Jeep Grand Cherokee vs Hyundai Tucson

What's the difference?

A wise man* once said "Being first can sometimes feel like being wrong" and perhaps that's how it is with the 4xe, but at least Jeep Australia is giving the large SUV hybrid realm a good ol' try.

* Former CarsGuide Big Kohuna, Glen Knowles.

The company's first plug-in hybrid, the Grand Cherokee 4xe, is not perfect by anyone's standards, however, it is a definite move in the right direction.

It's a quiet and refined drive, it retains the brand's renowned 4WD capability, and even its hefty price-tag likely won't dissuade Jeep loyalists from giving it a go.

The updated Hyundai Tucson Elite Hybrid N Line offers families space, features and easy-enough handling for everyday stuff and the occasional weekend adventure pursuits.

The price point is higher than the previous non-hybrid model but you get a lot of bang for your buck and my family was comfortable this week.

As with any vehicle, some will like it, some won’t, and some simply won’t care all that much. 

The 4xe certainly has a distinctive Jeep look to it.

A few exterior design cues hint at its PHEV leanings: the plug-in point on the front left-hand panel and a ‘4xe’ designation on the rear door.

The Hyundai Tucson has seen a minor facelift on the exterior but most of the changes are in the cabin.

The N Line pack means that you get 19-inch alloy wheels over the standard 18-inch version as well as extended body panelling instead of black plastic trims. There is N Line badging across the car too, but N Line option pack does limit you to just four exterior colour choices.

The front features new stacked LED DRLs which tie in with the fang-like design of the rear LEDs. The origami-styled panelling looks more severe than the previous model which helps it stand out in a class that’s heavy on rivals. 

The cabin features a completely reconfigured dashboard and now sports a large curved display panel that houses those upgraded tech screens and a new 6.6-inch climate control panel.

The centre console has been redesigned to look like it’s floating and now adds an extra-large storage cubby underneath it.

The upgraded interior makes the Tucson a leader for the mid-sized SUV segment and is very pleasant to spend time in.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe PHEV retains the regular model’s level of functionality but adds a reasonably classy touch to everything.

All seats offer adequate comfort, support and room.

There are plenty of storage spaces, cupholders etc, and charging points - two USB-A and two USB-C plus a 12V socket in the front and two USB-A and two USB-C plus a 230V point in the back.

Controls are generally easy enough to locate and operate although some buttons are positioned in awkward places – including drive-mode buttons under the steering wheel – and it sometimes takes a few finger-stabs at the multimedia touchscreen to get to where you want to go in the operating system.

In terms of packability, the rear cargo area has a listed 1067 litres of space, and, with the second row folded and out of the way, that space opens up to 2004 litres.

The cabin up front is spacious with plenty of head- and legroom on offer. You also won’t jostle for elbow room either when you have a passenger.

The seats are comfortable with their heat function but you might still get fatigue on longer trips as you only get adjustable lumbar on the drivers side and it's simple at best.

The back seat has really good space for the class and no matter the passenger, they were comfortable back there. The seats in the rear are well-padded and access to this row is good for sliding in a child seat as the door aperture is wide.

Other amenities are average with directional air-vents, a single reading light, and a fold-down armrest. My seven-year-old son found the window sills to be quite high, so he didn’t get the view he wanted.

The individual storage is excellent for the class with the redesign as you get a dedicated storage shelf in front of the front passenger and a massive cubby that easily fits a handbag underneath the mid-sized centre console.

There are two cupholders and two drink bottle holders per row but the rear storage bins are skinny. The rear row also gets map pockets but again, these are shallow.

The upgraded technology is a must have and the new multimedia system is easy to use once you spend time with it and looks great with its graphics. The system has built-in satellite navigation, over-the-air updates and wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Connecting the CarPlay is simple and maintains a strong connection.

Charging options are great with two USB-C ports per row and the front also gets a wireless charging pad and a 12-volt socket to choose from. The centrally located position of the charging pad is handy and the liner grippy - so no phone movement.

Rounding out the practicality is the boot, which has a wide aperture and a loading space level with 582L of capacity available with all seats in use, which is good for the class.

The back row has a 60/40 split but don’t fold flat – they sort of spring up a bit, which might annoy when you do a big Bunnings run. 

There is a 12-volt socket, a space-saver spare tyre underneath the floor and you get a powered tailgate in this model – which I always like.

There are now six variants for the Hyundai Tucson with the release of the hybrid powertrain and all six have the choice of being either a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel drive with either the petrol engine or hybrid powertrain. And every grade gets the option of adding the N Line style pack. So, there is no excuse for not getting the combo you actually want now.

The model on test is the mid-spec Elite Hybrid with the N Line option pack and its priced from $55,100 before on-road costs. That positions it towards the top end of the market but you get an SUV that's more feature-heavy than most of its rivals.

The standard equipment for the upgraded Elite Hybrid N Line now includes dual 12.3-inch technology screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 6.6-inch climate control touchpad.

Other equipment includes a powered driver’s seat, heated front seats, suede/leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, wireless charging pad, digital radio, four USB-C ports, keyless entry, push-button start, space-saver spare wheel and a powered tailgate.

The Kia Sportage SX hybrid is more affordable at $45,950 MSRP but unlike the Elite Hybrid it misses out on wireless connectivity for phone charging and phone integration apps.

The Toyota RAV4 XSE AWD is priced from $52,585 MSRP but misses out on the newer and bigger technology screens that the upgraded Elite Hybrid has.

The Nissan X-Trail Ti 4WD e-Power is the closest rival in terms of price ($55,090 MSRP) and available features.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe PHEV has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-charged petrol engine, two electric motors (one on each axle) and a 17.3kWh battery.

Combined engine and electric outputs for power and torque are 280kW and 637Nm, respectively. The 4xe has it over any of its stablemates equipped with the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol engine because that yields 210kW and 344Nm.

The 4xe has an eight-speed automatic torque-converter transmission and regenerative braking.

Drive modes include 'Hybrid' (with combined engine and electric motor providing “maximum instant torque and impressive acceleration”, according to Jeep), 'Electric' (“zero emissions”) and 'eSave' (aims to save battery power). 

There are a few options available when it comes time to charge the 4xe.

The 4xe vehicle has a Mode 2 charging cable so you can charge it at home in less than 10 hours, according to Jeep.

With a full charge, the 4xe has a claimed driving range, on electric charge alone, of 52km.

Jeep reckons a Mode 3 (wall box) single-phase electric vehicle charger will fully charge the 4xe in less than three hours.

If out and about and looking for a charge, a 4xe driver can use the onboard 'UConnect' system to locate an appropriate public charging station.

The Elite Hybrid N Line model features a hybrid powertrain that combines an electric motor with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. They combine to produce 172kW of power and 367Nm of torque. Which is more than enough to make the mid-sized Tucson feel spirited.

This particular variant is AWD and uses a six-speed automatic transmission, which can over rev at times but is mostly smooth with its gear changes.

As mentioned, the 4xe has a listed electric-only driving range of 52km.

On our official test day, we drove just under 50km on a full electric charge and then the rest of the trip was courtesy of the good ol’ petrol engine.

Jeep's official figure for the combined cycle is just 3.2L/100km, but that's predicated on keeping the hybrid battery charged at all times. On fuel-only we recorded 11.6L/100km.

The 4xe has a 72-litre fuel tank (you need 95RON premium to fill it), so going by that on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect to get a driving range of about 620km out of a full tank.

Add an approximate electric range of about 50km on a full charge to that figure and you have a total estimated driving range of 670km.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is a low 5.3L/100km, and my real-world usage came out at 6.0L after doing a lot of open-road driving where hybrids tend to be at their least efficient, so that is an excellent result.

The Tucson hybrid is the second best for fuel usage after the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, which sits at 4.8L/100km for combined usage. Overall, the new hybrid powertrain has proven itself to be pretty frugal. 

Based on the official combined fuel cycle and 53L fuel tank, expect a theoretical driving range of up to 981km, which is great for a family road tripper.

We’re all time-poor, right? So, why should I take up your time and rattle on about the 4xe for a thousand words when I can get the essence of it across to you, the reader, in a few sentences? Call me, Mr Thoughtful.

This is generally a big, quiet and refined, easy-steering large SUV, but it feels bulky at times and tends to be quite fussy on irregular surfaces, exhibiting a jittery ride on even brief sections of light corrugations on dirt tracks.

The 4xe’s PHEV set-up is smooth and highly responsive on-road and you can switch between the aforementioned drive modes to suit the circumstance.

Driving range on electric only is listed as 52km. I only recorded a total distance of just under 50km, and it’s a very quiet and smooth drive while relying on electric power.

It regenerates power rather quickly down big hills and via braking, but we’d exhausted all electric charge by the time we’d reached our 4WD test track.

As expected, this Grand Cherokee tackled every off-road challenge without any strife. 

The air suspension, set to full off-road height, is a bonus.

Our 4WD test track consists of difficult set-pieces, including one small steep rocky hill that I’ve seen heavily modified vehicles struggle to conquer and, to the Jeep’s credit, it climbed the incline, no sweat.

The 4xe’s efforts were only ever hampered by its 'all-season' Continental CrossContact tyres (275/45R21) which are much better suited to blacktop driving and the fact the 4xe costs upwards of $129,950 and I didn’t want to risk any damage to it.

The 4xe has a listed wading depth of 610mm but our test track was dry so I never had the chance to do any water crossings. 

The Grand Cherokee has a solid enough rep as a towing vehicle but, take note, the 4xe is rated to tow 2722kg.

The new hybrid powertrain offers respectable power delivery that makes the Tucson feel zippy in the city and a relaxed cruiser on the open road.

There can be some over-revving when you’re trying to get up to speed and the accelerator and brake feel touchy at first until you get used to them.

On the hybrid side of things the Elite Hybrid has regenerative braking and there are moments of pure EV mode but it kicks in seemingly when it feels like it. When it is on, there’s practically no engine noise but when it's off, the cabin still remains fairly quiet.

My family went off the paved stuff this week and hit muddy and gravel roads on our quest to find a cool picnic spot, and the Elite Hybrid impressed with how it handled the different terrains. It’s not an off-roader but you can still do mini adventures.

The Tucson is mid-sized and has a very clear reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors, so it’s not too hard to manoeuvre or park.

The real negative feedback is that on three separate occasions, our test car randomly shifted into neutral while driving and to clarify, this did not occur while trying to shift into or out of 'drive' but while on the road, already in drive.

The first time it happened, I thought I had somehow bumped the column shifter but on the other two occasions, I happened to be watching my husband drive and he didn’t touch the shifter.

This is probably just a fault on out test car and not indicative of the model in general but it wasn't fun.

FINALLY! Hyundai has listened to the people.

They have found a workaround for the annoyingly intrusive beeping alerts associated with the traffic sign recognition and speed alert tech. Yes, they still alert unless you turn them off and yes, you still have to turn the damn thing off every time you get in the car, but you not longer have to access five to six menu pages to do so. Hurrah.

The Hyundai Tucson Elite Hybrid N Line has a robust safety features list and includes equipment like blind spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, forward collision warning, LED daytime running lights, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, intelligent seatbelt warning, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, and front/rear parking sensors.

Our test model misses out on lane departure alert and the lane keeping aid is too intrusive for every day driving. It gets to the point where you wonder who is driving, you or the car.

The Hyundai Tucson has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2021 and the hybrid variants are covered by this as well. It has seven airbags, including, the newer front centre airbag.

The Tucson has two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tethers.

Auto emergency braking (AEB) is standard and features car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction assist detection which is operational from 5.0 – 80km/h (85km/h for car) but it's usual to see a higher top speed for the car detection (usually 180km/h).

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe PHEV has a five-year/100,000km warranty and a lifetime roadside assist service.

Servicing is set at 12-month/12,000km intervals and capped price servicing keeps what you pay for each appointment at $399 for the first five.

Hyundai offers the Tucson with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty which is pretty standard for the class now. 

You can pre-purchase servicing for up to five years and the breakdowns are as follows.

Three years or up to 30,000km for $1240 (average $413 per service).

Four years or up to 40,000km for $1700 (average $425 per service).

Five years or up to 50,000km for $2040 (average $408 per service).

The five-year pricing is comparable to its rivals and not outrageous for the class.

Servicing intervals could get annoying if you put a lot of kilometres on your car as they sit at every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.