Picking up the kids from school? You might take a shortcut right up the side of Grouse in this new crossover.
Here is a very important vehicle. And, judging from the squint, it's forgotten its bifocals.
Kidding aside, the Cherokee represents a vital sales segment, both for Jeep/Chrysler and its new Fiat owners. Based on the same Italian underpinnings as the Dodge Dart, if this crossover does well, it'll have the profits flooding in.
Overall, you could claim Jeep's been having a bit of a renaissance of late. They've had the good sense not to fiddle with the Wrangler's burly character too much, and the Grand Cherokee is, frankly, excellent, a sort of Americanized Range Rover. The SRT version is possibly my favourite SUV of all time.
With the resurrection of the Cherokee nameplate, not seen in over a decade, Jeep hopes to offer a smaller version of its successful full-size SUV. Never mind the way this rig's giving you a suspicious glare - it's how it fares from behind the wheel that's important.
Design
Obviously, we first have to talk a little more about that front end. It's certainly striking. Striking, that is, in the manner of a frying pan to the face.
When it first showed its squinty schnoz, the Cherokee generated all kinds of hilarious jests, jeers and japes. Having seen the thing in the flesh, I actually kinda like it.
I know, I know: maybe it's me who needs the bifocals. Here's the thing though, in the Trailhawk trim, with big burly boots and plenty of plastic cladding, the Cherokee looks like something that could have rolled right off the set of the original Robocop.
It's futuristic, and polarizing, and I'm sure you've already got an opinion on it. This Limited Trim tester came with 18-inch polished alloys, and I will say that the more basic versions of the Cherokee can't quite pull off the scowl as well as those with the beefier wheel and tire packages.
Environment
On the inside, the Cherokee benefits from a great deal of parts-sharing across the Chrysler lineup. While I've heard other colleagues complain about the odd bit of flimsiness in the plastics and stitching issues here and there, my particular tester didn't seem to have too many foibles.
Jeep delayed the launch of its new crossover significantly, focusing on tweaking things based on early reviewer feedback, and this mostly shines through in the Cherokee's interior. It looks good, and the "infotainment" controls are among the best on the market. It's worth noting, for instance, that both Maserati and Ferrari use similar versions of the Uconnect system, with its big, bright icons and easy-to-use interface.
Compared to others in the class, this Jeep is not quite the utilitarian box the old Cherokee was. It's fine for passenger space, especially as it's equipped with a sliding rear seat, but the overall cargo room is smaller than either an Escape or a CR-V.
As a Limited, this tester came fully equipped with leather and the highestgrades of interior trim, and was actually a fairly snazzy ride. Both of the volume-selling Japanese vehicles in this segment, the CR-V and RAV4, seem to have a greater amount of hard plastics. The Cherokee does look like a little Grand Cherokee from behind the wheel.
Performance
It also drives like one, but not all the time. As mentioned, this crossover sits on a Fiat platform rather than the Grand Cherokee's Mercedes-Benz underpinnings, and it feels it.
The Cherokee is more like the base car, with somewhat numb steering, a ride tuned for comfort rather than speed, and an overall woolly and isolated drive.
That's fine. We already have several crossovers that pretend convincingly to be sports cars, from the Mazda CX-5 to the Ford Escape. Comfort and smoothness are favoured in the Cherokee over corner-carving, and thus it'll probably appeal to a broader range of tastes.
However, a little more feel could be wished for, and slightly better behaviour from the nine-speed automatic transmission. You read that right: nine speeds - wasn't eight supposed to be enough? Is this thing a crossover or a mountain bike?
The 3.2L V6 engine can't really be held to blame here. It's not crazy powerful, but does have a worthy 271 hp, if only a modest 239 lb./ft. of torque. It does feel slightly less grunty than other offerings, particularly the turbocharged ecoboost offerings from Ford, but it's a durable powerplant, and quite smooth.
Software updates for the nine-speed are probably on the way. The electric power steering and the slight sponginess of the brakes are unlikely to change.
Having said that, the Cherokee is entirely competent, and then there's what happens when you take it even mildly off-road. It's a tank.
Jeep's active drive system has the ability to adapt to nearly any terrain, and the chassis is composed and unstickable even in the non-trail-rated version.
The Trailhawk looks the toughest, but this city slicker Limited could quite easily follow a Wrangler down even a difficult trail.
Frankly, I'd almost call the Cherokee's capabilities an unfortunate temptation. So you're on the run to pick up the kids from school? You might take a shortcut right up the side of Grouse. Picking up the groceries? Why not check the back-country for morels instead of shelling out for them?
Add in a 2,000-kg towing capacity and you've got the makings of a Jeep-serious utility vehicle with relatively smooth and composed road manners. When the going gets rough, the Cherokee proves itself worthy of the seven-hole Jeep grille it wears out front.
Features
Like the Grand Cherokee, this smaller Jeep has an overwhelming amount of tech on-tap. The 8.4-inch touchscreen display pairs with a customizable gauge cluster, and voice commands are easy to use.
For safety, available features include the usual blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning, but also extend to automatic cruise control and adaptive high-beams. The $1,795 technology package also includes forward collision mitigation and parking assist.
The only drawback to all the goodies available is the way the cost for this compact crossover can shoot up. Equipped with a luxury group including power liftgate, nine-speaker audio, towing package, and a dual-pane sunroof, this tester Cherokee cracked the $43,000 mark. That's quite a bit.
Keep your Cherokee a little less grand and it's competitive with others in the segment.
Fuel economy is not necessarily a strong point, with an 11.1L/100km in-city rating and 7.7L/100km on the highway.
The Cherokee will struggle to hit either figure, and the gap between V6 and four-cylinder is fairly minimal.
Green light
Excellent off-road capability; well-designed, upscale interior; polarizing styling; available tech.
Stop sign
Numb steering; expensive options; thirsty engine; small cargo capacity.
The checkered flag
Worthy of wearing the Jeep badge.
