Compare the2027 Kia TellurideVS 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Both the Telluride and Grand Cherokee L have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Grand Cherokee L’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Telluride has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To deliver safety and visibility under dusty conditions the Kia Telluride’s backup monitor has a standard rear washer to keep the view clear. A camera washer system costs extra on the Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

Both the Telluride and Grand Cherokee L have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Telluride has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Grand Cherokee L’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Telluride and the Grand Cherokee L 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, plastic fuel tanks, 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.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Grand Cherokee L’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Grand Cherokee L. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Grand Cherokee L ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Jeep is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 14 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The Telluride’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 51 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 260) than the Grand Cherokee L Laredo’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6. The Telluride’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 5 more horsepower (329 vs. 324) and 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 332) than the Grand Cherokee L’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Telluride 4 cyl. hybrid gas is faster than the Grand Cherokee L Laredo 3.6 DOHC V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Grand Cherokee L Laredo 3.6 DOHC V6 RWD (20 city/26 hwy vs. 19 city/26 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Telluride Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Telluride 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 L. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The Telluride stops shorter than the Grand Cherokee L:

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Grand Cherokee L.

The Telluride is 5.7 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee L, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Grand Cherokee L can only carry up to 7.

The Telluride has .2 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 3.6 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room, .1 inches more third row headroom, 1.8 inches more third row legroom and 3.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee L.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Telluride’s middle and third row seats recline. The Grand Cherokee L’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Grand Cherokee L.

The Telluride’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee L’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Telluride’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Grand Cherokee L’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

Compared to traditional radio, the Kia Telluride’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio costs extra on the Grand Cherokee L.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Telluride has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console for two separate devices. Only the Grand Cherokee L Laredo X/Altitude/Limited/Summit offers wireless charging.

The Telluride Prestige’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Grand Cherokee L Summit’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Grand Cherokee L has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Grand Cherokee L has never been chosen.