Schomp Honda

Safety

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Honda Pilot are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Jeep Grand Cherokee has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

 

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don't deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot's side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Grand Cherokee's side airbags don't have smart features and will always deploy full force.

 

The Pilot Touring has standard parking sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Grand Cherokee doesn't offer a front parking aid.

 

Both the Pilot and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available all-wheel drive.

 

Warranty

 

The Pilot's 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Grand Cherokee runs out after 100,000 miles.

 

Reliability

 

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Pilot has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Grand Cherokee.

 

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Pilot second among midsize crossover/suvs in their 2010 Initial Quality Study. The Grand Cherokee isn't in the top three in its category.

 

J.D. Power and Associates' 2010 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 27th, below the industry average.

 

J.D. Power and Associates' surveys of the owners of three-year-old cars provide the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 90 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 33rd.

 

Engine

 

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Pilot is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee V6:

	Pilot	Grand Cherokee
Zero to 60 MPH	8.1 sec	8.4 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.4 sec	8.8 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.4 sec	5.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16.4 sec	16.6 sec

 

Fuel Economy and Range

 

On the EPA test cycle the Pilot FWD gets better city fuel mileage than the Grand Cherokee RWD V6 (17 city/23 hwy vs. 16 city/23 hwy).

 

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 V8 engine requires mid-grade for maximum efficiency, which can cost 5 to 40 cents more per gallon.

 

Environmental Friendliness

 

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Jeep Grand Cherokee (5 to 6). This means the Pilot produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Grand Cherokee every 15,000 miles.

 

The EPA certifies the Honda Pilot as an 'Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle' (ULEV). The Jeep Grand Cherokee is only certified to 'Low Emissions Vehicle' (LEV) standards.

 

Tires and Wheels

 

The Pilot's tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee Laredo's standard 70 series tires.

 

Suspension and Handling

 

The Pilot has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Pilot flat and controlled during cornering. The Grand Cherokee's suspension doesn't offer a rear stabilizer bar.

 

The Pilot has engine speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Grand Cherokee doesn't offer variable-assist power steering.

 

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 3.8 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Grand Cherokee.

 

The Pilot EX-L 4WD handles at .78 G's, while the Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 pulls only .73 G's of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

 

Chassis

 

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

 

Passenger Space

 

The Pilot has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Grand Cherokee can only carry 5.

 

The Pilot has 48.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Grand Cherokee (153.7 vs. 105.4).

 

The Pilot has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear hip room and 4.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee.

 

Cargo Capacity

 

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Pilot easier. The Pilot's cargo hatch lift-over height is 31 inches, while the Grand Cherokee's liftover is 32.4 inches.

 

Ergonomics

 

If the windows are left down on the Pilot the driver can raise them all using the key in the outside lock cylinder. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from outside the vehicle using the key in the outside lock cylinder or the keyless remote. The driver of the Grand Cherokee can only raise the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

 

Recommendations

 

Consumer Reports recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance.

 

The Pilot was chosen as one of Car and Driver's 'Top Five Trucks' for 5 of the last 8 years. The Grand Cherokee has never been a Car and Driver 'Top Five Truck' pick.

 

The Honda Pilot outsold the Jeep Grand Cherokee by 68% during the 2010 model year.

* [1]  Based on 2011 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.