2019 Jeep Cherokee: The Baby Grand
The Cherokee was already a solid offering, but Jeep decided to make it even better!
1. Staying Ahead of the Competition
In case you haven't heard, the compact crossover market is the hottest thing since sliced bread these days. Americans just can't get enough mini-utes, and manufacturers are responding by building as many of them as possible. That includes the Jeep Cherokee, which has been a solid seller since it returned to the world back in 2014. But in a market segment this competitive, Jeep decided to go ahead and give the "Baby Grand" a little refresh for 2018.
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2. Tone It Down
The first thing you'll undoubtedly notice about the refreshed Jeep Cherokee is its less polarizing appearance. Jeep went to great lengths to tone things down a bit on the outside, but the result is quite welcome in our opinion. The once-squinty headlights are larger, and the overall look is much more Grand Cherokee-like than before. The rear end is similarly restyled, with a relocated license plate recess, new taillights, and a longer skid plate.
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3. New Face, New Engine
The biggest change, however, comes under the hood. The Jeep Cherokee now comes with an all-new, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four cylinder engine putting out a healthy 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The twin-scroll turbo actually mounts right to the cylinder head, along with a water-cooled exhaust manifold. Stop/start technology is standard. The new 2.0 joins the Cherokee's existing 3.2-liter V6 and 2.4-liter offerings. All three engines come with a TorqueFlite nine-speed automatic transmission, which uses new software for more refined shifting.
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4. Still Trail Rated
Perhaps most importantly to Jeep fans, the new Cherokee enhances both its on and off-road capabilities. Like before, the suspension consists of an independent front with struts and a multilink rear independent setup. A total of three different four-wheel drive systems are offered: Active Drive I (ADI), Active Drive II (ADII), and Active Drive Lock (ADL). All three are capable of disconnecting the rear axle and automatically switching between two and four-wheel drive for optimal traction.
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5. Moving Upstream
On the inside, Jeep went to great lengths to make the Cherokee look and feel more upscale. And it seems to have paid off. Satin Chrome and Piano Black accents look great, and buyers can choose either a 7.0 or 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is optional. Jeep also made the Cherokee more useful inside, with 3 additional inches of width in the cargo area. That change increased cargo space from 25 cubic feet up to 27. Pricing for the refreshed Jeep Cherokee has yet to be announced, but expect it to cost slightly more than the outgoing model.
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