Comparo: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. Volkswagen Tiguan

By John LeBlanc Few vehicle types can offer the do-it-all capabilities of luxury sports-utilities-vehicles. Spawned from the groundbreaking 1970s Land Rover Range Rover, almost every automaker now has a utility vehicle that can take the family to the cottage and your boss and his wife out for dinner. Here is what I consider two of the best mid-size premium SUVs on the market. But only one can be considered the best: SECOND PLACE: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland V6 One of the last offspring before the former DaimlerChrysler marriage broke up in 2007, the all-new-in-2011 all-wheel-drive Grand Cherokee shares its basic bones with the Mercedes-Benz M-Class. The resulting Jeep gets a very solid structure that allows it to perform like a luxury sedan on the highway, and like, well a Jeep, off-road. The five-model Grand Cherokee range starts with the $38,195 Laredo E and tops out with the high-performance $55,395 SRT8. My tester was the luxury-oriented $50,495 Overland. Over the one-rung-down $47,495 Grand Cherokee Limited, the Overland adds “Nappa” leather-faced seating, wood and leather trimmed steering wheel (that’s heated too!), larger central touch screen with navigation, adjustable air suspension, and 20-inch alloy wheels. Although a 360 hp 5.7-litre V8 is optional, the five-passenger Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 L V6 with 290 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque almost mirrors the Touareg’s 3.6 L V6’s 280 hp and 265 lb-ft ratings. Unsurprisingly, the Jeep and VW offer similar fuel economy ratings: 13.0 L/100 km and 12.3 L in the city, respectively, and an identical 8.8 L on the highway. The Jeep’s extremely stiff substructure (almost 1.5 times stiffer than its predecessor) and proper four-wheel independent suspension sets the table for the Grand Cherokee’s smooth road manners and extreme off-road capabilities. The Grand Cherokee Overland’s air suspension can raise or lower to five different heights. While its Selec-Terrain system marries the stability and traction control systems, 12 different settings for power, throttle, braking and transmission adapt to any on or off-road conditions. If you need to tackle virtually any off-road situation in comfort and style, the Jeep is hard to beat—at any price. However, where the Jeep falls to the VW is where the majority of us spend the majority of our driving time: on-pavement. Around town, the Grand Cherokee is a relaxing drive. Potholes and rough pavement are well absorbed. And it’s generally quiet. But the base six-cylinder comes only with five gears in its automatic transmission, and it's the weak link in the powertrain, making the V6 feel sluggish. And if you have a lot of towing to do, you may wish you had the V8: it can lug 3,356 kilograms, whereas the Overland’s V6 can only manage 2,269. If serious off-roading is a priority, the Grand Cherokee Overland is the luxury SUV to choose. But if you stay on the road, read on… FIRST PLACE: 2012 Volkswagen Touareg Highline V6 This comparo was one of the closest I’ve had to write in sometime. Both the Jeep and VW live up to their jack-of-all-trades reputations, and as equipped, offer similar room, performance, and luxury features. My decision really came down to where the majority of us drive, and that’s on the road. In that case, the Touareg wins. Like the Grand Cherokee, the five-passenger Touareg was redone last year, a thorough update of the 2002 original. As before, it shares its chassis with SUVs wearing fancier nameplates, like the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. As such, the VW offers a solid platform and plenty of engineering gee-whizzery. At $48,875, Touaregs start higher than base Grand Cherokees. But they are also better equipped. You can pay as much as $63,685 for the Touareg Execline with the optional diesel engine. But my mid-range $53,970 Highline with the gas V6 matches up well equipment-wise with the admittedly less-expensive Grand Cherokee Overland. The Jeep’s luxurious interior easily trumps any of its domestic rivals. But the medical-grade fit-and-finish of the VW’s cabin puts it in a higher league; right up their with SUVs at twice the price. Details like the high quality and easier-to-use graphics on its touch screen interface and its completely rattle-free cabin makes the Touareg feel tighter than the Grand Cherokee. With only 909 L of space behind its second-row seating, you’ll have to pack lighter in the VW, though. With 1,028 L, the Jeep offers more. VW worked hard to shed mass in the Touareg with this latest redesign. With a 2,137 kg curb weight, it has to carry around 63 less kgs than the Grand Cherokee. Combined with an automatic gearbox that has three more gears—and despite similar motivation under both of these luxury SUVs hoods—the VW felt more responsive than the Jeep, seemingly never in the wrong gear, with that shifts were nearly imperceptible. The VW doesn’t have a low gearing for off-road adventures, but it can tow more than the Jeep: up to 3,500 kgs. Perhaps more importantly for those looking for a luxury sedan driving experience, when pushed on-road, the Touareg feels more secure and solid than the Grand Cherokee Overland. The Touareg’s steering is more responsive and accurate, and its cabin is quieter too. Overall, the VW does a better of being a luxury car than the Jeep, yet almost equals its abilities as an SUV. In other words, it’s my winner.

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