Capacity

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume than the 4Runner with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 12.1 cubic feet).

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Toyota 4Runner is limited to 6000 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 4Runner can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Grand Cherokee uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The 4Runner uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Grand Cherokee offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the 4Runner Premium/Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro/Platinum, the Grand Cherokee Summit has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The 4Runner’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Grand Cherokee’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the 4Runner’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Grand Cherokee Summit has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The 4Runner doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Grand Cherokee to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The 4Runner doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Grand Cherokee’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The 4Runner offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Grand Cherokee Limited Reserve/Trailhawk/Summit has standard front air conditioned seats and the Grand Cherokee Summit also has them in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The 4Runner doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

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 4Runner.

The Grand Cherokee has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the 4Runner Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee stands out above the Toyota 4Runner 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.

The Grand Cherokee Summit’s Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The 4Runner doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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 4Runner isn’t in the top three.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Toyota 4Runner by over two to one during 2025.

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