Compare the2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee LVS 2025 Honda Pilot

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Honda Pilot doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Grand Cherokee L has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Pilot doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee L Overland/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 Pilot doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Grand Cherokee L and the Pilot have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 L is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	Grand Cherokee L	Pilot
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	129	382
Neck Injury Risk	21%	28.9%
Neck Stress	152 lbs.	350 lbs.
Neck Compression	84 lbs.	101 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	137	440
Neck Injury Risk	28%	33.6%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	232 lbs.
Neck Compression	41 lbs.	98 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	400/347 lbs.	396/388 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 L is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	Grand Cherokee L	Pilot
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	276 lbs.	276 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	92	100
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	375 lbs.	540 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	34 G’s
Hip Force	432 lbs.	444 lbs.

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

Warranty

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 2 visits) on the Grand Cherokee L for 1 year and unlimited miles longer than Honda pays for maintenance for the Pilot (2/unlimited vs. 1/12000).

There are over 2 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee L’s warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Grand Cherokee L’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Pilot’s camshafts. If the Pilot’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Grand Cherokee L has a standard 850-amp battery (900 Overland/Summit). The Pilot’s 650-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 16 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Jeep higher than Honda.

Engine

The Grand Cherokee L’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 8 more horsepower (293 vs. 285) than the Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Cherokee L 4x4 gets better fuel mileage than the Pilot TrailSport 4WD (18 city/25 hwy vs. 18 city/23 hwy).

The Grand Cherokee L has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pilot (23 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

The Grand Cherokee L stops shorter than the Pilot:

	Grand Cherokee L	Pilot
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee L has larger standard tires than the Pilot (265/60R18 vs. 255/50R20). The Grand Cherokee L Summit’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pilot (275/45R21 vs. 265/60R18).

The Grand Cherokee L Summit’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pilot Sport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Grand Cherokee L Summit offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Pilot’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Grand Cherokee L has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Pilot’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Pilot’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 L’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 Pilot doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Pilot doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee L’s wheelbase is 7.9 inches longer than on the Pilot (121.7 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

The Grand Cherokee L’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the Pilot’s (55.3% to 44.7%). This gives the Grand Cherokee L more stable handling and braking.

The Grand Cherokee L Overland handles at .82 G’s, while the Pilot Elite pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Grand Cherokee L Overland executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Pilot TrailSport (27.3 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee L Laredo/Limited has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pilot (8.5 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee L to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit’s minimum ground clearance is 2.6 inches higher than on the Pilot TrailSport (10.9 vs. 8.3 inches).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Grand Cherokee L Limited 4x4 is quieter than the Pilot Elite (39 vs. 40 dB).

Cargo Capacity

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit’s second row seats and pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Pilot doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Honda Pilot is limited to 5000 pounds. The Grand Cherokee L offers up to a 6200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Grand Cherokee L 4WD with optional equipment 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 L can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Pilot can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Grand Cherokee L uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pilot 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.

The engine in the Grand Cherokee L is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Pilot. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition, the Grand Cherokee L Overland Luxury Tech/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 L’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 Pilot does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Grand Cherokee L’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 Pilot’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

The Grand Cherokee L’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Grand Cherokee L’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Pilot doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Grand Cherokee L Overland Luxury Tech/Summit has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Pilot.

The Grand Cherokee L 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 Pilot doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its October 2023 issue and they ranked the Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited 4x4 higher than the Honda Pilot Elite.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Honda Pilot by 56% during 2024.

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