Both SUVs are great for the kind of life people actually live around here: school runs during the week, a trailer on the weekend, and winter roads that ask something of you. The Jeep Grand Cherokee, however, brings more towing capability, more ground clearance, and a more upscale cabin to that same routine. Here is how these two SUVs stack up against each other. 

Two of those rows deserve context. The cargo figures count what sits behind the last row in each vehicle, so the Ford Explorer measurement reflects all three rows upright, and folding its third row opens roughly 46 cubic feet. The ground clearance figures compare each brand's off-road trim rather than the volume models most people drive. 

If you want a three-row Jeep, the Grand Cherokee L brings the same cabin into a longer body, with seating for up to seven and the same 6,200-pound tow rating. The Explorer gives third-row riders a bit more legroom, 31.8 inches against 30.3, while the Grand Cherokee L holds 17.2 cubic feet behind its third row versus 16.3 in the Explorer. 

The Grand Cherokee, by 1,200 pounds. It is rated up to 6,200 pounds properly equipped against 5,000 pounds for the Explorer, and Jeep calls that figure Best-in-Class. 

The gap comes from hardware rather than horsepower. The 2.0L Hurricane 4 Turbo delivers 332 pound-feet at 3,000 rpm, and the trucks built to tow pair it with an available Class IV hitch receiver, heavy-duty engine cooling, and a seven- and four-pin wiring harness. The Pentastar® V6 carries the same 6,200-pound rating, so the choice of engine comes down to how you want the power delivered. 

That 1,200-pound difference decides real things. A loaded bass boat with a tandem trailer heading for Lake Nippenicket sits close to the Explorer ceiling and well inside the Grand Cherokee's. Both tow a pop-up camper comfortably, so the question is what you plan to buy next, not what sits on the hitch today. 

The Grand Cherokee leans into comfort and craftsmanship, while the Explorer leans into extra legroom and seats. Both give a family of five plenty of room on a long drive. 

The Explorer turns its longer body into more legroom, at 43.0 inches up front and 39.0 in the second row, against 41.3 and 38.2 in the Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee answers with 37.7 cubic feet behind its rear seat with five aboard, room for hockey bags and a cooler on the way to Cape Cod. 

Comfort features run deep in the Grand Cherokee. Available 16-way power front seats add memory and massage, the second row offers heat and ventilation, and quad-zone automatic climate control gives each corner its own setting. The Explorer offers heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats on Platinum, tri-zone climate, and active noise cancellation. 

Materials climb with the trim. Summit models use diamond-quilted Palermo leather, real wood accents, and a suede-like headliner, while Nappa leather arrives on Limited Reserve, Overland, and Trailhawk. 

For tech, the Explorer carries a larger 13.2-inch center display. The Grand Cherokee pairs a 12.3-inch Uconnect® 5 NAV touchscreen with a 10.25-inch digital cluster and an available 10.25-inch front-passenger display, and Summit models add a 19-speaker McIntosh® system with up to 950 watts, against the 10-speaker B&O® system in the Explorer. 

The Grand Cherokee and its hardware list are the reason. It offers three 4x4 systems, whereas the Explorer uses a single intelligent four-wheel-drive setup. 

Quadra-Trac I® stays engaged for all-weather driving. Quadra-Trac II® adds a two-speed transfer case with a low range. Quadra-Drive® II adds a 2.72:1 low-range ratio and a rear electronic limited-slip differential that can route up to 100% of available torque to the axle with the most grip the moment a tire slips. On an unplowed stretch of Route 139 at 6 a.m., that happens before you feel it. 

The Explorer Tremor answers with a Torsen limited-slip rear axle, off-road-tuned suspension, and underbody protection, and the Explorer offers BlueCruise hands-free highway driving across much of the lineup. The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk still carries the Trail Rated badge, 11.4 inches of ground clearance, a 36-degree approach angle, available Quadra-Lift air suspension, and six steel skid plates.