2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. 2024 Land Rover Discovery Sport Comparison

Midsize SUVs are some of the most popular vehicles in America. Many shoppers find their balance of passenger and cargo space nearly perfect and appreciate their surefootedness in foul weather and the ease of seeing over traffic their high seating position brings.

The Land Rover Discovery Sport gives you all that with a stylish, premium interior and Land Rover’s legendary off-road credibility. But it comes at a luxury car’s price and sits on an aging platform.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee answers with a more affordable price, similar luxury in its premium trims, and, well, Jeep’s legendary off-road credibility.

Let’s take a closer look at these two rugged off-roaders with comfortable commute capability and see which might be right for you.

2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is arguably the original midsize SUV – the latest incarnation of the vehicle that kicked off the craze. It’s one of America’s 10 best-selling vehicles and has been the right choice for millions of families for decades. The latest incarnation offers an intuitive infotainment system, great interior space, and looks that are at once sharp and unmistakeably Jeep. However, many trim levels mean some Grand Cherokees are among the most capable off-road vehicles available, and others are best as family cars sticking to the pavement. Prices start at $38,290, including destination fee. But you can spend $70,000 on a fully-equipped model. Jeep also builds the Grand Cherokee in a stretched, 3-row Grand Cherokee L model and as a plug-in hybrid.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Highlights

Price flexibility, capability flexibility: You can buy a rear-wheel drive (RWD) Jeep Grand Cherokee configured as a comfortable family car. You can buy a Grand Cherokee with Jeep’s excellent Quadra-Trac 4-wheel drive (4WD) system or the world-renowned Quadra-Trac II with a 2-speed transfer case and hit the trail. Jeep will sell you two or three rows of seating and a gas- or plug-in-hybrid (PHEV) Grand Cherokee. The most expensive model carries a much higher price than the entry-level version. But that lets you configure the exact Grand Cherokee that meets your needs.

Plug-in hybrid version: The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe (pronounced “four by E”) can travel up to 25 miles on electricity alone before using gas for the endless road trip. Owning one means owning an electric car for your commute and daily errands, and a go-anywhere gas car for summer road trips and the holiday drive to Grandma’s house. Price is a barrier (it starts at over $66,000). But Land Rover has no answer for it. The company doesn’t sell a Discovery Sport PHEV in the U.S.

Tow with a third row: Jeep will add its Trailer Tow package, bumping the tow rating to 6,200 pounds, even with a third row. The Discovery Sport can only pull up to 4,409 pounds, and to order the Towing Pack, you have to give up the option of a third row.

Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Jeep Grand Cherokee models for sale near you.

2024 Land Rover Discovery Sport

The Land Rover name, in Europe, evokes the same go-anywhere capability and rugged heritage the Jeep name carries in the U.S. But it adds a layer of luxury. The 2024 Land Rover Discovery Sport combines off-road capability with a gorgeous minimalist cabin and upscale options like a premium sound system from Meridian. Pricing starts at $50,175 – more than the Jeep Grand Cherokee. But a top-of-the-line Discovery sport comes in well under the stickier of the priciest Jeep equivalent.

Land Rover Discovery Sport Highlights

Exceptional cabin: Simply put, Land Rover interior designers are at the top of their game. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is available with every modern technology, but they can look crammed in. The Discovery Sport has them all in a simple, elegant waterfall center stack on a tastefully minimalist dashboard. It’s a more discerning vibe, if not all that different an ownership experience.

Luxuries for less: The Jeep has a lower starting price, but the Discovery Sport has a lower top-end price. A fully-equipped Sport Dynamic SE model, with the Dynamic Handling Pack enhancing the suspension and the optional third row, still comes in just over $60,000. Jeep has three trim levels above that price, not all as well-equipped.

Standard all-wheel drive (AWD): It might seem odd that Jeep even makes a rear-wheel drive (RWD) Grand Cherokee. However, the base model of the Jeep lacks most of the off-road capability that makes the brand famous. Land Rover doesn’t do that. Every Discovery Sport comes with AWD as standard equipment and has the kind of trail chops that deserve the Land Rover name.

Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Land Rover Discovery Sport models for sale near you.

Similarities

These are two of the most off-road capable midsize SUVs, both available with considerable luxuries and each offered with two or three rows of seats.

Conclusion

If you buy a Land Rover or a Jeep, you’ll become a small part of a storied off-road heritage. Both are comfortable for families and available equipped like a luxury car.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee costs less to start, but those entry-level models lack some of the off-road capability you probably associate with the Jeep name. It can be every bit as luxurious as a Land Rover, but prices climb quickly once you start moving up in trim level. That gives you the flexibility to configure a Grand Cherokee for most needs and most budgets, but you’ll want to be careful with the pricey options. Still, if you need three rows and a lot of towing power, this is the one for you.

The smaller Discovery Sport has a different feel – more minimalist luxury and a handling enhancement package that can make it a better pavement performer. Its base model costs considerably more, but its most well-equipped models cost considerably less. We would note, however, that the Discovery Sport rides on a decade-old platform and is due for a wheels-up redesign soon. This comparison might read very differently in a year or two if Land Rover replaces it with a new model.