BMW 218i vs Jeep Cherokee

What's the difference?

The badge might say one thing, but the 2 Series Gran Coupe sticks to the time-honoured template of being a compact yet comparatively practical three-box, four-door sedan, complete with a big boot.

More importantly, it drives and behaves like a BMW – which means sufficient-to-strident performance depending on grade, athletic dynamics and pleasing refinement on one hand, as well as a stiff price and a hard ride on the other.

A true BMW in name and nature, then..

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Cherokee is perhaps not going to tempt anyone set on a mainstream mid-size family SUV. But, to those on the periphery who are genuinely looking for something different, there’s a lot on offer here.

The proposition is boosted by the Cherokee’s unique off-road equipment and compelling price tag, but just keep in mind it’s old-fashioned in more than just one way…

BMW is calling the F74 a new-generation 2 Series Gran Coupe, and there have been obvious and even profound changes throughout and underneath, including to some of the sheetmetal.

But this is not an all-new car by any stretch, with the glasshouse, doors and roof amongst many other body items carrying over from the F44.

That now remarkably Kia Cerato-esque nose ushers in new LED lighting motifs and an updated kidney grille, but whether they sit easily with the rest of the car is debatable. Redesigned tail-lights, different colours and new alloys make up the majority of the exterior changes.

Betraying the latest 2 Series Gran Coupe’s newness claims are near-identical dimensions, with that redesigned front end and bumpers contributing to a 20mm increase in the F74’s 4546mm length, while revised suspension and damper settings help account for the 25mm boost in height (to 1445mm). The BMW’s 1800mm width and 2670mm wheelbase remain the same.

There’s a higher level of newness to be found inside.

Part of me wants to like the Cherokee. It’s a refreshingly modern take on the mid-size formula from Jeep. There’s another part of me which thinks it’s a bit soft around the edges with a little too much influence from the likes of the last-generation RAV4, especially around the rear. A smaller, heavily opinionated, part of me says it looks like the kind of car the Hamburgler would drive.

But you can’t deny the black paint with black and grey highlights looks tough. The raised plastic bumpers, small wheels, and red powder-coated recovery hooks speak to this SUV’s off-road ambition. And the package is nicely rounded out with LED light fittings front and rear which cut nice angles around this car’s edges.

Inside is still very… American, but this has been toned down significantly from past Jeep offerings. There are almost no truly awful plastics now, with an abundance of soft-touch surfaces and nicer interaction points.

The wheel is still chunky and leather-clad though, and the multimedia screen is an impressive and bright unit taking centre stage in the dash.

My main complaint with the cabin is the chunky A-pillar which eats a bit of your peripheral vision, but otherwise it’s a plush design.

During the media presentation at its launch, BMW described the 2 Series Gran Coupe as being almost as large as a 1990s E46 3 Series, and it is in all major dimensions except wheelbase.

Plus, being a front-drive-biased/transverse engine proposition instead of rear-wheel drive should make it roomier than the F74’s iconic ancestor.

The sense getting in is that this is certainly not too low or cramped as per a more-traditional coupe, with plenty of space for legs and shoulders, while even the optional sunroof fitted to our 218 left us with headroom to spare.

The redesigned dash is a visual and operational treat, with crisp, clear instruments, a logically presented and intuitive centre display screen offering fast and easy operation, excellent ventilation and ample storage. Full marks here.

Better still, attaining the perfect driving position is possible for most people, on brilliantly supportive front seats. This is the stuff BMW does right.

Improvement suggestions for the next update? Some people may complain about the somewhat less-than-premium feel of some of the lower-lying plastic trim; not everybody will love the swatches of colour stitching (we love it); why does the steering wheel have to be so wide-of-rim? Side and rear vision is restricted by fat pillars, rising shoulder lines and a shallow rear window; and there is quite a bit of road noise that enters the cabin at speed.

Still, even the back seat is sufficiently spacious for most users, with the sole exception of taller folk having to negotiate a sloping rear roofline. If you’re below 180cm, this should be fine. Most amenities minus overhead grab handles are also fitted.

Further back, the boot is surprisingly accommodating, with 430 litres of cargo capacity that’s enhanced by a 40:20:40 split-fold backrest, and the aperture should be big enough for bulkier loads, but the lack of a spare wheel will be bad news for many buyers. The supplied tyre-repair kit is just not good enough.

But, you know what is good enough? The engines BMW builds, that’s what.

The plushness makes for a comfortable environment, particularly for front passengers who benefit (in this case) from power adjustable seats, telescopically adjustable steering column and faux-leather trimmed padded surfaces pretty much everywhere.

There are small bottle holders in the doors, big bottle holders in the centre console, a large armrest box, and a small trench in front of the transmission stick. Sadly the Cherokee seems to miss out on the secret compartment under the seat base which the smaller Compass gets.

Back seat occupants get a decent, but not impressive, amount of space. I’m 182cm tall and had a small amount of airspace for my knees and head. There are small bottle holders in the doors, pockets on the back of both front seats, a set of movable air vents and USB ports on the back of the centre console, plus large bottle holders in the drop-down armrest.

Seat trim all-around has to be commended for being ultra-soft and comfortable, albeit not super supportive.

The second row is on rails, allowing you to max out boot space if need be.

Speaking of boot space, it’s a tough one to compare to other models because Jeep is insistent on using the SAE standard rather than the VDA standard (as one is more or less a liquid measurement, and the other is one made up of cubes, they are impossible to convert). Regardless, the Cherokee managed to consume all three items in our luggage set with ease, so it at very least has a competitive standard boot capacity.

The floor in our Trailhawk was carpeted, and a luggage cover comes standard. Worth noting is how high the boot floor is off the ground. This limits the space available, but is required for the full-size spare hidden under the floor, a must for long-distance drivers.

Does it represent good value for the price? In a word: Yes.

Let’s take a look. The Trailhawk is the most expensive Cherokee you can buy, yet at $48.450 you’ll get stacks of gear. In fact, you’ll get more stuff than is packed in to most of its mid- to high-spec mainstream rivals.

The question is whether you’ll even want it. This is because while the Cherokee might tick key mid-size spec boxes, its real advantage is in the off-road gear sitting underneath it.

This is one of very few front- drive biased, transverse-mounted engine SUVs to get a locking rear differential, low-range transfer case, and a series of rather serious computer-controlled off-road modes.

Impressive stuff if you’re ever going to take it onto sand or scrabbling up gravel surfaces, potentially of little value if there’s no chance you’ll be doing any of those things.

Regardless, the standard road-going kit is great. Included is LED headlights, leather seats, keyless entry and push-start, an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, sat nav and DAB+ digital radio, auto wipers, anti-glare rear vision mirror, and 17-inch alloys.

Those wheels might seem a bit small by high-spec SUV standards, but are more focused on being off-road ready.

Our car was also fitted with the ‘Premium Pack’ ($2950) which adds some luxury touches like heated and cooled front seats with memory power adjust, carpeted boot floor, distance control for the active cruise (more on that in the safety section of this review), and black painted wheels.

Three F74 powertrain choices are available for Australia in 2025. And none even remotely reflect what their respective badges imply on the boot.

The 218, for instance, is not powered by a 1.8-litre engine, but BMW’s long-lived B38 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol unit. Making 115kW of power at 6500rpm and 230Nm of torque between 1500rpm and 4600rpm, drive is channelled to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (7DCT).

With a kerb weight of 1420kg, the 218 has a power-to-weight ratio of 81kW per tonne, helping it achieve the 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.6 seconds, on the way to a 230km/h top speed.

Not enough? The 220 features the ubiquitous B48 2.0-litre (not a 2.2-litre) four-cylinder turbo petrol engine/7DCT combo, pumping out 150kW at 6500rpm and 300Nm from 1450-4500rpm. Tipping the scales at 1525kg for 98.4kW/tonne, its 0-100km/h time is 7.3s and top speed is 250km/h.

Want more? Stretching to the M235 xDrive sadly doesn’t mean a 3.5-litre in-line six, but a modified B48 2.0L/7DCT duo, delivering 233kW at 6500rpm and 400Nm from 2000-4500rpm to all four wheels. Result? Weighing just 50kg more than the 220, it boasts a heady 148kW/tonne, for a 0-100km/h of just 4.9s and a 250km/h v-max.

As with all of the UKL2/FAAR transverse-engine front-to-AWD platform models from non-electric Minis through to sub-X3/3 Series BMWs, you’ll find MacPherson-style struts up front and a multi-link independent rear end out back.

If you’re reading this outside of Australia, you may notice that none of the current F74 models offer mild-hybrid tech, in contrast to their European counterparts. And don’t go expecting any manual gearboxes either, unfortunately.

The Cherokee shows its star-spangled heritage here with a rather old-school drivetrain.

Under the bonnet is a 3.2-litre ‘Pentastar’ non-turbo V6. It produces 200kW/315Nm which you might note isn’t much more than a lot of turbocharged 2.0-litre alternatives these days.

If you were hoping for a diesel as a more attractive option for long-distance travel, tough luck, the Trailhawk is V6 petrol only.

The engine is perhaps at odds with the modern nine-speed torque converter automatic transmission, and the Trailhawk is one of the few front-biased, non-ladder chassis-based vehicles to have a low-range crawl gear and locking rear differential.

The Trailhawk drives all four wheels.

OK, so is the 2 Series Gran Coupe cheap to run?

BMW reckons the 218 and 220 will average 6.3 and 6.7 litres per 100km, which means combined average carbon dioxide emissions ratings of 143 and 152 grams/km respectively.

Filling the 49L fuel tank with 95 RON premium unleaded, that translates to around 775km in the 218, and 730km in the 220 between refills.

Predictably, the M235 xDrive uses more, at 7.7L/100km for a CO2 rating of 176g/km. That’s a distance of about 635km.

Over our launch run, which took us from Sydney’s Circular Quay to Wollongong, the 218’s trip meter was reading in the high 8s and about 10 for the M235.

In the spirit of keeping the hard-done-by fuel conglomerates in business, this V6 is as thirsty as it sounds. This is compounded by the fact that the Trailhawk weighs in at close to two tonnes.

The official claimed/combined figure is already not great at 10.2L/100km, but our week-long test produced a figure of 12.0L/100km. Not a good look when many of the Cherokee’s mid-size competitors are at least in the single-digit range, even in real-world testing.

In a small concession, you’ll be able to fill up (annoyingly frequently) with entry-level 91RON unleaded. The Cherokee has a 60L fuel tank.

Earlier, we mentioned that the 2 Series Gran Coupe is way more expensive than fine alternative sedans like the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla.

And while that still stands, there is a remarkable solidity and refinement difference between those and the BMW that helps justify the premium. And nowhere is this more evident than from behind the wheel.

Sat on body-hugging seats and clutching that (too chunky) steering wheel, there is a sense of sporty occasion, backed up by quality trim and an aroma of expensiveness.

For a turbo three-cylinder car weighing 1.5 tonnes, the 218 does a lot with a little, offering spirited off-the-line acceleration and pleasingly lag-free throttle responses at lower speeds. You’d never call it fast, but it is a quick point-to-point urban mover. Only the unavoidable three-pot thrum lets you know you’re in the lowest mechanical spec. And, also, the delay at freeway speeds in building momentum when overtaking.

Which is why, for less than five per cent extra, the 220 with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo would probably make a better buy. Sadly, that isn’t on sale yet in Australia, so we missed out on driving it during the Sydney launch. But in the scores of other BMWs and Minis we’ve tested this in, it’s a cracking little powertrain.

Whether the big leap (nearly $25K worth) to the M235 is worth it depends on how fast you drive and how much you value/need AWD. This is a terrifically muscular machine, since it provides rapid performance via a tidal wave of power, even with the lightest flex of your right foot. On-point and on-brand, this fun and fiery flagship possesses the grand-touring spirit that the rakish design and tech-heavy engineering promise.

To that end, in both the 218 and M235, the steering makes the driver feel connected to the car, resulting in precise and controlled handling. The driver-assist safety tech is beautifully calibrated and nuanced in its intervention, and the brakes are second-to-none.

What is also on-topic for a BMW is the firm suspension, despite the adaptive dampers fitted as standard equipment.

It isn’t stiff or overly uncomfortable, but bumps are certainly always felt, and they’re accompanied by fairly constant road-noise drone over some surfaces.

As such, you’re constantly reminded that dynamic athleticism is the priority here, rather than sumptuous comfort. We’ve experienced much worse from BMW, but a magic-carpet ride isn’t what’s in store for the 2 Series Gran Coupe owner.

So, what’s our verdict then? The 218 is a rorty little tryer that never fails to involve the driver, while the M235 ushers in an elevated level of acceleration, grunt and grip. We suspect that the 220 will be the Goldilocks-zone happy medium.

For (largely) better as well as for (occasionally) worse, these drive and feel like a BMW should.

The Cherokee drives pretty much exactly how it looks, soft and ‘murican.

As thirsty as the V6 might be, it’s fun in a kind of retro way to be behind the wheel. It makes lots of angry noises and flies up the rev range (into fuel-drinkin’ town) all too easily, although despite that you might notice you’re not going particularly fast the whole time.

This is largely down to the Cherokee’s overbearing weight. Not great for fuel usage, it does have benefits for comfort and refinement.

On tarmac, and even gravel surfaces, the interior is impressively quiet. There’s little road noise or suspension rattle, and even the fury of the V6 is more of a distant thrum.

Gravity takes its toll in the corners, where the Cherokee hardly feels like a confident apex carver. The steering is light though, and the long-travel suspension is soft and forgiving. This makes for a refreshing SUV experience which places the focus solely on comfort over sportiness.

It’s also a nice point of difference from many mainstream competitors which seem hell-bent on making mid-size family SUVs handle like sports sedans or hatchbacks.

A test of the off-road features was a little outside the scope of our regular weekly test, although a thrashing down a few gravel tracks only served to confirm my confidence in the comfort suspension tune and stability of the standard all-wheel drive mode on offer.

In its last update the Cherokee acquired an active safety suite consisting of auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, and active cruise control.

The Trailhawk Premium Pack adds distance control (via a button on the steering wheel).

The Cherokee is also armed with six airbags, a reversing camera and parking sensors. It has dual ISOFIX child-seat mounting points on the outer rear seats.

Only four-cylinder Cherokees have been ANCAP safety tested (and scored a maximum five stars in 2015). This six-cylinder version does not carry a current ANCAP safety rating.

Here, however, is where BMW can do a bit better.

While the five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty is where most premium brands are, it falls short of several Asian alternatives. Roadside assistance is for just three years and there is no capped-price servicing.

Service scheduling is also condition-based, meaning the vehicle will alert the driver when a service is imminent. This may not suit everybody, and we always recommend at least every 12 months or 10,000km, just to be on the safe side.

BMW does offer pre-paid service packs that take in basic maintenance for the first five years at $2369 or $3782, including brake-pad replacement, which works out to be about $475 and nearly $760 annually respectively. There is also a cap on mileage during that time frame: 80,000km.

Jeep has upped its ownership promise in the past few years with what it calls the “there and back guarantee”. This consists of a five-year/100,000km warranty and matching capped price service program.

It’s a shame the warranty is distance-limited, but time-wise is on par with Japanese makers. While the capped price service program is welcome, it's almost twice as expensive as an equivalent RAV4.

According to Jeep’s online calculator, services varied from $495 to $620 on this particular variant.

Roadside assist is offered beyond the warranty period provided you continue to service your vehicle at an authorized Jeep dealership.