2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vs 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

A 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid pays for itself in a little more than three years. We’ll show you the math later in this review, but based on national averages, it goes from being more expensive to buy to saving you money after about 40 months of ownership.

Toyota sells the 2021 RAV4 Hybrid in LE, XLE, XLE Premium, XSE, and Limited trim levels. Pricing runs from $28,650 to $37,180, plus a $1,175 destination charge that can vary depending on your region.

The XLE Premium trim is new for the 2021 model year and adds a super chrome wheel finish, a power sunroof, SofTex leatherette upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, and more.

Jeep is now a luxury brand. That's why the 2022 Grand Cherokee L can ask, with a straight face, that you pay up to $70,000 for the privilege of ownership. But because Jeep is a proudly American brand, a war veteran that helped Allied troops defeat fascism, the company has earned the kind of unvarnished reputation and universal praise given only to a handful of U.S. presidents.

As such, a $60,000 Wrangler or a $100,000 Grand Wagoneer doesn't seem snooty, while a Mercedes-Benz or a Lexus sure does. Jeep's heritage as a hardcore 4x4 brand and its newer image as a bougie city truck maker can coexist. We took a Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve across Tennessee to prove it.