Compare the2026 Jeep CherokeeVS 2026 Hyundai Tucson

Both the Cherokee and Tucson have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Cherokee 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 Tucson’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 Jeep Cherokee has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tucson doesn’t offer knee airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Cherokee. But it costs extra on the Tucson.

The Jeep Cherokee’s optional 360-degree camera has integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Hyundai Tucson lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.

Both the Cherokee and the Tucson have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Jeep Cherokee weighs 495 to 866 pounds more than the Hyundai Tucson. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

There are almost 3 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Cherokee’s warranty.

The Cherokee’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 23 more horsepower (210 vs. 187) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (230 vs. 178) than the Tucson’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Cherokee gets better mileage than the Tucson:

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

The Cherokee has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Tucson doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Cherokee has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tucson doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the Cherokee’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Tucson:

The Cherokee Overland’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tucson Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Cherokee Overland has standard 20-inch wheels. The Tucson’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Tucson doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Cherokee’s wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer than on the Tucson (113 inches vs. 108.5 inches).

The Cherokee uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Tucson doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Cherokee has .1 inches more front headroom and .6 inches more front hip room than the Tucson.

The Cherokee’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tucson’s (3500 vs. 2750 pounds).

The Cherokee uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Tucson uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Cherokee’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Tucson does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Cherokee’s front power windows 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 Tucson’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. The Tucson SEL/XRT/Limited’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

The Cherokee’s standard Keyless Enter-N-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from pocket or purse. Proximity Key standard on the Tucson doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The Cherokee’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Tucson’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Cherokee’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Hyundai only offers heated mirrors on the Tucson SEL/XRT/Limited.

The Cherokee Limited/Overland’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tucson offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Cherokee has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Tucson SEL/XRT/Limited.

Both the Cherokee and the Tucson offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Cherokee has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Tucson doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Cherokee Overland has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Tucson doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.