Compare the2026 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Grand Cherokee Summit’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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the Tiguan 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 and around view monitors.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Grand Cherokee 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Grand Cherokee’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 4 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee’s warranty.

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 Tiguan’s 360-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 Tiguan’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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 39 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Jeep higher than Volkswagen.

The Grand Cherokee has more powerful engines than the Tiguan:

As tested in Motor Trend the Grand Cherokee Laredo V6 is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan AWD (base engine):

The Grand Cherokee has 8.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (23 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Grand Cherokee has 7.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (23 vs. 15.6 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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system or a tether to prevent losing the cap.

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

The Grand Cherokee’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Tiguan 4Motion® are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (265/60R18 vs. 215/65R17). The Grand Cherokee Summit’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Tiguan (275/45R21 vs. 255/40R20).

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 Tiguan’s standard 65 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 Tiguan. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Tiguan.

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

The Grand Cherokee offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 6.8 inches longer than on the Tiguan (116.7 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Grand Cherokee is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 3.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Tiguan.

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8.4 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s minimum ground clearance is 3.9 inches higher than on the Tiguan (10.9 vs. 7 inches).

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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Grand Cherokee has 3.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tiguan (107 vs. 103.8).

The Grand Cherokee has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 3 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Grand Cherokee’s rear seats recline. The Tiguan’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 33.8 cubic feet). The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tiguan with its rear seat folded (70.8 vs. 69.8 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Grand Cherokee. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Tiguan 4Motion® is only 1800 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 Tiguan can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Grand Cherokee has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Tiguan (1240 vs. 959 lbs.).

The Grand Cherokee has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Tiguan (1280 vs. 1014 lbs.).

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

The Grand Cherokee’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Tiguan does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Grand Cherokee has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

Compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited/Summit eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the driver’s visor.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee stands out above the Volkswagen Tiguan 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 Laredo X/Altitude/Limited/Summit has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 Tiguan isn’t in the top three.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Volkswagen Tiguan by almost three to one during 2025.