Compare the2025 Subaru ForesterVS 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Forester has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.

Both the Forester and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 20 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee running its gasoline engine:

Both the Forester and the Grand Cherokee have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Foresters have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch for start/stop is only offered on the Grand Cherokee V6.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Forester uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Grand Cherokee 4xe requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Forester has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Grand Cherokee. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The Forester has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Forester stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

The Forester’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 Grand Cherokee Laredo’s standard 70 series tires.

The Forester Sport handles at .82 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee 4x4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Grand Cherokee’s (35.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Grand Cherokee (8.7 vs. 8.4 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1850 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Forester is 10.2 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee, making the Forester easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Forester is 5.5 inches narrower than the Grand Cherokee, making the Forester easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Forester has 3.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Grand Cherokee (110.8 vs. 107).

The Forester has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 1.2 inches more rear legroom than the Grand Cherokee.

The front step up height for the Forester is 4.7 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee (15.5” vs. 20.2”). The Forester’s rear step up height is 4.3 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee’s (17.25” vs. 21.5”).

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Grand Cherokee with its rear seat folded (74.4 vs. 70.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Forester easier. The Forester’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.9 inches, while the Grand Cherokee’s liftover is 33 inches.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Forester Limited/Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Jeep. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 40% lower rating, Jeep is ranked 25th.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Forester has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights.