2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vs 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid

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.

The Honda CR-V has been on sale in the US since the 1997 model year, and it first got a hybrid version in 2020. The hybrid powertrain was available in four trims, exclusively with all-wheel drive (AWD). Its gas-powered counterpart, meanwhile, was cheaper by three to four thousand dollars at each trim level, had even less-expensive front-wheel-drive (FWD) options, and came in six trims.

Fast forward to 2023. Honda has simplified the CR-V lineup significantly. There are now only four trims total, two per powertrain. The CR-V Hybrid is available in either Sport or Sport Touring trim, positioning it clearly as the best Honda CR-V in production today.