Jeep Grand Wagoneer vs Land Rover Defender: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Jeep Grand Wagoneer burns about $3,250 of fuel annually against $3,800 for the Land Rover Defender. That $550 yearly gap compounds to roughly $2,750 over five years and $4,400 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City versus highway split: the Land Rover Defender is the stronger commuter at 18 mpg city, while the Jeep Grand Wagoneer pulls ahead on the interstate at 24 mpg highway. If most of your driving is stop-and-go traffic the city figure is the one to weigh; for long-distance highway mileage the reverse is true, and the two vehicles effectively swap places depending on how you drive.

Powertrain choice: the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is recorded with 2 distinct engine configurations (SIDI, 6.4), the Land Rover Defender with 2 (SIDI; Mild Hybrid, SIDI). Across 16 recorded Jeep Grand Wagoneer configurations and 54 for the Land Rover Defender, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is offered with Rear-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive, the Land Rover Defender with 4-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD and Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Land Rover Defender emits 444 g/mile of CO2 versus 456 g/mile for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.