2021 Volvo XC40 vs 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Introduced for the 2019 model year, the Volvo XC40 enters 2021 with one major change—the addition of an all-electric powertrain option. The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge is the Swedish automaker’s first mass-market electric vehicle, in fact.

The Recharge will be sold alongside gasoline versions of the XC40, which carry over largely unchanged, and compete against small luxury crossovers like the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, and Lexus UX. With its electric powertrain, the Recharge is a de facto Tesla Model Y competitor. It’s also priced similar to high-end versions of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, although the two electric crossovers have somewhat different philosophies.

In addition to that zero-emission powertrain, the Recharge gets an Android-based operating system, over-the-air (OTA) software update capability for all vehicle systems, and some updates to driver-assist tech. These changes don’t apply to gasoline 2021 XC40 models, but Volvo does plan to add the Android operating system to more vehicles in the future.

Since the Recharge is the main new thing for the 2021 XC40, that’s what we focused on for this review. While the gasoline XC40 is available in three trim levels—Momentum, R-Design, and Inscription—with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), the Recharge is only offered in a single trim level, with standard AWD.

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.