2021 Toyota Venza vs 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

The 2021 Toyota Venza was a sleek and stylish SUV that many critics noted bore a resemblance to a Lexus. Its design, from the grille to the elongated profile, blurred the lines between the Toyota and Lexus brands, making it look more like the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept than any other Toyota SUV. The Venza was available in three trim levels—LE, XLE, and Limited—and offered a choice of seven paint colors. Standard features included LED headlights and taillights, automatic high beams, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The interior boasted a wireless charging pad, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, among other amenities. The top-tier Limited trim added a digital rearview mirror, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and the option for a Star Gaze panoramic roof.

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, on the other hand, was a new seven-passenger model distinct from the existing Grand Cherokee. It featured a third-row seat and more cargo volume, making it an extended-length version of the upcoming redesigned 2022 Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee L's styling was a strong selling point, with its signature seven-slot grille and trapezoidal wheel arches. Available in six trim levels—Laredo, Altitude, Limited, Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve—the Grand Cherokee L ranged in price from $36,995 to $64,235. Our test vehicle, a Summit trim with 4WD, included features like a 19-speaker McIntosh premium audio system and a quilted leather interior. Despite some interior materials not meeting the high price point's expectations, the overall design and technology represented a significant improvement over the old model.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a lithium-ion battery pack and electric motors, resulting in a combined 219 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. This hybrid system, coupled with an electronically-controlled continuously-variable transmission (eCVT), provided smooth acceleration, though it was not particularly rapid. The Venza's handling was confident and typical of a Toyota, with the all-wheel drive (AWD) system ensuring stability. The Venza excelled in fuel economy, achieving an EPA-estimated 40 mpg on the highway, 37 mpg in the city, and 39 mpg combined, outperforming competitors like the Murano, Passport, and Blazer. Toyota backed its hybrid powertrain with a 10-year/150,000-mile hybrid battery warranty and an eight-year/100,000-mile Hybrid System warranty.

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L offered a standard 3.6-liter V6 engine producing 293 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive (RWD) or one of three 4WD systems. The V6 engine provided brisk acceleration but was loud when revved. The Grand Cherokee L also had an optional 5.7-liter V8 engine available on higher trims, generating 357 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, with a towing capacity of 7,200 pounds. The V6 engine's fuel economy was rated at 21 mpg combined, while the V8's was 17 mpg combined. The Grand Cherokee L featured a Quadra-Lift adaptive air suspension, providing up to 10.9 inches of ground clearance and 24 inches of water fording capability. The SUV's handling was capable, with a smooth ride and secure on-center steering feel.

The 2021 Toyota Venza offered a practical and comfortable interior, with premium appointments in the center stack and a unique cabin design. The deep center console featured resizable cup holders, a traditional stick shifter, and various control buttons. The driver and passenger seats were accommodating, and the rear seats provided ample comfort for two adults. The Venza had more headroom than the RAV4 but slightly less legroom up front. Cargo space was around 60 percent of the RAV4's, with a maximum of 55.1 cubic feet, which was sufficient for daily driving needs.

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L excelled in comfort, especially in the Summit trim, which featured heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats with 12-way power adjustment. The second-row captain's chairs provided plenty of legroom and comfort, and the third row was surprisingly comfortable for all but the tallest adults. However, the front-seat occupants found the dashboard vents too small, making it difficult to cool the cabin quickly. The Grand Cherokee L offered 17.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, 46.9 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a maximum of 84.6 cubic feet behind the front seats.

The 2021 Toyota Venza featured the Entune infotainment system, with an 8-inch screen on the LE and XLE trims and a 12.3-inch touchscreen on the Limited trim. The system included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The Limited trim also offered a nine-speaker JBL premium audio system. Toyota connected services included a one-year trial of Safety Connect and Remote Connect, and a 10-year trial of Service Connect. Dynamic navigation was available on models with the larger screen.

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L employed the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, available with either an 8.4-inch or 10.1-inch touchscreen. The system featured wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Alexa compatibility, satellite radio, and a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The test vehicle included a 19-speaker McIntosh audio system, a 10.25-inch digital instrumentation panel, a digital rearview mirror, a thermal-imaging night vision system, and a Fam Cam rear-seat monitoring system. The head-up display remained visible to drivers wearing polarized sunglasses.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which included a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and road sign assist. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was standard, with an upgrade to automatic braking available on higher trims. The Venza also had two full sets of LATCH connections on the rear outboard seats.

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L introduced Active Driving Assist, a hands-on driving-assistance system combining adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance. The system worked well but felt artificial in the driver's hands. Intersection Collision Assist, standard on Summit models, could detect threats from either side at intersections and apply the brakes if necessary. The Grand Cherokee L also offered Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist. As of the review, crash-test ratings were unavailable, but the new model was expected to improve upon the old Grand Cherokee's ratings.