Honda CR-V vs. Jeep Cherokee

2016 Honda CR-V

2016 Jeep Cherokee

Honda has chosen to fit the 2016 CR-V with one engine across all trim levels. The take-home for Boulder and Denver drivers? You’ll enjoy the same outstanding level of performance and top-of-the-range efficiency ratings no matter the trim level you opt for.

The cutting-edge 2.4L four-cylinder engine provides up to an impressive 185 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful base-engines in the crossover segment. Of course, efficiency remains impressive — you’ll make up to 26 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway* with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and FWD. AWD is also an option.

The 2016 Jeep Cherokee offers two engines. The base-level 2.4L four-cylinder engine offers 184 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque — less powerful than the CR-V’s engine — yet it still manages to offer significantly lower efficiency ratings of 22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway with FWD. The 3.2L V6 probably delivers more power than you’ll require, and it achieves a maximum of just 21 in the city and 29 mpg on the highway with FWD.

All crossovers need to walk the line between spacious interior dimensions and tight, agile handling, and there’s no model that does it better than the 2016 Honda CR-V. Manufactured with wide doors to make access easy, it also removes the protruding transmission tunnel which so commonly raises the middle rear seat.

It also offers substantially more cargo room than competitors like the 2016 Jeep Cherokee:

• Standard Cargo Space: Up to 37.2 cubic feet in the CR-V vs. just 24.6 in the Cherokee.

• Extended Cargo Space: Up to 70.9 cubic feet in the CR-V vs. only 54.9 in the Cherokee.

Those are huge differences; in fact, they make the CR-V and Cherokee seem a class apart. If you require plenty of space for anything from the weekly shop or a cross-country holiday, the 2016 CR-V is going to suit your needs better than the 2016 Cherokee.

The 2016 Jeep Cherokee is noticeably lacking in the kind of modern comfort and convenience features that have become such a hallmark of leading crossovers like the 2016 Honda CR-V.

Here’s just a small selection of the features that you’ll receive standard with the CR-V but not with the Cherokee:

• Rearview Camera: Unlike most 2016 crossover models, the 2016 Cherokee doesn’t equip a rearview camera as standard. The Honda CR-V provides a multi-angle rearview camera with guidelines as standard.

• Automatic Headlights: Even the base-level CR-V’s headlights will automatically come on when it’s dark and switch off when there’s sufficient light.

• CD Player: It’s incredibly rare for even a subcompact to come without a CD player as standard, but that’s just what Boulder and Denver drivers will be looking at with the 2016 Cherokee.

Both the 2016 Honda CR-V and the 2016 Jeep Cherokee are available with a strong range of advanced driver-assistance features, including:

• Lane Departure Warning
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Forward Collision Monitoring

However, the 2016 Honda CR-V has proven to be the more reliable vehicle during crash-test simulations. It was awarded a 5-Star Safety Rating by the NHTSA, and the 2016 CR-V Touring even earned a 2016 Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS.

The 2016 Cherokee failed to replicate those successes: it achieved only a 4-Star Safety Rating from the NHTSA missed out on any award from the IIHS after earning a score of “Marginal” in the small overlap front test.