It’s been more than a dozen years since Jeep inexplicably took the beloved Cherokee away from us and said, “We know you love this, but here, have a Liberty.” It was the automotive equivalent of replacing our mouthwatering barbecue with turkey bacon.
Twelve years later, they are finally making it up to us with the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee.
Better, bolder and more bad-ass than ever, the new Cherokee aims to raise the bar by delivering the on-road dynamics of its bigger brother, the Grand Cherokee, with the rugged off-road capabilities of a Wrangler, complete with an array of advanced safety and tech toys (including hands-free parallel and perpendicular park assist), all bundled in a mid-size package that gets an estimated 31 mpg highway.
That’s a tall order. But, after spending a couple of days whipping the new Cherokee up and down the winding mountain roads of Southern California and banging it over some tough dirt and rock trails, I can tell you Jeep has pushed that bar high.
Available in 4 trim lines: Sport, Latitude, Limited and the trail rated 4×4 Trailhawk, the ’14 Cherokee signals the future of Jeep design: Sleeker, faster, more modern—while keeping the classic Jeep heritage and iconic 7 slot grille alive.
The new Cherokee gives you a choice of two power plants: The 2.4-liter, 184 horsepower, Tigershark I-4, or the 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6 pushing 271 horses with 239 lb.-ft. of torque. Both come mated to a 9-speed automatic tranny—a first for a mid-size SUV.
The ride of the new Cherokee is more car-like than we expect from a Jeep, more comfortable and forgiving. There’s also ample cargo room—with a lock bar to hook available accessory packs onto, keeping your gear in one place while you’re bouncing over more adventurous trails. In that case, you’re also gonna want to be behind the wheel of the trail-rated Trailhawk. It took on the famed Rubicon Trail, so it was just snacking on the seemingly impassable, steep, loose-dirt inclines and rocky passes I piloted it over.
This is one Jeep you wouldn’t mind taking on a cross-country road trip. Especially if that trip includes crossing some hazardous terrain.
The Jeep starts at $22,995.
