Tough truck ups its game and brings value
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.— If there was one word that sums up the 2019 Jeep Cherokee, it would appear to be “premium.”
It appears no fewer than 16 times in the company-provided description of the vehicle.
The 2019 Cherokee either is on sale now or soon will be, starting at $29,995.
Cherokee comes in five trim levels. Sport starts at that $29,995 number, with North ($33,495), Limited ($36,995), Trailhawk ($38,995), and Overland ($46,095) filling the line up.
Trailhawk is only offered in 4x4; for the others, add $2,500, except for whatever reason on Limited, where the 4x4 hit is $3,500.
Oh, and good luck with a frontwheel drive Jeep at resale time.
These prices are slightly higher than last year, but added content and features makes them appear to have better value.
On the off-chance you might look at some U.S. website (you wouldn’t, now, would you?), you might note that the model designations aren’t all the same. Sport and North are called Latitude and Latitude Plus down here. Why? Who knows?
The 2019 Cherokee isn’t exactly allnew. The wheelbase and basic hardware are the same, as are two of the engines. But just about every system has been rejigged.
Highlights include a new top-ofthe-line 2.0-litre direct injection four-cylinder turbocharged engine, extensively face-lifted (and side-lifted, and butt-lifted) styling, and perhaps the biggest change, a dramatically more upscale interior.
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, although now that ‘A’ could stand for Alfa Romeo!), noted when the previous Cherokee was launched at the Detroit Auto Show in 2013, the thennew styling was a love-it-or-hate-it thing.
The 2019 is more conventional, less polarizing. This begins with more of a true Jeep face, featuring larger headlamps, and of course, the seven vertical bar grille. Brian Nielander of the design studio in Auburn Hills, Mich., notes that “the seven slot grille is religion for us!”
Chief engineer Paul Smith also noted that the truck has gone on a diet; it’s up to 68 kilograms lighter than before, with significant chunks coming from lightweight entry-level seats, the aluminum hood and the composite (a $50 word for “plastic”) liftgate all doing their part. But if even that is too much of a strain on your delicate body, a power lift feature is now available — kick your foot under the bumper and it glides on up.
Mike Szymkiewicz, head of product planning for FCA Canada, says only about10 per cent of Canadian Cherokees will be front-drives. My take is that front-drive Cherokees are primarily for poseurs in the southern States.
I mentioned the three available engines. The new range-topping 2.0litre, four-cylinder turbo, shared with other FCA and Jeep models, generates 270 horsepower at 5,200 r.p.m. and 295 pound-feet of torque from 3,000 to 4,500 r.p.m. It comes with active noise cancellation to sup- press the usual four-cylinder growl.
The 2.4-litre Tiger Shark four cylinder, which growls along without that feature (producing 180 hp at 6,400 r.p.m./171 lb-ft at 4,600 r.p.m.) and the smoother-by-nature 3.2-litre V6 (271 at 6,500 r.p.m./239 at 4,400 r.p.m.) both get refinements that engineer Smith said are aimed at better driveability and lower fuel consumption.
All three engines now have stopstart technology to help save fuel, and all are mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Three different 4x4 systems are available. Active Drive1has automatic rear-wheel drive disconnect when 4WD is not required. It is lighter, less complicated than the others and is intended for the owner who will not be heading into the boonies. At least, not on purpose.
Active Drive 2 brings a two-speed transfer case, with a lowest gear ratio of 52.1:1, if you need to climb any walls. If that won’t do the trick, Active Drive 3, available only on Trailhawk, is similar but gains a lockable rear differential.
Perhaps the most significant changes happen inside. As in most new FCA products, design and trim material quality have taken quantum leaps in the right direction.
Said designer Nielander, “We wanted to focus on areas you touch and interact with, such as air vent bezels, radio, SatNav and shifter. We have used higher-quality materials there, more high-gloss black and satin chrome, for a more upscale appearance.”
The SatNav systems are by Panasonic. Standard is a seven-inch screen, upscale models get an 8.4inch screen. Yes, size does matter.
The graphics look a bit video-gameish, and not in a good way. To their credit, the high-def screens are easy to read and reasonably easy to follow and understand. Apple Car Play and Android Auto are now pretty much de rigueur in all cars.
Cherokee also offers Sirius Guardian, which allows a bunch of things to be done from your smartphone, such as lock the car or start it remotely. More valid is the emergency call button should you drive somewhere that the 4x4 system you chose couldn’t quite handle, or there’s another kind of roadside emergency. Real-time traffic and travel updates are also available, and a five-year subscription is included in Canada.
There’s all the usual stuff like forward-collision warning with active braking, lane sense with automatic steering correction, and blind-spot mitigation.
However, two truly important safety features are a backup camera, standard on all models ahead of upcoming regulations, and tire pressure monitors, now mandatory in the U.S., but not yet in Canada. To me, the most significant safety feature is LED headlights that are 57-per-cent brighter.
Storage spaces are everywhere; you’ll probably own the truck for six months and still be discovering them.
The rear seat is reasonably commodious, although for some families, there is never enough room.
Trunk space is up by 79 litres, and the rear compartment has been widened by 3 inches, so a set of golf clubs now fits in there, critical for the target demographic. There is1,634 litres of space with the rear seats folded.
A small point, but one you’ll appreciate every time you fill up: like other FCA products, there’s now a capless fuel filler — no gas cap to worry about losing. And the access panel is now a push-to-open/push-to-close deal; no need to worry about forgetting to push a release button inside the vehicle. The Trailhawk model gets a 2.54centimetre higher ride height, different front and rear fascias for better ground clearance in the rough stuff, and skid plates, should your reach exceed the vehicle’s grasp. And nice, big, red tow hooks — well, just in case.
Interesting to note that Trailhawk models account for about 32 per cent of Canada’s Cherokee sales, versus only 14 per cent in the U.S. Are we really that more rugged? Yeah, probably.
So, how does it all work? Pretty much as intended. The suspension looks the same as before, but has been retuned — dampers, bushings, sway bar settings — to improve onroad ride and handling. We didn’t have old models to compare to, but the vehicle comports itself well on the fabulous paved highways in this area north of Malibu, which is a favourite locale for new car launches.
The Tiger Shark 2.4-litre base engine is a bit on the gruff side. The new 2.0-litre turbo is suitably quick and refined, although I’d probably opt for the V6. I’ve done a fair amount of off-roading, but I’m no expert at it — I’d guess it would be easier to handle in the rough going without the peakiness typical of turbo engines. Offroad pros, feel free to comment.
The nine-speed autobox has had it share of issues over recent years, but it performed well in my test.
The changes to Cherokee’s on-road behaviour were made without compromising off-road capability. To show this off, they took us to what looked like a practice site for the moon landing.
Now, the deal with an off-road course is that as a manufacturer, you can never win. If the vehicle can’t do it, the vehicle isn’t good enough; if the vehicle can do it, the course wasn’t tough enough.
The key is to make it look impossible, then have your vehicle just be able to make it with guidance from off-road experts spotting for you. And if you have never done this before, you simply would not believe what these vehicles can do.
We used Trailhawks on the really rough stuff, and they just swallowed it up and spat it out. Your driveway on the snowiest day? Duck soup, even if I have never found out what is so easy about duck soup . . .
The ‘Selec-Terrain’ traction management system offers five modes: Auto, Sport, Snow, Sand/Mud and Rock, each of which modifies 12 different systems — throttle, brakes, transmission mapping, etc. — to deliver optimized performance under various conditions.
The new Jeep Cherokee is aimed right at the heart of the fastest growing and most competitive market segment around the world. The degree of change in this model only a few years after its introduction shows how tough it is. This truck appears to have what it takes to continue to succeed.