Compare the2026 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2026 Subaru Outback

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
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 Outback 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 Outback doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the Outback 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.

Warranty

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

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Grand Cherokee has larger alternators than the Outback:

	Grand Cherokee	Outback
Standard Alternator	160 amps	150 amps
Optional Alternator	240 amps	190 amps

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 Outback’s 620-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 Outback’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The Grand Cherokee Laredo’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 113 more horsepower (293 vs. 180) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 178) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Grand Cherokee Laredo’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 33 more horsepower (293 vs. 260) than the Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder. The Grand Cherokee’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 64 more horsepower (324 vs. 260) and 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (332 vs. 277) than the Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Jeep Grand Cherokee uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Outback XT/Wilderness requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Grand Cherokee has 5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Outback (23 vs. 18 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 Outback doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Jeep Grand Cherokee higher (6 out of 10) than the Subaru Outback (5 to 6). This means the Grand Cherokee produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outback every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Grand Cherokee	Outback
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	11.8 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee has larger standard tires than the Outback (265/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Grand Cherokee Summit’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outback (275/45R21 vs. 225/65R17).

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 Outback Wilderness’ standard 65 series tires. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Outback XT’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 Outback Wilderness. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Outback XT.

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 Outback doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

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 Outback doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Grand Cherokee has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Outback doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 8.6 inches longer than on the Outback (116.7 inches vs. 108.1 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 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Outback.

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee Summit has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Outback Wilderness (10.9 vs. 9.5 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

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 Outback doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Grand Cherokee has 2.4 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Outback.

Cargo Capacity

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume than the Outback with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 34.6 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Grand Cherokee Summit’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Outback doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The Grand Cherokee’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Outback’s (3500 vs. 2700 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Outback 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 Outback 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 Outback 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

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the Outback (except Premium), 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 Limited/Summit’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Outback doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Outback does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Grand Cherokee Limited Reserve/Summit offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, certain gauge and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Outback doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Grand Cherokee and the Outback have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Grand Cherokee is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Outback prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

On a hot day the Grand Cherokee’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Outback can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Outback’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Outback doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

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 Outback.

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 Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

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 Outback doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 Outback doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Grand Cherokee is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Outback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Subaru Outback by 33% during 2025.

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