On June 30, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the global best-selling full-size luxury SUV and a model powerful to the core, made its debut in Tianjin. As the flagship model of the Jeep family, this professional-grade luxury SUV has garnered widespread attention due to its inherent strength. So why not compare it with the traditional German luxury SUV representative, the Touareg? Let’s see which comes out on top between the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Volkswagen Touareg.
Global Sales: The Grand Cherokee outsells the Touareg 5 to 1
In 2016, Jeep brand global sales exceeded 1.4 million units, continuing to dominate as the world’s top-selling SUV brand. As the flagship of the global SUV leader and the spearhead of Jeep in the global luxury SUV field, over the past year and a half, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee has achieved 479,375 units sold worldwide thanks to its powerful core capabilities and brand appeal, claiming the throne as the global best-selling full-size luxury SUV. This figure is even five times that of the Touareg. In other words, for every five people who buy a Grand Cherokee, only one buys a Touareg.
Why is there such a huge gap? Let’s explore the reasons through the products themselves.
Comparison Models:
A car’s design is immediately apparent from its appearance
The exterior of the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee features a newly designed family front face, a body-color integrated front bumper, a wider front visual effect, and newly exclusive 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels. These elements further emphasize its identity as the flagship of the Jeep brand while exuding dominance. The Grand Cherokee is 74 mm longer than the Touareg, resulting in a longer wheelbase, and thus more spacious and comfortable seating and cargo space.
As for the Volkswagen Touareg, its design retains the traditional Volkswagen style, appearing slightly rounder compared to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Its 19-inch wheels also look a bit underwhelming, falling short in nearly every aspect.
Interior Design: A Dual Experience of Visual Appeal and Riding Comfort
On the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, besides bold yet elegant lines, the interior is crafted with even more texture. The new Laguna premium leather seats boast a level of luxury that rivals only the Bentley Bentayga. They use Semi-Aniline first-layer cowhide, the highest standard in luxury materials, with tight, intact leather and a soft, delicate touch — materials of this high caliber were previously more commonly found in high-end luxury goods like Chanel. Such a generous and genuine investment delivers a dual top-tier experience in both visual appeal and riding comfort.
Although the Touareg also uses leather for its seats, the material quality and details are noticeably different upon touch. The difference in tactile feel between the two models is also significant. For a nearly one-million-yuan German model, its sense of quality doesn’t quite match the bold elegance of the American counterpart. The center console screens are similar in size and design, but overall, the Jeep Grand Cherokee still has the edge.
Powerful Driving: The Core Competition
In terms of the powertrain, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee is equipped with a V6 all-aluminum naturally aspirated engine, which has won the “Ward’s 10 Best Engines” award six times. In today’s era dominated by small-displacement turbocharged engines in China, naturally aspirated engines are becoming a rarity — “one sold is one less.” Coupled with the second-generation ZF fully electronic 8-speed automatic transmission, which has been fine-tuned, featuring an advanced gearshift lever that offers more convenient and flexible operation than ordinary transmissions, it brings a tech-savvy feel. The gearshift logic has also been upgraded, increasing the transmission’s load capacity, resulting in more stable and powerful starts and smoother acceleration.
The Touareg is equipped with a V6 turbocharged gasoline engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission — this “customized” 3.0T powertrain. In the slalom test, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee completed the course in 13.822 seconds with an average speed of 66.03 km/h. The Volkswagen Touareg took 13.995 seconds with an average speed of 63.735 km/h. Although the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee uses a V6 all-aluminum engine without mechanical or turbocharging, relying on the perfect output characteristics of the naturally aspirated engine along with the perfectly matched ZF 8-speed transmission, it achieves extremely smooth acceleration and deceleration. Additionally, during testing, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee demonstrated strong front-end directional stability and high rear-end stability.
Safety Upgrades for Added Protection: The Grand Cherokee Strengthens Its Core Advantages
The Jeep Grand Cherokee has earned countless top safety ratings and already features nearly 70 active and passive safety technologies that are benchmarks in its class. This time, with the addition of Selec-Speed™ Hill Descent Control and LaneSense...
While the Touareg also comes with essential basic safety features, it lacks more advanced, cutting-edge tech safety configurations like a lane departure system—features that better meet modern demands—reducing its overall investment cost. However, its price isn't any cheaper than the Jeep Grand Cherokee!
When all roads converge, only all-terrain supremacy reigns supreme.
For SUVs, a battle of all-terrain capability is essential. Therefore, we put the two to a real-world test. In the crossover section, facing a series of uneven moguls, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee maintained stability even as some tires completely left the ground, thanks to its full-time four-wheel-drive system equipped with a more advanced and mature multi-plate clutch central differential. This type of differential excels at instantly transferring power to other drive wheels the moment wheel spin occurs, effortlessly conquering obstacles in one smooth, uninterrupted motion. In contrast, the Volkswagen Touareg uses a Torsen differential, which, due to physical design limitations, cannot achieve central differential locking. As a result, the Touareg experienced severe wheel slip and barely managed to get through.
The performance gap became even more evident during the steep hill climb test. In harsh low-speed off-road conditions, the Grand Cherokee can amplify torque by 2.72 times, achieving a crawl ratio of up to 44.1:1, enabling it to ascend smoothly. The Touareg, on the other hand, decelerated midway due to insufficient torque and slipped again upon restarting, ultimately failing to reach the hilltop.
Undoubtedly, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee fully demonstrated its inherent strength, achieving an undisputed and dominant victory across the board.
Summary:
After several rounds of comparison, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee holds an absolute advantage. Moreover, the new Grand Cherokee doesn't just pursue physical performance—it also aims to deliver a sense of control and superiority in any situation, accompanying its owners to explore and enjoy a life of greater breadth and richness. It stands by its owners, helping them achieve success in their careers while also becoming connoisseurs of life and explorers of distant lands. Together, they can live a life of extraordinary brilliance over a lifetime.
[About Jeep]
Since its inception, Jeep, the global leader in SUVs, has been committed to crafting nothing but the most professional SUVs. Through continuous heritage and evolution, it has developed four core superpowers that define the brand: industry-leading all-terrain capability, efficient and smooth powertrains, precise road handling and ride comfort, and leading, comprehensive safety features. This has resulted in a powerful product lineup covering every SUV segment from 130,000 to 700,000 RMB, making Jeep the world's first and only SUV brand to ever achieve annual sales of over one million units. Throughout the years, Jeep has consistently accompanied generations of adventurers with its innate professionalism and passion, helping them gain a true sense of superiority on their journey to explore a wider world.
In 2017, the domestic "Big Three" continued their strong sales momentum. Looking back at May, the domestic passenger vehicle market saw sluggish sales. According to the latest data from the China Passenger Car Association, passenger vehicle sales dropped 1.8% year-on-year compared to the same period last year. The once rapidly growing SUV segment also saw a slowdown in growth. It's only in a weak market environment that true strength emerges. GAC Fiat Chrysler’s domestic lineup defied the trend, hitting a new record high and achieving 17 consecutive months of year-on-year growth, with a stunning market share of 7.1%! At the same time, it surpassed competitors with a remarkable 175% year-on-year growth, reaching cumulative sales of nearly 90,000 units. Its sales are now on par with long-established brands in China like Buick, propelling it into the top four among joint venture automakers' SUV brands. The new Jeep Cherokee, competing in the 200,000-300,000 RMB high-end midsize SUV segment alongside the Tiguan L and Envision, maintained its strong performance, with cumulative sales exceeding 150,000 units since launch. The new Jeep Compass, targeting the 170,000-200,000 RMB professional-level family SUV market, also set a new record in May with 8,300 units sold. Despite competition from long-standing Japanese models like the CR-V and emerging European and American brands in the same price range, the Jeep Compass has maintained robust momentum and has become a true market favorite—the go-to choice for buyers seeking an 180,000 RMB SUV. The Jeep Renegade also performed admirably. With the comprehensive upgrade brought by the 2017 model, the Renegade consistently ranked among the top three best-selling compact SUVs in the 150,000+ RMB joint venture segment. In just over a year, GAC Fiat Chrysler’s domestic vehicles surpassed the 240,000-unit sales milestone, solidifying its position as the global leader in SUVs through genuine strength.